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Weekend Track Roundup - High-Schoolers Sub-14 and Sub-29

by Brett Larner

Beyond all the road action in Fukuoka and Kosa, this weekend saw the last two big track time trial meets before the national championship ekidens.  High schoolers made most of the noteworthy news at both meets.  On the first day of the Nittai Time Trials in Yokohama, Ken Yokote (Sakushin Gakuin H.S.) ran 28:57.31 to place 3rd in the men's 10000 m B-heat behind pros Jun Shinoto (Team Sanyo Tokushu Seiko) and Kazuki Onishi (Team Kanebo).  Led by World XC silver medalist Paul Tanui (Team Kyudenko) Africans took the top 10 places in Sunday's men's 5000 m, but close behind in 13:55.91 and 13:57.30 were the aptly-named Kenya Sonota (Aomori Yamada H.S.) and Soma Ishikawa (Sano Nichidai Prep H.S.).  Ishikawa's time was the 3rd-best ever by a Japanese high school junior.  The high school girls also ran well at Nittai, with outstanding first-year Rosemary Wanjiru (Aomori Yamada H.S.) running 15:26.07 in one of the men's 5000 m heats, Momoko Akiyama (Hakuoh Joshi H.S.) 5th in the women's 5000 m A-heat in 15:52.52 and Toyokawa High School's Beatrice Wainaina Murugi and Yuka Ando going 1-2 in the 3000 m A-heat in 9:04.10 and 9:14.27.

Across the country at the Time Trial in Nagasaki meet, Kojokan High School girls took the top four spots in the 3000 m, led by Sakurako Yamoto in 9:16.40.  Kojokan aces Katsuki Suga and Miyuki Oka opted for the 5000 m.  Suga and Kitakyushu Civic High School junior Shiori Yano both broke 15:45, with Oka droping behind but still finishing in a strong 15:51.23.

Nittai University Time Trials - Top Results
Yokohama, 12/3-4/11
click here for complete results

Men's 10000 m Heat 12
1. Jacob Wanjuki (Kenya/Team Aichi Seiko) - 28:13.46
2. Samuel Ndungu (Kenya/Team Aichi Seiko) - 28:27.78
3. Yuta Takahashi (Team S&B) - 28:30.51
4. Kensuke Takezawa (Team S&B) - 28:40.05
5. Yusuke Hasegawa (Team S&B) - 28:50.13

Men's 10000 m Heat 11
1. Jun Shinoto (Team Sanyo Tokushu Seiko) - 28:56.72
2. Kazuki Onishi (Team Kanebo) - 28:57.04
3. Ken Yokote (Sakushin Gakuin H.S.) - 28:57.31 - PB

Men's 5000 m Heat 37
1. Paul Tanui (Kenya/Team Kyudenko) - 13:18.52
2. Edward Waweru (Kenya/Team NTN) - 13:18.62
3. Jonathan Ndiku (Kenya/Team Hitachi Cable) - 13:19.04
4. Clement Langat (Kenya/Team Subaru) - 13:20.09
5. Gideon Ngatuny (Kenya/Team Nissin Shokuhin) - 13:33.90
-----
11. Kenya Sonota (Aomori Yamada H.S.) - 13:55.91 - PB
12. Soma Ishikawa (Sano Nichidai Prep H.S.) - 13:57.30 - PB

Men's 5000 m Heat 9
9. Rosemary Wanjiru (Kenya/Aomori Yamada H.S.) - 15:26.07

Women's 5000 m Heat 30
1. Azusa Kurisu (Juntendo Univ.) - 15:47.60
2. Azusa Nojiri (Team Daiichi Seimei) - 15:49.29
3. Nanaka Izawa (Juntendo Univ.) - 15:50.02
4. Azusa Saito (Niigata Albirex H.S.) - 15:51.71
5. Momoko Akiyama (Hakuoh Joshi H.S.) - 15:52.52

Women's 3000 m Heat 6
1. Beatrice Wainaina Murugi (Kenya/Toyokawa H.S.) - 9:04.10
2. Yuka Ando (Toyokawa H.S.) - 9:14.27
3. Misaki Tanabe (Tamura H.S.) - 9:22.95

Time Trial in Nagasaki - Top Results
Nagasaki, 12/4/11
click here for complete results

Men's 10000 m
1. Yuki Mori (Omura T&F Assoc.) - 29:17.32
2. Ayumu Sato (Team Mitsubishi Juko Nagasaki) - 29:21.11
3. Taku Miyahara (Team Mitsubishi Juko Nagasaki) - 29:21.92

Women's 5000 m Heat 2
1. Sally Chepyego (Kenya/Team Kyudenko) - 15:21.08
2. Misaki Kato (Team Kyudenko) - 15:43.90
3. Katsuki Suga (Kojokan H.S.) - 15:44.11
4. Shiori Yano (Kitakyushu Civic H.S.) - 15:44.43
5. Miyuki Oka (Kojokan H.S.) - 15:51.23

High School Girls' 3000 m
1. Sakurako Yamoto (Kojokan H.S.) - 9:16.40
2. Tomoyo Adachi (Kojokan H.S.) - 9:18.16
3. Junna Fujii (Kojokan H.S.) - 9:35.84

(c) 2011 Brett Larner
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