Saturday's Kanakuri Memorial Meet in Kumamoto was the weekend's main event in Japanese track, but there were good results at the Nittai University Time Trials meet in Yokohama too.
- Emmanuel Maru (Toyota Boshoku) led the men's 5000 m A-heat at Kanakuri in 13:14.06, with Tomonori Yamaguchi (SGH) clocking the fastest Japanese time in 13:16.38 in his first race as a corporate leaguer. Waseda University duo Rui Suzuki and Yota Mashiko went 6-7 in 13:20.64 and 13:22.87, the 18-year-old Mashiko shaving 0.04 off the U20 NR. In 8th, Yamato Yoshii (Toyota) ran a PB of 13:23.92. 3000 mSC NR holder Ryuji Miura (Subaru) continued to struggle after a weak indoor season, finishing 18th of 20 finishers in 13:45.10.
- 19-year-old Festus Kimorwo (Kurosaki Harima) was under 13:20 in the B-heat too, winning in a 13:19.59 PB. 2 more collegiate men broke 13:30, Daichi Fujita (Chuo Univ.) 8th in 13:28.93 and Riki Koike (Soka Univ.) 9th in 13:29.09.
- The top 6 in the men's 800 m A-heat all broke the MR, Junya Matsumoto (Seiyo Sangyo) getting the win in 1:46.70.
- All-time JPN #8 Hibiki Obara (GMO) took down #2 Ryoma Aoki (Honda) and #4 Yutaro Niinae (Aisan Kogyo) to win the men's 3000 mSC in 8:26.94 with all 3 going under 8:30.
- Keisuke Morita (Subaru) won the men's 1500 m A-heat in 3:40.15. Running his first 1500 m in 4 years, U20 NR holder Keita Sato (Swoosh TC) ran 3:43.19 for 12th.
- Yoshihiro Kusuoka (Teikyo Univ.) took the men's 10000 m in 28:17.66.
In the women's races at Kanakuri:
- Janet Jepkoech (Nitori) led the top 3 under the MR in the women's 5000 m A-heat, winning in 14:44.03 with Janet Nyiva (Panasonic) 2nd in 14:50.57 and Lucy Nduta (Ehime Ginko) 3rd in 14:59.87. Momoka Kawaguchi (Uniqlo) was the top Japanese placer at 9th in 15:33.29.
- Dolphine Omare Nyaboke (Uniqlo) soloed a 30:56.46 to win the women's 10000 m by over a minute and a half.
- Manami Nishiyama (Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo) was the only woman to break 10 in the 3000 m SC, winning in 9:52.69.
- Teresiah Muthoni (Daiso) won the 1500 m A-heat in 4:08.51.
- Nicole Montgomery (U.S.A.) took the 800 m A-heat in 2:03.21.
At Nittai:
- Yu Shibata (Josai Univ.) added another name to the weekend's list of sub-13:30 times by collegiate men, winning the A-heat in a 13:22.46 PB.
- Stephen Muthini (Soka Univ.) and Wilson Lemangale (NTN) broke 28 in the men's 10000 m, Muthini getting the win in 27:57.30 and Lemangale 2nd in 27:58.40. After a brilliant 1:00:13 run at the NYC Half less than a month ago, 20-year-old Shunsuke Kuwata (Komazawa Univ.) was a DNF mid-race.
- The fastest time in the women's 1500 m actually came in the B-heat, where Mary Akai (Hakuho Joshi H.S. won in 4:16.30. 2nd and 3rd-placers Momoko Fujishige (Toyo Univ.) and Miu Nishida (Tamagawa Univ.) both outran A-heat winner Nozomi Kondo's 4:26.25 too, Fujishige running 4:24.08 and Nishida 4:24.22.
- Akai doubled in the 3000 m B-heat, winning that too in 9:06.62 by almost 10 seconds. Caroline Kariba (Japan Post) dominated the A-heat in 8:44.79, beating runner-up Yui Onotora (Tohoku H.S.) by over 35 seconds.
- Daisy Jerop (Josai Kokusai Univ.) took the 5000 m a-heat in 15:14.13, 2nd going to collegiate 10000 m record holder Seira Fuwa (Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo) in a distant 16:19.39.
© 2026 Brett Larner, all rights reserved
Comments
Sato looked exactly like Miura at Melbourne's 1500 the other week: tired and with no fresh legs, Miura likely ran his worst performance on track both in Melbourne and the other day. In 2022 he was winning 1500 in 3.37 flat and ran a 54 seconds last lap in the 5000 to win nationals, since then his track results other than the 3000SC got all worse (and that's when they started changing his preparation). I keep saying he would need to change coaching staff and perhaps join a team abroad but not gonna happen obviously. Hopefully Sato gets back healthy and in shape and his pro career goes upwards, he was also part of that wonderful 1500 together with Miura and Hyuga Endo (another guy who hit a wall in terms of performance).