Hayakari and Yokota Lead Japanese Performances at Lappeenranta Games

by Brett Larner

National record holders Minori Hayakari (Kyoto Koka AC) and Masato Yokota (Team Fujitsu) led the performances by the Japanese contingent at the July 15 Lappeenranta Games in Finland with wins in the women's 3000 m steeplechase and men's 800 m. The veteran Hayakari led start to finish after setting the race off at national record pace. For Yokota it was his second European win in less than a week, both wins clocking just off his national record.

2010 Lappeenranta Games - Top Results
click here for complete results
Men's 3000 m
1. Geoffrey Kipsang (Kenya) - 7:59.57
2. Matti Rasanen (Finland) - 8:02.18
3. Jukka Keskisalo (Finland) - 8:02.23
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6. Satoru Kitamura (Team Nissin Shokuhin) - 8:14.92

Women's 3000 mSC
1. Minori Hayakari (Kyoto Koka AC) - 9:52.10
2. Livia Toth (Hungary) - 9:54.16
3. Valeria Mara (Ukraine) - 9:54.98

Men's 1500 m
1. Kiprono Menjo (Kenya) - 3:38.40
2. Niclas Sandells (Germany) - 3:41.62
3. Mikael Bergdahl (Germany) - 3:42.53
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4. Fumikazu Kobayashi (Team NTN) - 3:43.08
9. Hiroshi Ino (Japan) - 3:54.37

Men's 800 m A-heat
1. Masato Yokota (Team Fujitsu) - 1:46.82
2. Prince Mumba (Zambia) - 1:47.56
3. Mikko Lahtio (Finland) - 1:48.10
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5. Ryosuke Awazu (Japan) - 1:49.03
9. Hikaru Miyazaki (Japan) - 1:50.81

Men's 400 mH
1. Cornel Fredericks (South Africa) - 48.99
2. Kazuaki Yoshida (Japan) - 50.45
3. Yuta Imazeki (Japan) - 52.03

(c) 2010 Brett Larner
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