by Brett Larner
click here for video highlights of all events
Kenyan jitsugyodan runners based in Japan dominated the distance events at the 56th annual Hyogo Relay Carnival, the first major meet in Japan`s outdoor track season. Team Komori`s Josephat Ndambiri outkicked Team Nissin`s Gideon Ngatuny to take the men`s 10000 m in 27:15.82, while Team Hokuren`s Philes Ongori won a photo finish against Japanese national record holder Yoko Shibui of Team Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo, both runners clocking 31:19.73. Ndambiri and Ongori`s marks easily met the Olympic A-standards, and both Kenyans had the added laurel of recording the fastest times so far this year.
Shibui`s time, along with those of 3rd and 4th place women Yurika Nakamura (Team Tenmaya) and Yukiko Akaba (Team Hokuren), also comfortably broke the Olympic A-standard. After failing to qualify for the Olympic marathon team in last November`s Tokyo International Women`s Marathon, Shibui and her coach Hideo Suzuki had indicated there was "no chance" she would attempt to qualify in the 10000 m. Her result in Hyogo not only showed a change of heart but established Shibui as the top contender for the 10000 m team, 3.5 seconds ahead of Yukiko Akaba`s nationally-leading 31:27.23 from last December. Following her run Shibui was uncharacteristically happy and effusive despite not taking the win.
Akaba also broke the Olympic A-standard, running 31:36.54 to take 4th in an unremarkable performance. Fresh from making the Olympic marathon team by winning March`s Nagoya International Women`s Marathon in her debut performance, Nakamura continued her impressive rise by recording a PB of nearly 1 minute to finish 3rd in 31:31.95. Shibui and Nakamura join Akaba on the list of A-standard qualifiers along with Team Mizuno`s Megumi Kinukawa and Team Toyota Jidoshokki`s Akane Wakita, both of whom qualified at last year`s Hyogo Relay Carnival. Akita also ran Hyogo this year but finished 2nd to last in 33:28.83. The teenaged Kinukawa, a probable future giant in Japanese distance running, has been sidelined for several months with persistent injuries and did not compete. She and Wakita will have another chance to show that they are still contenders at June`s national track and field championships. National 5000 m and half marathon record holder Kayoko Fukushi (Team Wacoal) is also expected to run the 10000 m at the national championships to earn an A-standard qualifier.
Along with Kinukawa, Japan`s other young prodigy Yuriko Kobayashi, fresh from her latest round of legal battles with the Japanese track and field association Rikuren, took the 1500 m with ease. Her time of 4:15.99 was far from both the Olympic standards and her national record, but Kobayashi will have another chance at the national championships.
In the men`s 10000 m, Masato Kihara of the tiny Chuo Gakuin University beat out top track runner Satoshi Irifune of Team Kanebo to finish 5th in 28:29.40 as the first Japanese finisher. Kihara, just beginning his senior year, has quietly been establishing himself as one of the greatest hopes for the next generation of Japanese marathon men, among other results running a 1:01:50 half marathon as a sophomore and beating the much-heralded Hideaki Date to be the top Japanese finisher on the ace 2nd stage of this year`s Hakone Ekiden. His run in Hyogo was an excellent start to his last year of university running.
Irifune has focused on the marathon for the last few years and ran a PB of 2:09:40 in February`s Tokyo Marathon. He did not make the Olympic marathon team and has a way to go to bring his 10000 m time, 28:32.36 in Hyogo, down in time for the national championships where he will likely face university runners Kensuke Takezawa and Yuki Sato, both of whom ran sub-28 in 2007.
Two of the the three men who did make the Olympic marathon team also ran the Hyogo 10000 m. Team Chugoku Denryoku`s Tsuyoshi Ogata, straight from running the Beijing Pre-Olympic marathon on April 20, was 18th in 29:08.30, while Team NTT Nishi Nihon`s Satoshi Osaki was 22nd in 29:43.22.
The IAAF`s report on the Kobe Relay Carnival is here.
