Shimoda Qualifies for Paris Olympic Trials at Ottawa Marathon

Three Japanese athletes ran Sunday's Tartan Ottawa International Marathon in an effort to score qualifying marks for the 2023 MGC Race, Japan's marathon trials for the 2024 Paris Olympics. In the men's race, Yuta Shimoda (GMO) and Takumi Oishi (Suzuki) went with the leaders all the way until eventual winner Andualem Shiferaw (Ethiopia) made his move before 30 km. Shiferaw, the favorite with a best of 2:05:52, was stellar over the second half, going 1:03:52 / 1:02:12 to set a new course record 2:06:04 for the win.

When Shiferaw attacked, Oishi, coached by 2010 Ottawa winner Arata Fujiwara, immediately dropped off, ultimately finishing 8th in 2:15:50. Shimoda, who ran 2:08:35 at March's Tokyo Marathon and needed to run 2:11:25 here to qualify for the trials, hung on to 3rd, overtaken by Abdi Ali Gelchu (Bahrain) and dropping to 4th at one point but running down Leonard Langat (Kenya) just before the finish to retake 3rd.

Yamaguchi went out in a pack of 6 women that ignored early leaders Juliet Chekwel (Uganda) and Rebecca Chesire (Kenya), both of whom eventually dropped out. By halfway that group was down to just Yamaguchi and Kinsey Middleton (Canada), but when Middleton surged on the climb across a bridge near 25 km Yamaguchi lost touch. Middleton went on to win in 2:30:09, but Yamaguchi struggled to keep it together and faded to 5th in 2:35:57.

In his victory interview Shiferaw said through an interpreter, "With the exception of the inconvenience caused by the visa application process, everything was great after I arrived here in Ottawa." This year's elite race was hard-hit by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada's new online visa application system, which resulted in at least 12 men and 13 women from Mongolia, Kenya, Ethiopia and Bahrain not receiving their visas or visa-containing passports back from the IRCC in time to travel for the race.

Malcolm Anderson, head of the Moyo Sports agency, said 5 people from his group, 3 athletes and 2 pacers, had been affected. "The passports were in the Addis processing centre with visas approved, but we could not get them to be released in time for travel," Anderson said. "Immensely frustrating for all." Only 8 African athletes in the two races, not including pacers, did get their visas in time for the race. Elite athlete coordinator Dylan Wykes had assembled what would have been the strongest elite fields ever on Canadian soil to run in the nation's capital, but despite gladly taking nearly $200 per athlete in application and processing fees the IRCC apparently had other priorities than letting that happen.

2022 Tartan Ottawa International Marathon

Ottawa, Canada, 29 May 2022

complete results

Men

1. Andualem Shiferaw (Ethiopia) - 2:06:04 - CR

2. Abdi Ali Gelchu (Bahrain) - 2:09:24

3. Yuta Shimoda (GMO) - 2:09:50

4. Leonard Langat (Kenya) - 2:09:56

5. Teshome Mekonen (Ethiopia) - 2:13:27 - debut

6. Justin Kent (Canada) - 2:13:34

7. Albert Kangogo (Kenya) - 2:13:57

8. Takumi Oishi (Suzuki) - 2:15:50

9. John Mastandrea (U.S.A.) - 2:17:28

10. Ben Kendell (U.S.A.) - 2:18:28

Women

1. Kinsey Middleton (Canada) - 2:30:09

2. Elissa Legault (Canada) - 2:33:27

3. Katja Goldring (U.S.A.) - 2:33:58

4. Anne-Marie Blaney (U.S.A.) - 2:34:38

5. Haruka Yamaguchi (AC Kita) - 2:35:57

6. Dayna Pidhoresky (Canada) - 2:36:22

7. Lanni Marchant (Canada) - 2:39:42

8. Megan O'Neil( U.S.A.) - 2:39:55

9. Isabel Vazquez (Mexico) - 2:43:54

10. Chirine Njeim (Lebanon) - 2:46:08

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,

Police Arrest 20-Year-Old Man Charged With Assaulting Female Runner at Popular Tokyo Running Spot

A 20-year-old man has been arrested on charges of sexually assaulting a female runner along the banks of the Tama River in Ota Ward, Tokyo. "I've been stuck at home because of the coronavirus, so I wanted to go for a walk and move my body a bit," the man told police. Local resident Hirai Muroyama , 20, of no known occupation, was arrested on charges of sexual assault. He is accused of acts including grabbing the breasts of a woman in her 20s at around 10 p.m. on May 31 along the banks of the Tama River. According to police, the woman was taking a break in her run when Muroyama approached her silently from behind and grabbed her breasts before running away. Under police interrogation Muroyama told investigators, "I've been stuck at home because of the coronavirus, so I wanted to go out for a walk and move my body. I'd had a few drinks and was feeling pretty hype. She was totally my type." source article: https://news.tbs.co.jp/newseye/tbs_newsey

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