Top Japanese middle-distance runner Miho Sugimori set a national record in the women's 1,500 meters Saturday when she clocked 4 minutes, 9.30 seconds in a race in Kumamoto. Sugimori, who also holds the national record in the 800, broke the previous record set by Ikuko Tamura in 2002 by 1.09 seconds in an invitational meet for middle- and long-distance runners at Kumamoto Prefectural Track and Field Stadium.
