Chepyego and Malel Set 10000 m World Leads at Hyogo Relay Carnival

by Brett Larner
videoes by Ekiden News

2014 World Half Marathon Championships bronze medalist Sally Chepyego Kaptich (Kenya/Team Kyudenko) returned to competition this weekend, dominating the women's Grand Prix 10000 m with a world-leading 31:28.07 just a few seconds off her best at the 62nd edition of the Hyogo Relay Carnival in Kobe. Ayumi Hagiwara (Team Uniqlo), one of the big hopes for the next generation of Japanese women, was next across the line in 31:50.85 just ahead of collegiate road 10 km national record holder Kasumi Nishihara (Team Yamada Denki) who cleared 32 for the first time in 31:53.69. 2014 Marugame Half Marathon winner Eri Makikawa (Suzuki Hamamatsu AC) just missed making it four under the 32 minute mark, running a sizable PB of 32:00.25 for 4th. 19-year-old half marathon junior national record holder Reia Iwade (Team Noritz) cleared her goal of a sub-32:30 debut, running 32:24.38 for 8th.

Newcomer William Malel Sitonek (Kenya/Team Honda) continued to blossom under Japanese coaching in the men's Grand Prix 10000 m, running a world-leading PB of 27:25.56 to outrun top Japan-based Kenyans Edward Waweru (Team NTN) and Bedan Karoki (DeNA RC). 2013 National University Ekiden champion Komazawa University star Kenta Murayama, who ran an all-time Japanese #3 1:00:50 in Marugame in February at age 20, became the first Komazawa runner to break 28 minutes as he took 4th in 27:49.94, the best time ever by a Japanese university runner on Japanese soil. His Copenhagen World Half Marathon Championships teammates Hiroto Inoue (Yamanashi Gakuin Univ.) and Masato Kikuchi likewise set PBs, Inoue 8th in a school record 28:25.07 and Kikuchi running 28:32.05 for 6th in the Asics Challenge 10000 m heat.

62nd Hyogo Relay Carnival
Kobe, Hyogo, 4/19-20/14
click here for complete results

Men's Grand Prix 10000 m
1. William Malel (Kenya/Team Honda) - 27:25.56 - PB
2. Edward Waweru (Kenya/Team NTN) - 27:26.92
3. Bedan Karoki (Kenya/DeNA RC) - 27:32.83
4. Kenta Murayama (Komazawa Univ.) - 27:49.94 - PB
5. Yuichiro Ueno (DeNA RC) - 28:01.71 - PB
6. Patrick Muendo Mwaka (Kenya/Team Aisan Kogyo) - 28:15.61
7. Minato Oishi (Team Toyota) - 28:22.74
8. Hiroto Inoue (Yamanashi Gakuin Univ.) - 28:23.34 - PB
9. Atsushi Yamazaki (Team Subaru) - 28:25.07 - PB
10. Tsubasa Hayakawa (Team Toyota) - 28:27.45

Women's Grand Prix 10000 m
1. Sally Chepyego (Kenya/Team Kyudenko) - 31:28.07
2. Ayumi Hagiwara (Team Uniqlo) - 31:50.85
3. Kasumi Nishihara (Team Yamada Denki) - 31:53.69 - PB
4. Eri Makikawa (Suzuki Hamamatsu AC) - 32:00.25 - PB
5. Chieko Kido (Canon AC Kyushu) - 32:11.21 - PB
6. Mao Kiyota (Suzuki Hamamatsu AC) - 32:12.27 - PB
7. Kaoru Nagao (Team Univ. Ent.) - 32:22.06
8. Reia Iwade (Team Noritz) - 32:24.38 - debut
9. Yuka Takashima (Team Denso) - 32:26.50
10. Shiho Takechi (Team Yamada Denki) - 32:26.53 - PB

Men's Asics Challenge 10000 m Heat 2
1. Charles Ndirangu (Kenya/Team JFE Steel) - 28:18.54
2. Kassa Mekashaw (Ethiopia/Team Yachiyo Kogyo) - 28:21.61
3. Macharia Ndirangu (Kenya/Team Aichi Seiko) - 28:26.20
4. Johana Maina (Kenya/Team Fujitsu) - 28:27.13
5. Daniel Gitau (Kenya/Team Fujitsu) - 28:28.54
6. Masato Kikuchi (Team Konica Minolta) - 28:32.05 - PB
7. Keigo Yano (Team Nissin Shokuhin) - 28:32.80 - PB
8. Yuki Yagi (Team Asahi Kasei) - 28:42.36 - PB
9. Shuho Dairokuno (Meiji Univ.) - 28:50.98
10. Daichi Kamino (Aoyama Gakuin Univ.) - 28:51.98

Women's Asics Challenge 5000 m
1. Yuika Mori (Team Yamada Denki) - 15:51.29
2. Minori Goto (Osaka Gakuin Univ.) - 15:59.94 - PB
3. Sakiho Tsutsui (Team Yamada Denki) - 16:05.27 - PB
4. Saori Noda (Osaka Gakuin Univ.) - 16:10.30
5. Ai Migita (Team Wacoal) - 16:10.61

Men's Asics Challenge 10000 m Heat 1
1. Keisuke Nakatani (Komazawa Univ.) - 28:51.10 - PB
2. Ryota Matoba (Team Komori Corp.) - 28:58.39
3. Masaru Aoki (Team Kanebo) - 29:05.71
4. Yuki Oshikawa (Team Toyota Kyushu) - 29:06.40
5. Genta Yodokawa (Toyo Univ.) - 29:06.67

(c) 2014 Brett Larner
all rights reserved

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