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Kanaguri Memorial Meet Results

by Brett Larner

The Japanese outdoor track season got started Saturday at Kumamoto's Kanaguri Memorial Meet depite high winds and heavy rain from a passing storm that kept times from what was hoped.  Japan-based Africans won all the major races, with last year's winners Patrick Mutunga (Kenya/Team Toyota Boshoku) and Sally Chepyego (Kenya/Team Kyudenko) repeating in the men's and women's 5000 m A-heats in 13:26.48 and 15:42.81.  The Koichi Morishita-coached Yuya Konishi (Team Toyota Kyushu) clocked the fastest time of the day by a Japanese man, 13:39.46 for 2nd in the B-heat, while independent Yuka Ando (Tokinosumika T&F Assoc.) took 2nd behind Chepyego for the top Japanese time in 16:02.08.  The year's leading Japanese marathoner, Kazuhiro Maeda (Team Kyudenko), started his buildup to August's World Championships, running a 14:07.46 shakeout in the men's 5000 m B-heat in his first race since running 2:08:00 at February's Tokyo Marathon.

In the men's 1500 m, last year's 10000 m national champion Yuki Sato (Team Nissin Shokuhin) took 3rd in 3:50.52 behind a strong solo 3:42.75 by Ethiopian Bikila Demma Daba (Team Kanebo).  61-minute half marathoner Yusuke Takabayashi (Team Toyota) was 5th in 3:51.98, while #1-ranked collegiate Suguru Osako (Waseda Univ.) was only 10th in 3:56.09.  Beatrice Wainaina Murugi (Kenya/Team Toyota Jidoshokki) won the women's 1500 m in 4:27.88 over collegiate Minami Nakaarai (Osaka Gakuin Univ.), with 2013 World XC junior women's team member Yui Fukuda (Suma Gakuen H.S.) in 4:33.40.

22nd Kanaguri Memorial Meet
Kumamoto, 4/6/13
click here for complete results

Men's 5000 m Heat 5
1. Patrick Mutunga (Kenya/Team Toyota Boshoku) - 13:26.48
2. Paul Tanui (Kenya/Team Kyudenko) - 13:28.67
3. Charles Ndirangu (Kenya/Team JFE Steel) - 13:32.76
4. Alex Mwangi (Kenya/Team YKK) - 13:47.22
5. Kazuharu Takai (Team Kyudenko) - 13:50.49
6. Tsuyoshi Ugachi (Team Konica Minolta) - 13:50.67
7. Paul Kuira (Kenya/Team Konica Minolta) - 13:51.50
8. Yuichiro Ueno (DeNA RC) - 13:54.49
9. Keita Shitara (Toyo Univ.) - 13:54.74
10. Chihiro Miyawaki (Team Toyota) - 14:00.04

Men's 5000 m Heat 4
1. Patrick Mwaka (Kenya/Team Aisan Kogyo) - 13:37.68
2. Yuya Konishi (Team Toyota Kyushu) - 13:39.46
3. Enock Omwamba (Kenya/Yamanashi Gakuin Univ.) - 13:41.80
4. Micah Njeru (Kenya/Team Toyota Boshoku) - 13:50.52
5. Jeremiah Karemi (Kenya/Team Toyota Kyushu) - 13:50.58
6. Shota Hattori (Nittai University) - 13:50.70
7. Naoki Okamoto (Team Chugoku Denryoku) - 13:52.77
8. Yuta Shitara (Toyo Univ.) - 13:55.58
9. Duncan Muthee (Kenya/Takushoku Univ.) - 13:59.71
10. Kazuma Kubota (Aoyama Gakuin Univ.) - 14:00.08
-----
12. Kazuhiro Maeda (Team Kyudenko) - 14:07.46

Women's 5000 m Heat 2
1. Sally Chepyego (Kenya/Team Kyudenko) - 15:42.81
2. Yuka Ando (Tokinosumika T&F Assoc.) - 16:02.08
3. Risa Takenaka (Team Shiseido) - 16:03.94
4. Ayari Maeda (Bukkyo Univ.) - 16:06.20
5. Mao Kiyota (Suzuki Hamamatsu AC) - 16:08.16
6. Michi Numata (Team Toyota Jidoshokki) - 16:09.24
7. Kotomi Takayama (Team Sysmex) - 16:13.75
8. Aya Nagata (Team Toyota Jidoshokki) - 16:14.13
9. Eri Makikawa (Suzuki Hamamatsu AC) - 16:14.73
10. Megumi Amako (Canon AC Kyushu) - 16:19.73

H.S. Boys' 5000 m Heat 6
1. Ryoichi Yoshida (Omuta H.S.) - 14:44.65
2. Takumi Minaura (Toyokawa H.S.) - 14:49.71
3. Takaya Arake (Miyazaki Nittai Prep H.S.) - 14:54.89

H.S. Girls' 3000 m Heat 4
1. Kotona Ota (Suma Gakuen H.S.) - 9:27.30
2. Chika Uemura (Ritsumeikan Uji H.S.) - 9:28.71
3. Kureha Seki (Ritsumeikan Uji H.S.) - 9:30.99

Men's 1500 m
1. Bikila Demma Daba (Ethiopia/Team Kanebo) - 3:42.75
2. Yuki Akimoto (Team Sanyo Tokushu Seiko) - 3:50.30
3. Yuki Sato (Team Nissin Shokuhin) - 3:50.52
4. Yasunari Kusu (Team Komori Corp.) - 3:51.64
5. Yusuke Takabayashi (Team Toyota) - 3:51.98
-----
10. Suguru Osako (Waseda Univ.) - 3:56.09

Women's 1500 m Heat 2
1. Beatrice Wainaina Murugi (Kenya/Team Toyota Jidoshokki) - 4:27.88
2. Minami Nakaarai (Osaka Gakuin Univ.) - 4:28.66
3. Miyuki Mandai (Team Toyota Jidoshokki) - 4:31.45
4. Risa Yokoe (Team Toyota Jidoshokki) - 4:33.00
5. Yui Fukuda (Suma Gakuen H.S.) - 4:33.40

(c) 2013 Brett Larner
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