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Mbaire and Kiplangat Drop World-Leading Times, Endo Just Off - Weekend Track Review

As the numbers in Tokyo's second wave go up and up the likelihood that we're going to get many more weekends like this one goes down, but for this little window of opportunity, at least, there was action on the track at at least five elite-level meets across the country.

At the 75th Kagoshima Prefecture Championships, 17-year-old Cynthia Mbaire (Kamimura Gakuen H.S.) ran U20 world-leading times in both the women's 1500 m and 5000 m, running 4:10.67 to win the 1500 m Saturday and then 15:14.30 Sunday to win the 5000 m. Both times were also meet records. On Friday 36-year-old amateur Takahiro Nakamura, who ran a 1:00:57 half marathon in February, won the men's 10000 m for the fifth year in a row, running a meet record 29:23.09. Sunday he was back to try to score the 5000 m title too but was outrun by Kanta Tokumaru (Kagoshima Jitsugyo H.S.) 14:18.21 to 14:28.36. Tokumaru was doubling off a win in the 1500 m Saturday in 3:57.17.

Across Kyushu at the Saga Prefecture Championships, Sei Sonoda (Tosu Kogyo H.S.) also pulled off the 1500/5000 m double, winning Saturday's 1500 m in 3:49.11 and coming back Sunday with a meet record 14:07.64 to win the 5000 m, where the top four all broke the old meet record. The men's 3000 m meet record also fell, going to Sonoda's teammate Daisuke Kasahara (Tosu Kogyo H.S.) in 8:36.67.

Far to the north at the Iwate Prefecture Championships, Ruon Oikawa (Toyo Univ.) just bettered Sonoda's 5000 m time, running 14:07.43 to win Sunday's 5000 m title. Amateur Yuya Iwai was the only other runner under 14:30, 2nd in 14:25.22.

Nearby at Saturday's Aomori Spring Distance Time Trials, Nanaka Yonezawa (Sendai Ikuei H.S.) won 9:19.94 to win the women's 3000 m, Elizabeth Njeri (Josai Kokusai Univ.) 2nd in 9:21.64 and Haruka Kokai (Sendai Ikuei H.S.) 3rd in 9:25.51. Shingo Moriyama (Yamanashi Gakuin Univ.) led a decent men's 5000 m with a 13:46.76 for the win by two and a half seconds over Kenta Usui (Koku Gakuin Univ.).



Even further to the north, the Hokuren Distance Challenge Shibetsu Meet men's 3000 m saw Dan Kiplangat (JFE Steel) and Hyuga Endo (Sumitomo Denko) race each other to the two fastest outdoor marks in the world this year, Kiplangat getting the win in a world-leading 7:49.03 and Endo next in 7:49.90. Ronald Kwemoi (Komori Corp.) won the men's 1500 m in a quality 3:38.33, with newcomer Justus Soget (Honda) also getting under 3:40 with a 3:39.23 for 2nd. Titus Wanbua (SMU Group) made it a Kenyan sweep of the fast heats in the men's races with a 13:25.74 to take the 5000 m A-heat. B and C heat winning times were decent, Masashi Nonaka (Osaka Gas) taking the B-heat in 13:43.92 and his teammate Tomoya Nakamura (Osaka Gas) the C-heat in 13:45.76.

In the women's races, Hellen Ekarare Lobun led the 1500 m almost the entire way before getting outkicked, Nozomi Tanaka (Toyota Jidoshokki) taking 1st in 4:08.68 to Lobun's 4:10.00. Back from her 2:23:27 marathon debut in Nagoya in March, Sayaka Sato (Sekisui Kagaku) took the 3000 m in a PB 9:05.75. Momoka Kawaguchi (Toyota Jidoshokki) and Hikari Onishi (Japan Post) were also under the 9:10 mark, Kawaguchi 2nd in 9:07.77 and Onishi 3rd in 9:09.30. Rina Miyata (Kyudenko) won the 5000 m A-heat in 15:34.22, just holding off 30 km national record holder and 2020 Olympic marathon trials winner Honami Maeda (Tenmaya) who scored a PB 15:35.21 for 2nd.

If the Hokuren Distance Challenge series continues as scheduled, the next meet will be this Wednesday, July 8 in Fukagawa. Check back closer to race day for updates and live streaming details.

© 2020 Brett Larner, all rights reserved

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Stefan said…
It was so great to be able to watch this event after having nothing to watch for so long. Sayaka Sato is such a strong young versatile athlete. To think she came 3rd in a superb time in the Nagoya marathon in early March and then to PB in the 3000m now. Incredible! If she stays injury free and keeps improving I can see her becoming one of Japan's premier distance running champions. Mind you, same can be said to Honami Maeda who got her own PB in the 5K. So impressive! Great to watch.
July 7, 2020 at 11:29 AM
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