japan running news

https://www.athleticsintegrity.org/disciplinary-process/provisional-suspensions-in-force

The AIU announced today that Kenyan-born Bahraini Eunice Jepkirui Kirwa has been provisionally suspended for a positive test for EPO. Prior to disappearing at the end of 2017 after winning the Macao International Marathon Kirwa was a familiar face in Japan, winning all seven of her races there between 2015 and 2017, taking 2nd in another in 2013, and medaling at the 2014 Incheon Asian Games, 2015 Beijing World Championships and 2016 Rio Olympics.
It was notable that despite her string of international medals Kirwa never ran the big European and American races after hitting that level, her only appearance in the World Marathon Majors a DNF at the 2014 Boston Marathon and her only times running the biggest European marathons coming in 2012 and 2013 in Amsterdam, Paris and Frankfurt, all in the 2:21-2:23 range and making the top three twice.
Details of Kirwa's case are still forthcoming, but belo…

Kenyan Ruth Chepngetich dominated the Gifu Seiryu Half Marathon's 9th edition, running the fastest-ever women's half marathon on Japanese soil to win in 1:06:06. Taking advantage of cooler than usual conditions Chepngetich was out at world record pace from the gun, accompanied early on by fellow Kenyans Joan Chelimo Melly and Evaline Chirchir but alone by 10 km and leading by 6 seconds over Melly in 30:45.

The second half hit her hard, but Chepngetich had no trouble holding on well enough to take 1:38 off the 1:07:44 course record set two years ago by world record holder Joyciline Jepkosgei. Melly, Chirchir and 4th-placer Mimi Belete (Bahrain) all went under 1:08:20, with Miyuki Uehara (Daiichi Seimei) taking the top Japanese spot at 6th in 1:11:03.

The men's race was more conservative, with a lead pack of ten including last year's winner Nicholas Kosimbei (Kenya/Toyota), 2014 winner Bedan Karoki (Kenya/DeNA) and national record holder Yuta Shitara (Honda) going out n…

9th Gifu Seiryu Half MarathonElite Field Highlights
Gifu, 4/28/19
times listed are best in last three years except where noted
complete men's field
complete women's field

Women
Joan Chelimo Melly (Kenya) - 1:05:04 (Prague 2018)
Ruth Chepngetich (Kenya) - 1:06:19 (Istanbul 2017)
Eunice Jepkirui Kirwa (Bahrain) - 1:06:46 (Istanbul 2017)
Rose Chelimo (Bahrain) - 1:08:37 (Ras Al Khaimah 2017)
Miyuki Uehara (Japan/Daiichi Seimei) - 1:09:13 (Sanyo Ladies 2017)
Mimi Belete (Bahrain) - 1:09:15 (Verona 2017)
Gotytom Gebreslase (Ethiopia) - 1:09:39 (Boston 2018)
Ana Dulce Felix (Portugal) - 1:11:50 (Lisbon 2018)
Evaline Chirchir (Kenya) - debut - 30:43 (Valencia 10 km 2019)

Men
Bedan Karoki (Kenya/DeNA) - 58:42 (Ras Al Khaimah 2018)
Jorum Okumbo (Kenya) - 58:48 (Copenhagen 2017)
Abraham Kipyatich (Kenya/Asahi Kasei) - 1:00:08 (Prague 2018)
Abdellah Mande (Uganda) - 1:00:14 (Venlo 2018)
Yuta Shitara (Japan/Honda) - 1:00:17 (Usti nad Labem 2017)
Nicholas Kosimbei (Kenya/Toyota) - 1:00:21 (Lisb…

2018 Fukuoka International Marathon winner Yuma Hattori (25, Toyota) landed at Narita Airport on Mar. 26 on a flight back from New Zealand. Hattori had spent the last 10 days training on a tough and hilly course in New Zealand. The course of the new MGC Race 2020 Olympic marathon trials scheduled for Sept. 15 features a series of short uphills starting at 37 km. It is expected to be the point where the race-making move will happen.

Rather than focusing on high pace training Hattori put more emphasis on covering long distances in this training camp. "I've been training thoroughly for uphills in anticipation of the MGC Race," said Hattori. "I think it was good base training." Hattori plans to start the season at the Apr. 14 Kanaguri Memorial Meet's 5000 m, then to run the Apr. 28 Gifu Seiryu Half Marathon. "Spring is where you lay the foundation, a season of patience," he said. "I want to run about 1:02:30 in Gifu."

