After giving World XC a miss, Kazuki Tamura (Sumitomo Denko) got his outdoor season off to a good start with a 13:33.70 PB for 5th at California's Mt. SAC Relays. His teammate Yuki Nakamura ran only 14:34.97, while the U.S.-based Takeshi Okada (UC Berkeley) ran 9:02.75 for 12th in the 3000 mSC. Toyota Jidoshokki teammates Momoka Kawaguchi and Nao Yamamoto ran the women's 5000 m, Kawaguchi the faster of the two at 15:54.82.
Back home, Bernard Kibet (Kyudenko) ran an early season world-leading time of 27:36.24 to win the Hyogo Relay Carnival Grand Prix men's 10000 m, beating the 27:43.34 by Macharia Ndirangu (Aichi Seiko) a day earlier in Hyogo's Asics Challenge men's 10000 m, at the time also a world-leader. Kibet's teammate Shohei Otsuka was the fastest Japanese man of the weekend at 28:25.42 in the Asics Challenge race.
Women's Grand Prix 10000 m winner Rosemary Monica Wanjiru (Starts) came up short of a world-leading time but was just a few seconds off the meet record at 31:11.79 for the win. Ayumi Hagiwara (Toyota Jidoshokki) and 2019 National Corporate Half Marathon champion Sayaka Sato (Sekisui Kagaku) both went under 32 minutes, Hagiwara in 31:58.52, her best time in four years, and Sato in 31:59.64, a PB by nearly a minute.
At the Nittai University Time Trials, the biggest news was probably in the fastest heat of the men's 1500 m. Shota Onizuka of 2019 Hakone Ekiden champion Tokai University, a 1:02:03 half marathoner, won in a PB 3:44.46, but just behind him Aaron Tatsunami Clay (Soyo H.S.) held off corporate leaguer Masaki Toda (Sunbelx) at the line for 2nd in 3:44.86. Clay's time ranked him at all-time #3 among Japanese high schoolers and just outside the top 10 among juniors.
67th Kobe Relay Carnival Highlights
Universiade Memorial Stadium, Kobe, 4/20-21/19complete results
Women's Grand Prix 10000 m - 4/21
1. Rosemary Monica Wanjiru (Starts) - 31:11.79
2. Ayumi Hagiwara (Toyota Jidoshokki) - 31:58.52
3. Sayaka Sato (Sekisui Kagaku) - 31:59.64
4. Kaori Morita (Panasonic) - 32:01.24
5. Grace Mbuthye Kimanzi (Starts) - 32:03.28
Men's Grand Prix 10000 m - 4/21
1. Bernard Kibet (Kyudenko) - 27:36.24 - WL
2. Kisaisa Ledama (Obirin Univ.) - 27:45.62
3. Joel Mwaura (Kurosaki Harima) - 27:46.21
4. Kota Murayama (Asahi Kasei) - 28:37.60
5. Kazuya Nishiyama (Toyo Univ.) - 28:57.21
Men's Asics Challenge 10000 m Heat 2 - 4/20
1. Macharia Ndirangu (Aichi Seiko) - 27:43.34
2. Patrick Mathenge Wambui (NTT Nishi Nihon) - 27:44.22
3. Alexander Mutiso (ND Software) - 27:44.81
4. James Bunuka (Surugadai Univ.) - 27:45.59
5. Charles Ndungu (Nihon Univ.) - 28:12.34
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7. Shohei Otsuka (Kyudenko) - 28:25.42
269th Nittai University Time Trials Highlights
Nittai University, Yokohama, 4/20-21/19complete results
Men's 10000 m Heat 7 - 4/20
1. Simon Sidem (Chuo Hatsujo) - 28:03.53
2. Vincent Raimoi (Kokushika Univ.) - 28:07.90
3. Boniface Murua (Yamanashi Gakuin Univ.) - 28:17.36
4. Titus Wanbua (Musashino Gakuin Univ.) - 28:19.52
5. Daniel Kariuki (Obirin Univ.) - 28:20.83
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8. Taisei Nakamura (Komazawa Univ.) - 28:31.65
Men's 5000 m Heat 23 - 4/21
1. Dominic Langat (Konica Minolta) - 13:30.80
2. Nganga Waweru (Kokoku H.S.) - 13:31.13
3. Anthony Maina (Kokoku H.S.) - 13:32.75
4. Evans Yego (Sunbelx) - 13:37.30
5. Nicholas Kosimbei (Toyota) - 13:40.32
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7. Tatsuhiko Ito (Tokyo Kokusai Univ.) - 13:53.34
Women's 3000 m Heat 4 - 4/20
1. Esther Muthoni (Sendai Ikuei H.S.) - 9:10.98
2. Yuma Yamamoto (Meijo Univ.) - 9:29.36
3. Rena Kato (Koganei H.S.) - 9:29.77
4. Yuna Arai (Meijo Univ.) - 9:30.36
5. Hiyori Kidokoro (Okazaki Gakuen H.S.) - 9:33.46
Men's 1500 m Heat 18 - 4/20
1. Shota Onizuka (Tokai Univ.) - 3:44.46
2. Aaron Tatsunami Clay (Soyo H.S.) - 3:44.86
3. Masaki Toda (Sunbelx) - 3:44.86
4. Kazuki Kawamura (Meiji Univ.) - 3:46.30
5. Renya Maeda (Kanebo) - 3:47.82
© 2019 Brett Larner, all rights reserved
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