Komazawa University showcased a historic comeback win as junior runner Takuma Ishikawa overtook then-leader Soka University with only two kilometers left in the 10th and final leg to capture its first Hakone ekiden championship since 2008 on Sunday.
It was the seventh-ever gold medal for the Tokyo-based team in Japan’s annual New Year sporting tradition, for which universities in the Kanto region are eligible to compete. Komazawa’s winning time was 10 hours, 56 minutes and four seconds.
“I’m extremely happy,” Komazawa head coach Hiroaki Oyagi said after the tournament. “We’ve struggled to win in this event and I was only hoping our team would give a good performance on the second day.”