Skip to main content

Takezawa, Ugachi Just Off Olympic B-Standard at Kanaguri Memorial 5000 m

by Brett Larner

The Japanese track season got moving Apr. 7 with the first big meet of the year, the 21st Kanaguri Memorial Meet in Kumamoto.  In the men's 5000 m A-heat, relative newcomer Patrick Mwikya (Kenya/Team Toyota Boshoku) led start to finish, winning in a solo 13:21.36.  A tight pack behind him saw Kensuke Takezawa (Team S&B), on the mend from his latest round of injuries, emerge to take 2nd in 13:28.70 just short of the 13:27.00 Olympic B-standard.  A step behind were Kenyan Daniel Gitau (Team Fujitsu) and 10000 m Olympic A-standard holder Tsuyoshi Ugachi (Team Konica Minolta), both under 13:30.  In the men's B-heat, winner Hayato Saito (Team Honda) would have placed well in the A-heat as he won by a comfortable margin in 13:41.80.

Kenyans Sally Chepyego (Team Kyudenko) and, making her pro debut, Beatrice Murugi (Team Toyota Jidoshokki) ran together ahead of the Japanese pack with Chepyego pulling away for the win in 15:20.30.  Yuka Ando, debuting with her new Mizuno sponsorship, was 3rd in 15:43.67 with high schooler Shiori Yano (Kitakyushu Civic H.S.) 4th in an impressive 15:44.68.  Like Hayato in the men's race, women's B-heat winner Ai Igarashi (Team Sysmex) would have been more at home in the A-heat as she won in 15:50.47 by a margin of nearly 12 seconds.

The other noteworthy race of the day came in the men's 1500 m A-heat, where Yasunori Murakami (Team Fujitsu) won by a hair over Masahiro Takaya (Team JR Higashi Nihon), 3:43.96 to 3:43.99.  800 m NR holder Masato Yokota (Team Fujitsu) was 3rd in a PB 3:45.63, while 2011 National University 1500 m champ Suguru Osako (Waseda Univ.) was 5th in 3:46.84.

21st Kanaguri Memorial Middle and Long-Distance Meet
Kumamoto, 4/7/12
click here for complete results

Men's 5000 m A-Heat
1. Patrick Mutunga Mwikya (Kenya/Team Toyota Boshoku) - 13:21.36
2. Kensuke Takezawa (Team S&B) - 13:28.70
3. Daniel Gitau (Kenya/Team Fujitsu) - 13:28.97
4. Tsuyoshi Ugachi (Team Konica Minolta) - 13:29.50 - PB
5. Paul Kuira (Kenya/Team Konica Minolta) - 13:30.07
6. Yuki Sato (Team Nissin Shokuhin) - 13:33.16
7. Takuya Fukatsu (Team Asahi Kasei) - 13:33.34 - PB
8. Patrick Mwaka (Kenya/Team Aisan Kogyo) - 13:38.88
9. Kazuya Deguchi (Team Asahi Kasei) - 13:41.99 - PB
10. Kazuharu Takai (Team Kyudenko) - 13:42.30 - PB

Women's 5000 m A-Heat
1. Sally Chepyego (Kenya/Team Kyudenko) - 15:20.30
2. Beatrice Wainaina Murugi (Kenya/Team Toyota Jidoshokki) - 15:21.77
3. Yuka Ando (Mizuno) - 15:43.67
4. Shiori Yano (Kitakyushu Civic H.S.) - 15:44.68
5. Tomoka Inadomi (Team Wacoal) - 15:46.98
6. Chieko Kido (Canon AC Kyushu) - 15:59.01
7. Hiroko Shoi (Team Nihon ChemiCon) - 16:00.84
8. Misaki Sango (Suzuki Hamamatsu AC) - 16:05.48
9. Anna Hasuike (Team Higo Ginko) - 16:07.41
10. Miyuki Mandai (Osaka Gakuin Univ.) - 16:09.25

Men's 5000 m B-Heat
1. Hayato Saito (Team Honda) - 13:41.80
2. Alex Mwangi (Kenya/Team YKK) - 13:46.21
3. Hideyuki Tanaka (Juntendo Univ.) - 13:52.16
4. Takehiro Arakawa (Team Asahi Kasei) - 13:53.33
5. Teruo Taneno (Team Yasukawa Denki) - 13:54.07

Women's 5000 m B-Heat
1. Ai Igarashi (Team Sysmex) - 15:50.47
2. Rina Nabeshima (Kanaya Taiku Univ.) - 16:02.31
3. Kotomi Takayama (Team Sysmex) - 16:03.01
4. Aya Nagata (Team Toyota Jidoshokki) - 16:04.43
5. Sayuri Sento (Team Toyota Jidoshokki) - 16:06.56

