At the Kyushu Corporate Teams Mainichi Ekiden, Hiramatsu Hospital’s Wataru Tochigi (栃木 渡) and Hiroya Ogikubo (荻久保 寛也) produced section-record performances to put the team in 2nd place at the halfway point, while the following runners held on to finish 8th. The team secured its place on the national stage for the fourth consecutive year, and Tochigi reflected that he had fulfilled his role.
In 2 legs of the Kyushu Corporate Teams Mainichi Ekiden, Hiramatsu Hospital’s Wataru Tochigi (栃木 渡) and Hiroya Ogikubo (荻久保 寛也) recorded section-best times, putting the team in a strong 2nd place at the halfway point. The following runners also held on, and the team finished the race in 8th place.
Shoji Kakeru (小路 翔琉) held on in the first leg to finish 9th, 21 seconds behind the leader. In the second leg, Tochigi chased at a fast pace to join the leading group and took control of the race with a section-winning run. Ogikubo, who received the baton in a tightly contested 3rd place, also battled hard to finish 2nd in his section.
The captain identified securing a seeded position as the team’s goal and said that it also had strong runners among its reserves. The team’s determination to qualify for the national championships for the fourth consecutive year was recorded.