Yamaguchi, Matsueda, Morimoto and Niiya Win in Auckland

With the New Zealand and Australian summer series rolling on, four Japanese athletes won events at Auckland's Sir Graeme Douglas International meet.

Kosei Yamaguchi took the men's 3000 m steeplechase just a fraction of a second off his PB in 8:31.25, resisting the early fast pace set by Yasunari Kusu and then dispatching Australian James Nipperness over the last two laps to take the win. Japan's #3-ranked steepler, Yamaguchi's performance moves up to the cusp of top 45 in the world, limited to three athletes per country, putting this summer's Tokyo Olympics in range.

Qualifying for Tokyo for sure in the women's 5000 m was half marathon national record holder Hitomi Niiya. Like Yamaguchi running with early pacing from other Japanese athletes, Niiya mostly soloed her way to a 15:07.02 PB, taking just over 3 seconds off her old best from the 2012 London Olympics and clearing the Tokyo Olympics qualifying standard by almost as much. Niiya said pre-race that this race was part of her preparations for a shot at the 10000 m national record at April's Stanford Invitational, but as one of now three Japanese women to have cleared the 5000 m standard it remains to be seen whether she goes for the double in Tokyo.

1500 m specialist Hiroki Matsueda didn't come close to hitting the men's 5000 m standard, but in an exciting race against last year's fastest Japanese 5000 m runner Hideyuki Tanaka and Kiwi triathlete Hayden Wilde he used his closing speed to score the win in 13:37.37. Tanaka, Japan's current #3-ranked man at the distance, was four seconds back, with Wilde unable to match gears over the last lap and taking 3rd another six seconds behind Tanaka. #2-ranked Japanese man Yuta Bando closed hard to almost catch Wilde, taking 4th in 13:47.93.

Mariko Morimoto took the day's other Japanese win in the women's triple jump, her best jump of 12.78 m (+1.9 m/s) putting her just 3 cm ahead of Australian Erin Guy. Three other events saw Japanese athletes make the podium, with Shuhei Ishikawa 2nd in the men's 110 m hurdles, Natsuki Yamakawa 2nd in the men's long jump, and Takuto Kominami 3rd in the men's javelin throw.

Sir Graeme Douglas International

Auckland, New Zealand, 2/23/20
complete results

Women's 800 m Race A
1. Catriona Bisset (Australia) - 2:04.45
2. Angela Petty (New Zealand) - 2:04.84
3. Keely Small (Australia) - 2:05.56
-----
6. Ayaka Kawata (Japan) - 2:09.08
7. Erina Hosoi (Japan/Two Laps) - 2:12.87

Women's 5000 m
1. Hitomi Niiya (Japan/Sekisui Kagaku) - 15:07.02 - PB
2. Nozomi Tanaka (Japan/Toyota Jidoshokki) - 15:24.98
3. Caitlin Adams (Australia) - 15:35.88
4. Melissa Duncan (Australia/Shiseido) - 15:50.32
5. Rebekah Greene (New Zealand) - 16:26.79
-----
pace - Wakana Kabasawa (Japan/Keio Univ.)

Men's 5000 m
1. Hiroki Matsueda (Japan/Fujitsu) - 13:37.37
2. Hideyuki Tanaka (Japan/Toyota) - 13:41.05
3. Hayden Wilde (New Zealand) - 13:47.37
4. Yuta Bando (Japan/Fujitsu) - 13:47.93
5. Naoki Chiba (Japan/SGH Group) - 13:55.84
-----
9. Iori Sugawara (Japan/Josai Univ) - 14:14.24

Men's 110 m Hurdles +4.1 m/s
1. Nicholas Hough (Australia) - 13.46
2. Shuhei Ishikawa (Japan) - 13.53
3. Jacob McCorry (Australia) - 13.71

Men's 3000 m Steeplechase
1. Kosei Yamaguchi (Japan/Aisan Kogyo) - 8:31.25
2. James Nipperness (Australia) - 8:33.99
3. Yusuke Uchikoshi (Japan/Otsuka Seiyaku) - 8:38.48
4. Max Stevens (Australia) - 8:44.11
5. Hironori Tsuetaki (Japan/Fujitsu) - 8:44.81
-----
6. Yasunari Kusu (Japan/Ami AC) - 8:47.00
10. Aoi Matsumoto (Japan/Otsuka Seiyaku) - 9:10.98

Men's Long Jump
1. Jeremy Andrews (Australia) - 7.88 m +1.8 m/s
2. Natsuki Yamakawa (Japan) - 7.64 m +4.1 m/s
3. Lewis Arthur (New Zealand) - 7.18 m +3.5 m/s

Women's Triple Jump
1. Mariko Morimoto (Japan) - 12.78 m +1.9 m/s
2. Erin Guy (Australia) - 12.75 m +2.3 m/s
3. Anna Thomson (New Zealand) - 12.67 m +4.5 m/s

Men's Javelin Throw
1. Cameron McEntyre (Australia) - 78.63 m
2. Hamish Peacock (Australia) - 77.58 m
3. Takuto Kominami (Japan) - 75.41 m

© 2020 Brett Larner, all rights reserved

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