Skip to main content

Kobayashi Runs PB to Win Hokuren 3000m

by Brett Larner

As expected, women`s 1500 m national record holder Yuriko Kobayashi (Team Toyota Jidoshokki) delivered the biggest result of the Hokuren Distance Challenge Sapporo meet, winning the 3000 m in a PB of 8:51.85. Kobayashi and Ann Karindi (Team Yutaka Giken) simply outclassed the rest of the field, quickly opening a large gap and running together until Kobayashi`s stronger kick left her Kenyan competitor behind. Karindi finished in 8:52.24, a PB of nearly 10 seconds; 3rd place finisher Mariko Nakao (Team OKI) was far behind in 9:19.95.

Kobayashi`s time was the 3rd fastest in the world so far this year and not far off the Japanese national record of 8:44.40 held by Kayoko Fukushi (Team Wacoal). In April she ran a 5000 m PB of 15:07.37 to become the only Japanese woman thus far to meet the Beijing Olympics A-standard in the 5000 m. She has thus far failed to meet the Olympic B-standard in the 1500 m after setting the national record of 4:07.86 in Sept., 2006 but is expected to try again at the National Track and Field Championships later this month.

Top finishers in each event are listed below. For complete results from the Sapporo meet click here.

Men`s 1500 m

  1. Takeshi Arisumi (Team Nishitetsu) - 3:49.27
  2. Naoya Ban (Team NTN) - 3:50.34
  3. Kosuke Murasashi (Team YKK) - 3:50.81

Women`s 1500 m

  1. Saori Yamashita (Team Hokuren) - 4:16.46
  2. Minami Nakaarai (Suma Gakuen H.S.) - 4:21.50
  3. Maki Arai (Team Uniqlo) - 4:22.27

Women`s 3000 m

  1. Yuriko Kobayashi (Team Toyota Jidoshokki) - 8:51.85 (PB)
  2. Ann Karindi (Team Yutaka Giken) - 8:52.24 (PB)
  3. Mariko Nakao (Team Oki) - 9:19.95

Men`s 3000 m SC

  1. Tomoyoshi Umegae (Team NTN) - 8:47.16
  2. Michinori Takano (Team Sanyo Tokushu Seiko) - 8:49.11
  3. Takayuki Matsuura (Team Otsuka Seiyaku) - 8:50.18

Women`s 3000 m SC

  1. Kazuka Wakatsuki (Team Toto) - 9:59.57
  2. Maiko Yamaguchi (Team Yamada Denki) - 10:28.61
  3. Yuka Ohara (Team Shimamura) - 10:35.51

Men`s 5000 m A-Group

  1. Yuki Nakamura (Team Kanebo) - 13:44.69
  2. Terukazu Omori (Team Shikoku Denryoku) - 13:45.12
  3. Keita Akiba (Team Komori) - 13:45.30

Women`s 5000 m

  1. Mari Ozaki (Team Noritz) - 16:00.30
  2. Miho Notagashira (Team Wacoal) - 16:07.18
  3. Yuka Tokuda (Team Yamada Denki) - 16:14.43

Men`s 5000 m B-Group

  1. Teruto Ozaki (Team Chugoku Denryoku) - 14:03.47
  2. Kiyotaka Shimamura (Team S&B) - 14:05.04
  3. Akihiko Tsumurai (Team Mazda) - 14:06.74

Men`s 5000 m Walk

  1. Koichiro Morioka (Team Fujitsu) - 19:28.26
  2. Yuki Yamasaki (Hasegawa AC) - 20:04.21
  3. Ken Akashi (Team Alsok) - 20:07.72

Women`s 5000 m Walk

  1. Masumi Fuchise (Ryukoku Univ.) - 22:11.11
  2. Mayumi Kawasaki (Team Ebisawa Seisakujo) - 22:33.69

Comments

Most-Read This Week

Nakajima Breaks 100 mH NR Twice, Kitaguchi Returns - August Track Roundup

Catching up on what's been happening in track and field this month during our summer break: Men's 3000 m NR holder Nagiya Mori was just off his 5000 m PB at the IFAM Oordegem meet in Belgium on Aug. 1, taking 16th in 13:15.01. Shota Nakano was 26th of 28 in 13:35.02. This year's national champion Ryoma Aoki ran the 3000 mSC but didn't finish. Naoto Hasegawa was the only Japanese athlete at Mutaz Essa Barshim 's What Gravity Tour stop at the Monaco Athletics Festival meet on Aug. 5. Having cleared 2.30 m for the first time earlier this year Hasegawa only managed 2.18 m in Monaco, taking 7th of 10. There were a lot of good performances at the Fuji Hokuriku World Trial meet in Fujiyoshida on Aug. 9, but the one that got the headlines was a 12.62 (-0.2) NR in the women's 100 mH by Hitomi Nakajima . Nakajima actually did it twice, running 12.62 (+2.0) in the heats before repeating in the final. Masumi Aoki also ran big in the heats, with a 12.68 (+2.0) for al...

Asian Games Competition Schedule

The daily athletics event schedule for September's Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games . Wednesday, Sept. 23 7:30 - Women's / Men's Half Marathon Race Walk Final Thursday, Sept. 24 10:00 - Women's Heptathlon 100 mH 10:20 - Mixed 4x400 m Relay Heats 10:30 - Men's Triple Jump Heats 10:40 - Women's Heptathlon High Jump 19:05 - Men's High Jump Heats 19:13 - Women's Heptathlon Shot Put 19:33 - Women's 100 m Heats 19:44 - Women's Triple Jump Final 20:08 - Men's 100 m Heats 20:55 - Men's Discus Throw Final 21:00 - Women's Heptathlon 200 m 21:25 - Women's 10000 m Final 22:15 - Mixed 4x400 m Relay Final Friday, Sept. 25 10:00 - Women's Heptathlon Long Jump 10:30 - Men's 400 m Heats 11:25 - Women's Heptathlon Javelin Throw 19:05 - Women's Shot Put Final 19:13 - Women's 100 m Semifinal 19:33 - Men's 100 m Semifinal 20:03 - Women's Pole Vault Final 20:11 - Women's Heptathlon 800 m 20:32 - Men's 10000 m Final 20:40 - M...

Federation Tells World Championships Marathoner Horibata To Go On Diet

http://hochi.yomiuri.co.jp/sports/etc/news/20110307-OHT1T00258.htm translated by Brett Larner Having made the 2011 World Championships marathon team by running a PB of 2:09:25 to come in 3rd overall and as the top Japanese finisher at the Mar. 6 Lake Biwa Mainichi Marathon, Hiroyuki Horibata (24, Team Asahi Kasei), talked to the media at Osaka Airport on Mar. 7. Following Sunday's race Rikuren director Keisuke Sawaki , 67, told Horibata, "Let's cut things down a bit until the World Championships," directing him to go on a diet. The 189 cm Horibata weighs 72 kg [~6'3", 160 lbs]. When he joined Team Asahi Kasei in 2005 at age 18 he weighed 65 kg, and this weight is still generally listed on his profile at races and in the media. "For some reason it never changes," he said with a grin. His coach Takeshi Soh , 58, commented, "If he was hungrier for glory his world would change completely," slapping the 'heavyweight division runner...