Fukushi Gets 5000 m Olympic A, Osako Sub-28 at Golden Games in Nobeoka

by Brett Larner

After failing to qualify for the London Olympics in the marathon, 5000 m national record holder Kayoko Fukushi (Team Wacoal) successfully regrouped at the May 12 Golden Games in Nobeoka meet, clearing the Olympic A-standard as she narrowly finished 2nd behind Kenyan Sally Chepyego (Team Kyudenko) 15:18.01 to 15:18.46. No other women were even close to the lead pair, with Ai Igarashi (Team Sysmex) 3rd in 15:33.80.

The bid for Olympic A qualifying times in the men's 10000 m was less successful. Waseda University 3rd-year Suguru Osako, the Asian half-marathon junior record holder, 2011 World University Games 10000 m gold medalist and 1500 m national university 1500 m champion, emerged from a small pack chasing the time behind pacer and Osaka WC bronze medalist Martin Mathathi (Kenya/Suzuki Hamamatsu AC) to give it a good shot but faded over the last 2000 m. He nevertheless succeeded in breaking 28 for the first time, 2nd in a photo-finish with Mathathi in 27:56.94 to become the second Japanese collegiate sub-28 this season. Komazawa University junior Shinobu Kubota was 3rd in a PB of 28:07.01 as the pros in the field all faltered.

Paced by World XC silver medalist Paul Tanui (Team Kyudenko), the men's 5000 m was far from hitting even the B-standard but very entertaining. Former 1500 m and 5000 m national champion Yuichiro Ueno (Team S&B) ran a wild and erratic race, going out on national record pace far ahead of Tanui, fading far back into the pack, and then surging at the end to retake 2nd in a season-best 13:38.21. 10000 m year-leader Daisuke Shimizu (Team Kanebo) took the win in a PB of 13:36.69, promising in post-race interviews to hit an Olympic-standard time at next month's National Championships.

2012 Golden Games in Nobeoka
Nobeoka, Miyazaki, 5/12/12
click here for complete results

Men's 10000 m
1. Martin Mathathi (Kenya/Suzuki Hamamatsu AC) - 27:56.87
2. Suguru Osako (Waseda Univ.) - 27:56.94 - PB
3. Shinobu Kubota (Komazawa Univ.) - 28:07.01 - PB
4. Takuya Ishikawa (Team Chugoku Denryoku) - 28:09.49
5. Naoki Okamoto (Team Chugoku Denryoku) - 28:11.22
6. Takuya Fukatsu (Team Asahi Kasei) - 28:18.24
7. Ryuji Kashiwabara (Team Fujitsu) - 28:25.37
8. Sota Hoshi (Team Fujitsu) - 28:25.85
9. Shota Yamaguchi (Team Fujitsu) - 28:36.91
10. Kensuke Takezawa (Team S&B) - 28:40.43

Women's 5000 m A-Heat
1. Sally Chepyego (Kenya/Team Kyudenko) - 15:18.01
2. Kayoko Fukushi (Team Wacoal) - 15:18.46
3. Ai Igarashi (Team Sysmex) - 15:33.80
4. Tomoka Inadomi (Team Wacoal) - 15:35.46
5. Toshika Tamura (Matsuyama Univ.) - 15:39.84
6. Miyuki Uehara (Kagoshima Joshi H.S.) - 15:47.88 - PB
7. Risa Takenaka (Team Shiseido) - 15:51.32
8. Kotomi Takayama (Team Sysmex) - 15:55.61
9. Mai Ito (Team Otsuka Seiyaku) - 15:56.94
10. Yuki Mitsunobu (Team Kyocera) - 16:02.00

Men's 5000 m A-Heat
1. Daisuke Shimizu (Team Kanebo) - 13:36.69 - PB
2. Yuichiro Ueno (Team S&B) - 13:38.21
3. Kazuharu Takai (Team Kyudenko) - 13:39.76
4. Yasunori Murakami (Team Fujitsu) - 13:44.30
5. Keita Baba (Team Honda) - 13:44.44
6. Ryotaro Nitta (Team Konica Minolta) - 13:44.86
7. Yu Mitsuya (Team Toyota Kyushu) - 13:45.45
8. Ryo Kiname (Team Mitsubishi Juko Nagasaki) - 13:45.75
9. Ryo Matsumoto (Team Shikoku Denryoku) - 13:45.96
10. Daisuke Matsufuji (Team Kanebo) - 13:46.14

(c) 2012 Brett Larner
all rights reserved

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