High School Boys' 5000 m A-Heat
1. Jeremiah Karemi (Toyokawa H.S.) - 13:52.71
2. Hazuma Hattori (Toyokawa H.S.) - 14:12.50
3. Tadashi Isshiki (Toyokawa H.S.) - 14:22.90

High School Girls' 3000 m A-Heat
1. Kumiko Otani (Oita Tomei H.S.) - 9:31.26
2. Saki Yoshimizu (Chikushi Joshi Gakuen H.S.) - 9:35.38
3. Misuzu Nakahara (Kamimura Gakuen H.S.) - 9:37.65

Men's 1500 m A-Heat
1. Yasunori Murakami (Team Fujitsu) - 3:43.96
2. Masahiro Takaya (Team JR Higashi Nihon) - 3:43.99
3. Masato Yokota (Team Fujitsu) - 3:45.63 - PB
4. Aoi Matsumoto (Team Otsuka Seiyaku) - 3:46.21
5. Suguru Osako (Waseda Univ.) - 3:46.84

Women's 1500 m A-Heat
1. Rose Maranga (Team Toto) - 4:24.79
2. Yukari Soh (Team Asahi Kasei) - 4:27.54
3. Yui Fukuda (Suma Gakuen H.S.) - 4:27.97
4. Minami Nakaarai (Osaka Gakuin Univ.) - 4:28.46
5. Azusa Saito (Niigata Albirex AC) - 4:29.06

(c) 2012 Brett Larner
all rights reserved
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Most-Read This Week

Keita Sato Joins Swoosh TC

After appearing at a Nike event on Apr. 3, U20 1500 m NR and indoor 3000 m and 5000 m NR holder Keita Sato , 22, updated his Instagram profile to announce that he is joining Nike's Swoosh TC . At the Nike event Sato said that he plans to run the 1500 m at the Apr. 11 Kanaguri Memorial Meet, then will move to the U.S. "To be successful at the global level I need to train and grow alongside world-class athletes," he said. "I have to take every day seriously in order to achieve that dream of being internationally competitive." Swoosh TC was founded last year. Its coach Mike Smith has guided many athletes to international championships, including prior to Swoosh TC's launch, with some earning medals and podium finishes under his leadership. photo © 2026 Brett Larner, all rights reserved source article: https://www.rikujyokyogi.co.jp/archives/204241/2 translated by Brett Larner
Post a Comment
Read more

Updates on Transfers

April 1 is the start of Japan's new academic and fiscal year, and there's always a wave of transfer announcements to go with it. Some notable ones yesterday: 800 m NR holder Rin Kubo skipped university to go straight to 2023 Queens Ekiden national champion Sekisui Kagaku after her graduation from Higashi Osaka Keiai H.S. Multiple NR holder Nozomi Tanaka rejoined the Toyota Jidoshokki women's team after having left it to pursue a solo pro career as a New Balance athlete. Already on the team for this fall's Nagoya Asian Games in the 10000 m, Ririka Hironaka announced a switch from her longtime home at Japan Post to the Uniqlo women's team. Collegiate marathon record holder Asahi Kuroda joined the 2026 national champion GMO corporate team after graduating from 2026 Hakone Ekiden champ Aoyama Gakuin University last week. Hakone Ekdien First Stage CR holder Rui Aoki joins the Sumitomo Denko corporate team after running his final race for 2025 Izumo Ekiden w...
Post a Comment
Read more

Chien Breaks TPE NR, Iwata Betters ID-Class WR - Weekend Track Roundup

The last weekend of the academic and fiscal year saw at least 5 meets with good results domestically and abroad. Kicking things off Friday was the Maurie Plant Meet in Melbourne, where Tomohiro Shinno and Naoto Hasegawa took 1st and 3rd in the men's high jump, both of them only clearing 2.18 m along with 2nd-placer Roman Anastasios . 12 other Japanese athletes were in action on the second day of the meet on Saturday, where 3000 mSC NR holder Ryuji Miura ran 3:42.84 for 6th in the men's 1500 m. Nagiya Mori had a better one in the men's 3000 m with a 7:45.40 for 4th. Both Yota Mashiko and Rui Suzuki cleared 8:00 too, Mashiko's 7:53.84 the 2nd-fastest ever by a Japanese-born high schooler. Abigail Fuka Ido and Nagisa Takahashi both placed 3rd in their events, Ido going 23.85 (-0.9) in the women's 200 m and Takahashi clearing 1.82 m in the women's high jump. 8 Japanese men were at The TEN in California to run 10000 m. In the B-heat won by Edward Marks in ...
2 comments
Read more