Matsumiya Gets Olympic A-Standard, Kobayashi 2nd in Stanford Cardinal Invitational

by Brett Larner
photos by Randy Miyazaki - used with permission

Takayuki Matsumiya and Satoshi Irifune at Stanford

5000 m national record and 30 km world record holder Takayuki Matsumiya of Team Konica-Minolta ran a sensational 9-second PB to finish 4th in the men`s Kim McDonald memorial 10000 m at the 2008 Payton Jordan Cardinal Invitational track meet at Stanford University. Running comfortably back in the pack for the first third of the race, Matsumiya soon moved up to join the leaders and held his position in the top 5 until the final km. With two laps to go he made a move to catch breakaway leader Craig Mottram of Australia, passing the other members of the lead pack to move into second place. Just after taking the second spot, Matsumiya abruptly tightened and slowed, missing his chance to break Toshinari Takaoka`s 27:35.09 Japanese national record, set at the Cardinal Invitational in 2001. Matsumiya nevertheless held on for 4th in 27:41.75, a 9-second PB and well under the Olympic A-standard of 27:50.

Sato Yuki dropping out in Stanford

Satoshi Irifune of Team Kanebo finished 9th in 27:56.33, just missing both his PB and the Olympic A-standard but clearing the B-standard of 28:10. His time was 36 seconds faster than at last week`s Hyogo Relay Carnival and puts Irifune in a good position to make the Japanese Olympic team. The third Japanese runner with a PB under 28 minutes, Tokai University`s Yuki Sato, started aggressively near the front of the pack but soon faded and eventually dropped out of the race.

Yuriko Kobayashi at Stanford

In the women`s 1500 m, national record holder Yuriko Kobayashi ran a strong tactical race to finish 2nd. Second to last during the first lap, Kobayashi moved up during the 2nd lap to lead the chase pack behind a breakaway group of 3 runners. She spent the 3rd lap bridging the gap to the leaders but was too late to catch eventual winner Shannon Rowbury before Rowbury`s final kick. Kobayashi outran the other 2 frontrunners to finish in 4:12.11, well off her national record of 4:07.86 and short of the Olympic A and B standards but a solid placing against strong competition.

Hiromi Ominami at Stanford

Full results are here.

Japanese results (click event for video courtesy of flotrack.org):

Men`s 800 m - Heat 3
Taiki Tsutsumi (Team Acom): 1:52.56 (4th)

Men`s 1500 m - Heat 2
Yasuhiro Tago (Team Chugoku Denryoku): DNF

Men`s Kim McDonald 10000 m
Takayuki Matsumiya (Team Konica-Minolta): 27:41.75 (4th) - PB, Olympic A-standard
Satoshi Irifune (Team Kanebo): 27:56.33 (9th) - Olympic B-standard
Yuki Nakamura (Team Kanebo): 28:30.99 (14th)
Suehiro Ishikawa (Team Honda): 28:34:31 (20th)
Naoki Okamoto (Team Chugoku Denryoku): 28:48.21 (22nd)
Hideaki Date (Team Chugoku Denryoku): 29:03.98 (24th)
Yuki Sato (Tokai University): DNF

Women`s 800 - Heat 1
Akari Kishikawa (Team Noritz): 2:13.58 (10th)

Women`s 1500 m - Heat 1
Yuriko Kobayashi (Team Toyota Jidoshokki): 4:12.11 (2nd)
Nanae Kuwashiro (Team Acom): 4:17.30 (9th)

Women`s 3000 SC - Heat 1
Yoshika Tatsumi (Team Noritz): 10:14.71 (11th)

Women`s 5000 m - Heat 2
Korei Omata (Team Acom): 16:26.86 (9th)

Women`s Kim McDonald 10000 m
Hiromi Ominami (Team Toyota Shatai): 32:17.48 (13th)- Olympic B-standard

Women`s 10000 m - Heat 2
Takami Ominami (Team Toyota Shatai): 33:27.46 (6th)

(c) 2008 Brett Larner
all rights reserved

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