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Fukushi Returns With Olympic A-Standard 10000m in Fukagawa (updated)

by Brett Larner

Japanese 3000 m, 5000 m and half marathon national record holder Kayoko Fukushi (Team Wacoal) provided the standout performance of the third meet in the Hokuren Distance Challenge series, held June 11 in Fukugawa, Hokkaido. Fukushi overcame problems she has faced since her memorable marathon debut in January to win the 10000 m in an Olympic A-standard time of 31:30.94. It was a last-chance attempt by Fukushi to make the Olympic-qualifying National Track and Field Championships 10000 m on June 27 and was a commanding solo performance, with 2nd-place finisher Satoe Matsumoto (Team Nihon ChemiCon) far behind in 32:31.43.

An interview after the race quoted Fukushi saying, "I`m a bit late getting on board, so it was a good run." Fukushi also revealed that while preparing for the Fukugawa meet at a training camp in Chitose, Hokkaido, her training included screaming while running.

The women`s 10000 m at the Nationals now looks set to be a dream matchup, with Fukushi facing off against national record holder Yoko Shibui (Team Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo), ascending star Yukiko Akaba (Team Hokuren), darkhorse Noriko Matsuoka (Team Suzuki) and a number of other potential rivals for the Olympic team spots, with the unfortunate absence of young prodigy Megumi Kinukawa (Team Mizuno) who has been sidelined with a long-term illness.

Other notable results from the Fukugawa meet include national record holder Takayuki Matsumiya`s 13:40.73 win in the men`s 5000 m, Stanford Cardinal Invitational trampling victim Yasuhiro Tago`s 3:46.56 victory in the men`s 1500 m, and the 1-2 Kenyan sub-28 min. finish by Martin Mukule and Silas Jui in the men`s 10000 m. Complete results are available here.

A comparison of the qualifying times for the expected top contenders in the women`s 10000 m at the National Track and Field Championships:

Yoko Shibui (Team Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo): 31:19.73 (4/27/08) and 31:21.92 (5/17/08)
Yukiko Akaba (Team Hokuren): 31:23.27 (12/23/07) and 31:36.54 (4/27/08)
Kayoko Fukushi (Team Wacoal): 31:30.94 (6/11/08)
Noriko Matsuoka (Team Suzuki): 31:31.45 (6/1/08)
Akane Wakita (Team Toyota Jidoshoki): 31:39.32 (4/22/07)
Hiroko Miyauchi (Team Oki): 31:42.86 (6/1/08)

(c) 2008 Brett Larner
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