All-Japan Women's Ekiden is said to be a gateway to success for athletes who are active in the middle and long distance track and field.

Drury Shu Eri, a third-year junior high school student from Okayama, attracted a lot of attention at this year's tournament held on the 15th.

Due to certain circumstances, she set a new section record, surpassing 17 runners in her first full-fledged ekiden.

Drury, whose father is from Canada, was born and raised in Tsuyama City, Okayama Prefecture, which has a population of approximately 100,000.



In fact, the track and field club at the junior high school I go to has only three members, including Drury.

This was my first time participating in a full-fledged Ekiden race, as I sometimes come up with my own practice menus based on social media and other sources.

Even so, Drury demonstrated his talent with a beautiful form that made use of his big stride. It was noted whether to show.

Then, in the race on the 15th, when he was crossed in 38th place, he caught up with the riders running in front one after another and showed a strong run, overtaking 17 people.



In the 3-kilometer division, the 9 minutes and 2 seconds was a new section record, breaking the previous record by 8 seconds.

Surrounded by many reporters after the race, Drury said, “I was able to enjoy the run. It was impressive to see him do it.



The goal is Nozomi Tanaka, who was active in the Tokyo Olympics two years ago and is leading the Japanese women's middle and long distance race. I want to leave a good result as much as possible.”