Hironaka, Ando and Ito Score Olympic 10000 m Spots

20-year-old Ririka Hironaka (Japan Post), marathoner Yuka Ando (Wacoal) and last year's men's runner-up Tatsuhiko Ito (Honda) joined the winners of December's 2020 National Championships 10000 m on the Tokyo Olympics team as they took the top spots at today's 2021 National Championships 10000 m in Shizuoka.

Hironaka, who debuted over the distance three weeks ago with a 31:30.03, Ando and Kenyan pacer Tabitha Njeri Kamau (Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo) were all about the 31:25.00 Olympic standard, going out on sub-31 pace and burning off all competition, including Kamau. Hironaka took 1st in 31:11.75 with Ando next in 31:18.18, each of them clearing the JAAF's two criteria for Olympic selection, finishing in the top three and hitting the standard, to join 2020 winner Hitomi Niiya (Sekisui Kagaku) on the Olympic team.

No other women broke 32 minutes, 2021 National University Half Marathon champion Narumi Kobayashi (Meijo Univ.) running 32:08.45, the 8th-fastest Japanese collegiate women's time ever, for 3rd. The great Kayoko Fukushi (Wacoal) was last in 34:00.53 after giving it one last try to make her final Olympic team.

Behind Kenyan pacers Rodgers Chumo Kwemoi (Aisan Kogyo) and Cleophas Kandie (Mitsubishi Juko), Takashi Ichida (Asahi Kasei), 2021 Hakone Ekiden champ Komazawa University's Ren Tazawa and Mebuki Suzuki, Ito and others went out dead even with the 27:28.00 Olympic standard. As the pace slowed toward 27:45 Ichida dropped off, leaving it for the Komazawa duo and Ito to battle over the final laps.

With 800 m to go Ito took off, passing sub-27 man Kwemoi on the back stretch of the last lap but unable to hold him off as Kwemoi crossed the line in 27:33.33 to Ito's 27:33.38. Ito clocked 2:34 for the last 1000 m with his last two laps in in 62 and 59 after closing the gap to Kwemoi. But while he missed hitting the finish line first the national title his it was enough to guarantee Ito's place next to 2020 winner Akira Aizawa (Asahi Kasei), his friend and rival since their Hakone days, on the Olympic team.

Tazawa, 20, was next in a PB of 27:39.21 with 19-year-old Suzuki just behind in 27:41.68. Together they were just the third and fourth Japanese-born collegiate runners to ever break 27:45, Tazawa coming just one second short of Suguru Osako's Japanese-born collegiate record of 27:38.31. Ryota Natori (Konica Minolta) won the B-heat in 28:12.62.

2021 National Championships 10000 m

Ecopa Stadium, Shizuoka, 3 May 2021

complete results

Women's 10000 m

1. Ririka Hironaka (Japan Post0 - 31:11.75 - PB

2. Yuka Ando (Wacoal) - 31:18.18 - PB

3. Narumi Kobayashi (Meijo Univ.) - 32:08.45 - PB

4. Harumi Okamoto (Yamada Holdings) - 32:12.31

5. Sakiho Tsutsui (Yamada Holdings) - 32:16.07

6. Shiori Yano (Denso) - 32:20.44

7. Momoka Kawaguchi (Toyota JidoshokkI) - 32:21.36

8. Haruka Yamaguchi (AC Kita) - 32:24.86 - PB

9. Akane Yabushita (Toyota Jidoshokki) - 32:26.24

10. Ikumi Fukura (Otsuka Seiyaku) - 32:29.42

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DNF - Tabitha Njeri Kamau (Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo)

