Chuo University sophomore Masakazu Fujiwara surged ahead in the final kilometer on the first day of the Tokyo-Hakone collegiate ekiden road relay Tuesday to give the Tokyo school an eight-second victory in the annual New Year event.
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| Chuo University sophomore Masakazu Fujiwara takes the lead on the first day of the Tokyo-Hakone ekiden relay. |
Chuo's victory in a time of 5 hours, 43 minutes over the 107.2-km course from Tokyo's Otemachi business district to Lake Ashinoko was its 15th overall and first in 37 years.
Juntendo University, seeking to make it a triple crown of collegiate ekiden titles this year, was second in 5:43:08.
Surprising Hosei University, which led through the middle three legs of the race, was third in 5:43:55 while defending champion Komazawa University came in fourth.