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Ndambiri 5000 m World Leader at Shizuoka International Meet

by Brett Larner

Alongside sprinter Chisato Fukushima's new women's 200 m national record at the May 3 Shizuoka International Track and Field Meet, Josephat Ndambiri (Kenya/Team Komori Corp.) was in a familiar position in the men's 5000 m, one step ahead of countryman Martin Mathathi (Kenya/Suzuki Hamamatsu AC) with a meet record and world-leading 13:09.19 win. Mathathi, just six days from his half-marathon debut at Sunday's Sendai International Half Marathon, was also under the old meet record as he finished 2nd in 13:10.94. 3rd placer Jonathan Ndiku (Kenya/Team Hitachi Cable) set the 3rd-fastest time so far this year, 13:19.84, while 4th place John Thuo set a slim PB of 13:21.02. 5000 m Japanese national champion Yuichiro Ueno (Team S&B) had a surprise win over Saku Chosei high school teammate Yuki Sato (Team Nissin Shokuhin) with the fastest time this year by a Japanese man, 13:24.75. The next five Japanese after Sato all set PBs, among them Tokai University ace Akinobu Murasawa who took 10 seconds off his best with a 13:38.68 which cleared the mark set by Jobu University's Yusuke Hasegawa two days ago at the Payton Jordan Cardinal Invitational.

The women's 3000 m was relatively mild by comparison, as Tomoka Inadomi (Team Wacoal) took an easy victory over teammate Yuko Hakoyama in 9:09.55, a PB by 8 seconds.

2010 Shizuoka International Track and Field Meet - Top Finishers
click here for complete results
Men's 5000 m
1. Josephat Ndambiri (Kenya/Team Komori Corp.) - 13:09.19 - MR
2. Martin Mathathi (Kenya/Suzuki Hamamatsu AC) - 13:10.94 - (MR)
3. Jonathan Ndiku (Kenya/Team Hitachi Cable) - 13:19.84
4. John Thuo (Kenya/Team Toyota) - 13:21.02 - PB
5. Yuichiro Ueno (Team S&B) - 13:24.75
6. Yuki Sato (Team Nissin Shokuhin) - 13:35.09
7. Yuki Matsuoka (Team Otsuka Seiyaku) - 13:35.37 - PB
8. Yuki Iwai (Team Asahi Kasei) - 13:35.67 - PB
9. Micah Njeru (Kenya/Team Toyota Boshoku) - 13:37.61
10. Akinobu Murasawa (Tokai Univ.) - 13:38.68 - PB
11. Tomoya Onishi (Team Asahi Kasei) - 13:43.06 - PB
12. Tetsuya Yoroizaka (Meiji Univ.) - 13:46.53 - PB
13. Yu Mitsuya (Team Toyota Kyushu) - 13:52.36
14. Takuya Ishikawa (Team Chugoku Denryoku) - 13:57.05

Women's 3000 m
1. Tomoka Inadomi (Team Wacoal) - 9:09.55 - PB
2. Yuka Hakoyama (Team Wacoal) - 9:20.58
3. Nami Tani (Team Universal Entertainment) - 9:21.64
4. Kozue Matsumoto (Team Wacoal) - 9:26.74
5. Saki Watanabe (Team Wacoal) - 9:29.54

(c) 2010 Brett Larner
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