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Osako Wins World University Games 10000 m

by Brett Larner

Click photo for video highlights.

2011 Hakone Ekiden champion Waseda University's star sophomore Suguru Osako, the Asian junior area record holder for the half marathon, won his first world title on the second day of the 2011 World University Games as he ran a season-best 28:42.83 to take the men's 10000 m.  Russian Sergey Rybin took the race out at a blistering speed, clocking 2:44.13 for the first 1000 m and going through halfway in 13:53.21.  The pace burned most of the competition before Rybin began to slow.  By 8000 m Rybin was running slower than 3:00 / km, and, staggering after being passed by Osako on the last lap, he dropped out with less than 200 m to go.  The 20-year-old Osako, who ran most of the race with 26-year-old South African Stephen Mokoka, executed a long kick over the last 400 m to win by more than ten seconds.  Mokoka took silver, with 26-year-old Moroccan Ahmed Tamri picking up bronze in 29:06.20.  Meiji University senior Tetsuya Yoroizaka, 21, who last month ran 27:44.30 at the Aviva UK Trials, had an off day as he finished 5th in only 29:32.21 after running together with Osako in the early stages of the race.

Osako will return Aug. 19 in the men's 5000 m where his PB of 13:31.27 from earlier this season ranks him #4 in the field.  Joining him is Komazawa University sophomore Ikuto Yufu, who ran a 10000 m PB of 28:02.46 in June.

2011 World University Games Men's 10000 m
Shenzhen, China, 8/17/11
click here for complete results

1. Suguru Osako (Waseda Univ.) - 28:42.83
2. Stephen Mokoka (South Africa) - 28:53.09
3. Ahmed Tamri (Morocco) - 29:06.20
4. Evgeny Rybakov (Russia) - 29:10.86
5. Tetsuya Yoroizaka (Meiji Univ.) - 29:32.21
6. Sibabalwe Gladwin Mzazi (South Africa) - 29:34.65
7. Joseph Chebet (Uganda) - 30:03.52
8. Rolf Rufenacht (Switzerland) - 30:18.24
9. Stsiapan Rahautsou (Belarus) - 30:29.33
10. Paul Avila (Bolivia) - 32:13.50

(c) 2011 Brett Larner
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Brett Larner said…
Yes, Osako was pretty sugoi. His dad emailed and said, "I was pretty surprised, to be honest. I think he was a bit lucky." I think he meant that the suicidal Russian blew up. Great last kick from Suguru, at any rate.
August 22, 2011 at 8:14 AM
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