Takaaki Koyama took first place at the first edition of the Sapporo TV Tower Vertical Run in Japan.
The new event, which had been rescheduled due to Covid-19 restrictions, involved two runs up 442 steps.
The experienced Koyama showed impressive consistency as he clocked 1:50 in his first run, followed by 1:49 in his second for a total winning time of 3:39.
Koyama finished narrowly ahead of Koki Tanaka (3:43), who clocked the fastest single run of the day, a time of 1:48 with his second attempt. But with his initial run a slightly slower 1:55, it left him four seconds behind overall.
The battle for the final podium spot was very closely contested. In the end it was Yusuke Tanaka who sealed it with his 3:59 total. Fourth spot went to Hirokazu Uesugi (4:01) and Hitotsubashi Seiya (4:02) was in fifth place.
In the women’s division, Japanese international triathlete Airi Sawada proved herself a force on the stairs, taking victory in 5:23 (2:45 and 2:38). She was 20 seconds faster overall than second-placed Moeko Yasugahira.
