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926 Athletes to Compete in May 30 Golden Games in Nobeoka

http://mainichi.jp/area/miyazaki/news/20090527ddlk45050694000c.html

translated and edited by Brett Larner

At a press conference on May 26 Team Asahi Kasei head coach Takeshi Soh announced the start lists for the 20th Golden Games in Nobeoka time trials meet, scheduled to take place near Asahi Kasei's headquarters in Nobeoka, Kyushu on May 30. 552 men and 374 women will compete in the meet. Outside of the meet's main focus, the 5000 m, Soh and other Rikuren officials anticipate the men's and women's 800 m and 1500 m races to be particularly strong.

Berlin World Championships marathoners Satoshi Irifune (Team Kanebo), Masaya Shimizu (Team Asahi Kasei) and Kazuhiro Maeda (Team Kyudenko) are entered in the men's 5000 m along with world-leading 10000 m runner Josephat Ndambiri (Team Komori Corp.).

In the men's 1500 m, national record holder Fumikazu Kobayashi (Team NTN) will face off against last year's winner and all-time Japanese #2 Kazuya Watanabe (Team Sanyo Tokushu Seiko) and former national university champion Yasunori Murakami (Team Fujitsu). Challenging this tough domestic trio will be Kenyan university star Daniel Gitau (Nihon Univ.) "It'll be the kind of race where we can look forward to a new national record," said Soh in anticipation of the 1500 m.

All three heats of the women's 5000 m will feature male pacemakers. Since last year Rikuren has allowed domestic women's races to have men setting the pace, meaning that the chance for a new national record in the women's 5000 m is also high.

The meet begins at 1:00 p.m. with an elementary school 4 x 100 m relay and will last until around 10:00 p.m. Last year over 33000 fans came to cheer on the athletes. For more information contact the meet office at 0982-21-1979.
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