The Kanto Student Track and Field Association announced the registered athletes for the Kanto Intercollegiate Track and Field Championships (commonly known as Kanto Intercollegiate, May 21–24, at Kanseki Stadium Tochigi) on May 13.
In the men’s Division 1 5000m, Brian Kipyego (4th year, Yamanashi Gakuin University), who achieved his fourth consecutive victory in the half marathon held earlier in April, and Kudo Shinsaku (4th year, Waseda University), who secured a spot in the MGC (the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic marathon Japanese representative selection race, scheduled for October 3, 2027, in Nagoya) at the Tokyo Marathon in February, are among the entrants. Last year’s champion Kipyego and runner-up Kudo will now compete on the track in this event. The race also features a deep field of talented runners, including Waseda’s Suzuki Ryuin (2nd year), Chuo University’s Okada Kaisei (3rd year), Josai University’s Shibata Yu (4th year), and Toyo University’s Matsui Kaito (3rd year).
In the men’s Division 2 5000m, registered athletes include Aoyama Gakuin University’s Orita Sota (3rd year), Ogawara Haruki (3rd year), and Furukawa Yuki (1st year) — all from the team that won its third consecutive and ninth overall Hakone Ekiden title in January this year. Also entered are Kokugakuin University’s ace Nonaka Tsunehiro (4th year), whose team finished second in the Hakone Ekiden; Teikyo University’s ace Kusuoka Yoshihiro (4th year); and Tokyo International University’s Amos Bett (4th year). The men’s Division 2 5000m is expected to be a thrilling race as well.
In the women’s Division 1 1500m, Ashida Nodoka (1st year) of Aoyama Gakuin University — which established its women’s long-distance and ekiden team this year — has registered to compete.
The Kanto Intercollegiate Championships began in 1919, with this year marking the 105th edition. The event predates the Hakone Ekiden, which started in 1920 and held its 102nd race this January. It is typically held in May. Each school may enter up to three athletes per event. Points are awarded: 8 for first place, 7 for second, and so on down to 1 point for eighth place, with teams competing for total scores in the team championship. Men are divided into Division 1 (16 schools), Division 2 (all other schools), and Division 3 (graduate students). The 15th and 16th place teams in Division 1 swap with the 1st and 2nd place teams in Division 2 the following year. Women are all in Division 1, with graduate students in Division 2, and there is no promotion/relegation.
For Kanto’s student distance runners, the Kanto Intercollegiate is the second biggest event after the Hakone Ekiden. Since men’s Division 1 and Division 2 are determined by overall strength including sprints and field events, some universities that focus heavily on ekiden — such as Aoyama Gakuin (winner of three consecutive and ninth overall Hakone title this January), Kokugakuin (second place), and Komazawa (sixth place) — belong to Division 2. As a result, in distance events, there is little difference in ability between Division 1 and Division 2.
The men’s half marathon was moved to an earlier date in April this year due to heat countermeasures. In Division 1, Kipyego impressively claimed his fourth straight title, while in Division 2, Soka University’s Yamaguchi Shoki (3rd year) took the win.