Looking toward the MGC…

JAAF Board of Directors member and Marathon Development Project leader Toshihiko Seko, 62, was given an official warning by the JAAF after making inappropriate comments to a female TV announcer. Seko acknowledged having made the remarks and expressed regret, saying, "I'd like to exercise more caution about what I say."

According to the JAAF and the DeNA corporation where Seko serves as executive head coach of the men's ekiden team, at an afterparty following April's Gifu Seiryu Half Marathon where he was working as a guest commentator, Seko made inappropriate remarks toward a female TV announcer who was also attending the party. The announcer reported the incident to the network, who reassigned her superiors who had told her to attend the party.

The DeNA corporate headquarters PR office confirmed in an interview that Seko had made the inappropriate remarks and that as an employer it had given him an official warning and apologized to the TV network where the ann…

Boston Marathon winner Yuki Kawauchi's youngest brother Koki Kawauchi, 25, was elected to the Kuki city council in an election held April 22, winning 6309 votes. Kawauchi was delighted, commenting, "My older brother's Boston Marathon win was like the winds of a typhoon filling my sails. I couldn't be more grateful."

When the results of the election were announced just after midnight, Kawauchi made an appearance to celebrate his win, wearing a running uniform and a crown of laurels. Smiling broadly he raised his arms and shouted in victory as he broke a finish line tape that said, "Koki Kawauchi Elected."

朝から朗報💥🌟✨
埼玉久喜市市会議員選に
川内鴻輝議員（＾◇＾）誕生
スポーツ振興に力を…
川内三兄弟よくやるなあ
この行動力に感心🎉💞🎉 pic.twitter.com/9dphJ1CFZT — 生駒のえりざべーと (@fukkatuERZABEAT) April 22, 2018
As a government employee Yuki Kawauchi was prohibited from campaigning on his younger brother's behalf, but his Boston Marathon victory and subsequent declaration that he would go professional acted as …

Breaking away over the last 5 km, Nicholas Kosimbei (Toyota) scored his second-straight win at the Gifu Seiryu Half Marathon, putting 12 seconds on Alexander Mutiso (ND Software) to take the top spot in 1:01:12. Moses Murong (Uganda) was 3rd in 1:01:57, with Yohei Suzuki (Aisan Kogyo) the top-placing Japanese man with a 1:03:34 for 9th.

Just five days given the time difference after winning the Boston Marathon, Yuki Kawauchi (Saitama Pref. Gov't) outkicked Beppu-Oita Mainichi Marathon runner-up Hayato Sonoda (Kurosaki Harima) to take 14th overall in 1:04:35 with the third-fastest closing split in the field despite unseasonably hot temperatures nearing 30 degrees.
川内選手の20km過ぎ
めっちゃ速かった！ pic.twitter.com/0dWTscmz3V — MOno (@motto815tf) April 22, 2018
Women's world record holder and defending champion Joyciline Jepkosgei (Kenya) was a last-minute withdrawal, leaving Degitu Azmeraw to become Gifu's first Ethiopian women's winner in five years. Like Kosimbei, Azmeraw broke f…

Women's world record holder and defending champion Joyciline Jepkosgei (Kenya) and last year's top man Alexander Mutiso (Kenya/ND Software) return to lead the elite fields for the April 22 Gifu Seiryu Half Marathon. The women's field is small but high-quality at the front end, with Eunice Chumba (Bahrain) and Valary Jemeli (Kenya) joining Jepkosgei under the 68-minute mark and additional support coming from sub-70 runners Joy Kemuma (Kenya) and Karolina Nadolska (Poland). The top Japanese woman in last summer's London World Championships marathon, Mao Kiyota (Suzuki Hamamatsu AC) again leads the way as the fastest Japanese woman at 1:10:31.

Most of Gifu's budget clearly went to the women's race, as the men's field is made up almost entirely of Japan-based athletes. Not that it's short of quality. With a 1:00:31 mark Mutiso is only the 5th-fastest athlete in a field led by sub-60 men James Mwangi (Kenya/NTN), James Rungaru (Kenya/Chuo Hatsujo) and Moses…