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Long Weekend Track Roundup - Olympic B-Standards Abound

by Brett Larner

Fall track season continued over the National Sports Day long weekend with three large meets.  The National Sports Festival in Yamaguchi produced a women's 5000 m Olympic B-standard PB from this year's national corporate 10000 m champion Kasumi Nishihara (Team Yamada Denki), who ran 15:23.80 to win by six seconds.  The junior women's 3000 m saw the top four high schoolers break 9:10, with Tomoka Kimura (Chikushi Joshi Gakuen H.S.) winning in 9:05.81 over rival Miki Sakakibara (Hamakita Nishi H.S.) after losing to Sakakibara in the heats.

The Niigata Time Trials meet also produced two Olympic B-standard performances.  2010 national 5000 m champion Yuki Matsuoka (Team Otsuka Seiyaku) ran a PB 28:03.46 to win the 10000 m and clear the London B-standard.  Five-time national 1500 m champion Mika Yoshikawa (Team Panasonic) continued her successful transition to longer distances this year by breaking 32 in a virtually solo 10000 m, qualifying for the Olympics with a time of 31:55.06.  The men's and women's 5000 m were literally solo runs, with 2009 double 1500 m and 5000 m champion Yuichiro Ueno (Team S&B) running 14:05.07 alone in the men's 5000 m and 1500 m national record holder Yuriko Kobayashi (Team Toyota Jidoshokki) a DNF with no other athletes in the race.

The Chubu Jitsugyodan Fall T&F Championships did not produce any Olympic-qualifying runs from Japanese athletes, but Kenyan Edward Waweru (Team NTN) just cleared the men's 5000 m B-standard with a 13:24.99 meet record.  John Thuo (Team Toyota) likewise set a meet record in the men's 3000 m, running 7:46.01.

National Sports Festival
Yamaguchi, 10/7-11/11
click here for complete results

Junior Women's 3000 m
1. Tomoka Kimura (Chikushi Joshi Gakuen H.S.) - 9:05.81
2. Miki Sakakibara (Hamakita Nishi H.S.) - 9:07.31
3. Miyuki Gokan (Tokiwa H.S.) - 9:08.46
4. Fuyuki Kimura (Yamagata Johoku H.S.) - 9:09.18
5. Eri Makikawa (Seiryo H.S.) - 9:11.30

Women's 5000 m
1. Kasumi Nishihara (Team Yamada Denki) - 15:23.80 - PB
2. Hiroko Shoi (Team Nihon ChemiCon) - 15:29.69 - PB
3. Hikari Yoshimoto (Bukkyo Univ.) - 15:30.94
4. Hitomi Niiya (Sakura AC) - 15:32.92
5. Risa Takenaka (Ritsumeikan Univ.) - 15:33.54

Junior Men's 5000 m
1. Ken Yokote (Sakushin Gakuin H.S.) - 14:04.49
2. Kazuma Kubota (Kyushu Gakuin H.S.) - 14:05.56
3. Yuta Katsumata (Nishiwaki Kogyo H.S.) - 14:06.43
4. Shun Morozumi (Saku Chosei H.S.) - 14:07.62
5. Kaoru Hirosue (Kobayashi H.S.) - 14:17.13


Niigata Time Trials
Niigata, 10/10/11
click here for complete results

Men's 10000 m
1. Yuki Matsuoka (Team Otsuka Seiyaku) - 28:03.46 - PB
2. Yusuke Hasegawa (Team S&B) - 28:21.86
3. Shota Yamaguchi (Team Fujitsu) - 28:54.97
4. Kazuharu Takai (Team Kyudenko) - 29:02.59
5. Tomoyuki Morita (Team Kanebo) - 29:04.32

Women's 10000 m
1. Mika Yoshikawa (Team Panasonic) - 31:55.06
2. Yoshie Kurisu (Team Tenmaya) - 33:05.43
DNF - Kazue Kojima (Team Toyota Jidoshokki)


Chubu Jitsugyodan Fall Track & Field Championships
Gifu, 10/10/11
click here for complete results

Men's 5000 m Heat 4
1. Edward Waweru (Kenya/Team NTN) - 13:24.99 - CR
2. Samuel Ngungu (Kenya/Team Aichi Seiko) - 13:38.14
3. Jacob Wanjuki (Kenya/Team Aichi Seiko) - 13:44.23
4. James Mwangi (Kenya/Team NTN) - 13:45.05
5. Hiroyoshi Umegae (Team NTN) - 13:49.73

Men's 3000 m Heat 2
1. John Thuo (Team Toyota) - 7:46.01 - CR
2. Chihiro Miyawaki (Team Toyota) - 8:15.10
3. Kensuke Takahashi (Team Toyota) - 8:16.96

Women's 3000 m Heat 2
1. Mao Kuroda (Team Yutaka Giken) - 9:32.51
2. Anri Shibahara (Team Yutaka Giken) - 9:38.38
3. Akiko Matsunaga (Team Yutaka Giken) - 9:39.98

(c) 2011 Brett Larner
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