Skip to main content

Liu, Asahara, Kobayashi and More on the Schedule for Osaka Grand Prix

by Brett Larner

An international field including famed Chinese 110 m hurdler Xian Liu, Helsinki World Championships 400 m hurdler silver medalist James Carter of U.S.A., Paris and Edmonton World Championships 100 m bronze medalist Chandra Stirrup of Bahamas, and Helsinki World Championships 400 m bronze medalist Christine Amertil, also of Bahamas, will take part in the IAAF Japan Grand Prix in Osaka this Saturday, May 10.

Hosts Japan will field a team including star sprinter Nobuharu Asahara, top hurdler Dai Tamesue, women`s 1500 m national record holder Yuriko Kobayashi, and women`s long jump national record holder Kumiko Ikeda. Athens Olympics discus gold medalist Koji Murofuji will be appearing as an honorary participant.

Of particular interest to distance running enthusiasts will be the appearance in the men`s 1500 m of former Hakone Ekiden stars Yuichiro Ueno, formerly of Chuo University and now running for Team SB Shokuhin, and Yuki Matsuoka, formerly with 2007 Hakone winners Juntendo University and now running for Team Otsuka Seiyaku. Both runners graduated in March and debuted as professionals last month. Also listed to start in the 1500 m is Team Chugoku Denryoku's Yasuhiro Tago, who suffered injuries after falling and being trampled by a number of runners in the 1500 m at last Sunday`s Cardinal Invitational at Stanford University.

The Osaka Grand Prix will be broadcast nationwide and commercial-free on NHK starting at 3:05 p.m. A complete list of entrants is available at: http://www.osaka-sports.gr.jp/events2/gp2008/2008gp_athlete.html

(c) 2008 Brett Larner
all rights reserved
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Most-Read This Week

'Kobe 2024: Aitchison, Athmani Lead Record-Breaking Thursday'

  https://www.paralympic.org/news/kobe-2024-para-athletics-world-championships-aitchison-athmani-lead-record-breaking-thursday Complete results and daily schedule from the Kobe World Para Athletics Championships are here .
Post a Comment
Read more

Chesang Wins Osaka Women's Marathon in 2:19:31, Yada Drops 2:19:57 Debut NR

This year's Osaka International Women's Marathon was a race run with a high level of methodicalness, starting slower than the planned 3:19/km but ramping up until the lead pack was skimming around the 2:20:15-30 projected finish level. After hitting halfway in 1:10:13 with a group of 6, by 25 km only 4 were left up front, sub-2:19 runners Workenesh Edesa , Stella Chesang and Bedatu Hirpa , and the debuting Mikuni Yada , and when the last 2 pacers stepped off at 30 km it was Yada who went to the front. Despite never have raced longer than the 10.6 km Third Stage at November's Queens Ekiden where she had helped the Edion team score its first-ever national title, Yada was very, very impressive, fearlessly surging from 12 km and never letting up, even laughing and smiling to fans along the course. When she started sustaining a pace around 3:15/km the projected finish dropped under 2:20 and all the way down to 2:19:28 by 35 km, and even when all 3 of the more experienced ru...
2 comments
Read more

Hirayama Breaks Osaka Half CR, Martinez Set Puerto Rican NR

The Osaka Half Marathon took another big step up the domestic half marathon rankings from a mass-participation race run alongside the Osaka International Women's Marathon to one of the country's top-tier races. In the women's race, the debuting Jecinta Nyokabi (Denso) went out fast, only to be run down by veteran Yumi Yoshikawa (Canon AC) by 10 km. Nyokabi faded to 6th in 1:10:41, but Yoshikawa pushed on to a PB 1:09:14 for the win. Rina Shimizu (Noritz), Yuna Takahashi (Shimamura) and Makoto Tsuchiya (Ritsumeikan Univ.) all broke 70 minutes, Tsuchiya taking the Kansai Region collegiate title in 1:09:32 for 4th overall. Everyone in the top 10 who wasn't debuting ran a PB, a mark of how fast the day was even with cold and windy conditions. The men's race went out on sub-61 pace courtesy of Yudai Shimazu (GMO), then got a big injection of speed when Kyuma Yokota (Toyota Kyushu) took off close to 60-flat pace. Yokota opened a 10-second lead by 15 km, but over ...
Post a Comment
Read more