Men's 10000 m A-Heat

OP - Rodgers Chumo Kwemoi (Aisan Kogyo) - 27:33.33

1. Tatsuhiko Ito (Honda) - 27:33.38

2. Ren Tazawa (Komazawa Univ.) - 27:39.21 - PB

3. Mebuki Suzuki (Komazawa Univ.) - 27:41.68 - PB

OP - Cleophas Kandie (Mitsubishi Juko) - 27:45.07

4. Takashi Ichida (Asahi Kasei) - 27:54.45

5. Keijiro Mogi (Asahi Kasei) - 28:01.32

6. Tatsuya Maruyama (Yachiyo Kogyo) - 28:01.80

7. Hiroto Inoue (Mitsubishi Juko) - 28:03.39

8. Yudai Okamoto (Sunbelx) - 28:04.17

9. Tatsuya Oike (Toyota Boshoku) - 28:04.60

10. Kyohei Hosoya (Kurosaki Harima) - 28:05.88

-----

DNF - Tetsuya Yoroizaka (Asahi Kasei)

Men's 10000 m B-Heat

1. Ryota Natori (Konica Minolta) - 28:12.62

2. Yusuke Tamura (Kurosaki Harima) - 28:15.66

3. Kiyoshi Koga (Yasukawa Denki) - 28:17.85

4. Hiroto Fujimagari (Toyota Kyushu) - 28:23.57

5. Kotaro Kondo (Aoyama Gakuin Univ.) - 28:24.84

Ichiyama 8th at Copenhagen Marathon

Currently the #10-ranked Japanese man in the marathon with the fastest-ever domestic time at the elite Beppu-Oita Mainichi Marathon, Tsubasa Ichiyama (Sunbelx) made his international debut at Sunday's Copenhagen Marathon , literally an international debut as it was his first time outside the country. Ichiyama hoped to be in contention to break the 2:08:23 CR and go for the win, and with cool and breezy conditions ran easy in the lead group through 30 km. But something ate away at almost everyone as time went by, several people in the lead men's and women's groups saying humidity, and past 30 km Ichiyama fell off. Falling as low as 9th, he rallied after 40 km to finish 8th in 2:13:07. "It was different than in Japanese races," he said. "I'm used to bigger packs and more even pacing, but this was a kind of racing I hadn't done before. There's a lot to think about. I didn't feel like I was sweating a lot, but I got really thirsty and started sk

Wanjiru Breaks Own MR, Fuwa and Ishida Return - Kanto Regionals Day 1 Highlights

Japan's best college meet kicked off Thursday at Tokyo's National Stadium at the 103rd Kanto Region University Track and Field Championships . Looking like she was doing a controlled tempo run, 2nd-yr Sarah Wanjiru (Daito Bunka Univ.) lapped the entire field to win the women's 10000 m in a meet record 32:02.87, almost 15 seconds under the record she last year in her debut. 3rd-yr Aoi Takahashi (Josai Univ.) was 2nd in 33:29.22 and 2nd-yr Nana Nagashima (Josai Kokusai Univ.) 3rd in a PB 33:30.28, but the other main news alongside Wanjiru's new record was the return of collegiate 10000 m record holder Seira Fuwa (Takushoku Univ.) in her first 10000 m in 19 months. Fuwa hung at the back of the chase pack for the first half, made a move to lead it in the second half, and ultimately faded to 9th in 33:40.20. Every comeback has to start somewhere. The D1 men's 10000 m had a tight group up front with the top 6 all finishing within 6 seconds and under 28:10. 3rd-yr Jam

Two-Time Olympic Marathon Medalist Erick Wainaina Referred to Prosectors on Suspicion of Assault

According to investigators, two-time Olympic marathon medalist Erick Wainaina has had his case referred to prosecutors after allegedly injuring a railway employee by striking him in the face at a station in Setagaya, Tokyo. Wainaina, 50, was the bronze medalist in the marathon at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and won silver in the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Wainaina is suspected of assaulting a woman in her late teens and a male Tokyo Denentoshi Line employee by hitting them in the face during an altercation at Komazawa University Station in March this year, resulting in minor injuries to the man's face. According to investigators, the incident began on the train between Wainaina and the woman, and after getting off at Komazawa University Station he hit her in the face when she asked him to go to the station office with her to report it. When the male railway employee responded to the situation Wainaina reportedly hit him too. In response to questioning Wainaina is said to have answered,

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