(c) 2008 Brett Larner
all rights reserved
click here for video highlights of all events
Kenyan jitsugyodan runners based in Japan dominated the distance events at the 56th annual Hyogo Relay Carnival, the first major meet in Japan`s outdoor track season. Team Komori`s Josephat Ndambiri outkicked Team Nissin`s Gideon Ngatuny to take the men`s 10000 m in 27:15.82, while Team Hokuren`s Philes Ongori won a photo finish against Japanese national record holder Yoko Shibui of Team Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo, both runners clocking 31:19.73. Ndambiri and Ongori`s marks easily met the Olympic A-standards, and both Kenyans had the added laurel of recording the fastest times so far this year.
Shibui`s time, along with those of 3rd and 4th place women Yurika Nakamura (Team Tenmaya) and Yukiko Akaba (Team Hokuren), also comfortably broke the Olympic A-standard. After failing to qualify for the Olympic marathon team in last November`s Tokyo International Women`s Marathon, Shibui and her coach Hideo Suzuki had indicated there was "no chance" she would attempt to qualify in the 10000 m. Her result in Hyogo not only showed a change of heart but established Shibui as the top contender for the 10000 m team, 3.5 seconds ahead of Yukiko Akaba`s nationally-leading 31:27.23 from last December. Following her run Shibui was uncharacteristically happy and effusive despite not taking the win.
Akaba also broke the Olympic A-standard, running 31:36.54 to take 4th in an unremarkable performance. Fresh from making the Olympic marathon team by winning March`s Nagoya International Women`s Marathon in her debut performance, Nakamura continued her impressive rise by recording a PB of nearly 1 minute to finish 3rd in 31:31.95. Shibui and Nakamura join Akaba on the list of A-standard qualifiers along with Team Mizuno`s Megumi Kinukawa and Team Toyota Jidoshokki`s Akane Wakita, both of whom qualified at last year`s Hyogo Relay Carnival. Akita also ran Hyogo this year but finished 2nd to last in 33:28.83. The teenaged Kinukawa, a probable future giant in Japanese distance running, has been sidelined for several months with persistent injuries and did not compete. She and Wakita will have another chance to show that they are still contenders at June`s national track and field championships. National 5000 m and half marathon record holder Kayoko Fukushi (Team Wacoal) is also expected to run the 10000 m at the national championships to earn an A-standard qualifier.
Along with Kinukawa, Japan`s other young prodigy Yuriko Kobayashi, fresh from her latest round of legal battles with the Japanese track and field association Rikuren, took the 1500 m with ease. Her time of 4:15.99 was far from both the Olympic standards and her national record, but Kobayashi will have another chance at the national championships.
In the men`s 10000 m, Masato Kihara of the tiny Chuo Gakuin University beat out top track runner Satoshi Irifune of Team Kanebo to finish 5th in 28:29.40 as the first Japanese finisher. Kihara, just beginning his senior year, has quietly been establishing himself as one of the greatest hopes for the next generation of Japanese marathon men, among other results running a 1:01:50 half marathon as a sophomore and beating the much-heralded Hideaki Date to be the top Japanese finisher on the ace 2nd stage of this year`s Hakone Ekiden. His run in Hyogo was an excellent start to his last year of university running.
Irifune has focused on the marathon for the last few years and ran a PB of 2:09:40 in February`s Tokyo Marathon. He did not make the Olympic marathon team and has a way to go to bring his 10000 m time, 28:32.36 in Hyogo, down in time for the national championships where he will likely face university runners Kensuke Takezawa and Yuki Sato, both of whom ran sub-28 in 2007.
Two of the the three men who did make the Olympic marathon team also ran the Hyogo 10000 m. Team Chugoku Denryoku`s Tsuyoshi Ogata, straight from running the Beijing Pre-Olympic marathon on April 20, was 18th in 29:08.30, while Team NTT Nishi Nihon`s Satoshi Osaki was 22nd in 29:43.22.
The IAAF`s report on the Kobe Relay Carnival is here.
(c) 2008 Brett Larner
all rights reserved
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