Skip to main content

Murasawa, Yoroizaka PB in Palio della Quercia 5000 m

by Brett Larner

Four of Japan's brightest young talents ran the 2011 Palio della Quercia 5000 m Sept. 13 in Rovereto, Italy, their stated goal to clear the Olympic A-standard of 13:20.  Although all four fell short, each of the Japanese athletes had positive results.  2009 double 1500 m and 5000 m national champion Yuichiro Ueno (Team S&B) had his first good run of the year after injuries last fall, 4th overall in 13:27.14.  Top-ranked university men Tetsuya Yoroizaka (Meiji Univ.) and Akinobu Murasawa (Tokai Univ.) both scored new PBs, Yoroizaka cracking 13:30, a rarity among Japanese university men.  In both talent and propensity for injury Japan's answer to Dathan Ritzenhein, Kensuke Takezawa (Team S&B) also showed himself on the rebound from injuries sustained in Europe late last summer, at 13:32.98 far off his Rovereto best of 13:22.36 from 2006 but one second ahead of his best time from his abbreviated 2010 season.

Murasawa, Takezawa and Ueno will stay in Italy to run the 3000 m at the Sept. 18 La Notturna di Milano meet.  Unsatisfied with his Palio della Quercia time, Murasawa is scheduled to run the 5000 m at the Oct. 1 Saitama Prefectural Corporate Track and Field Championships meet along with teammate Tsubasa Hayakawa (Tokai Univ.) and rival Ryuji Kashiwabara (Toyo Univ.), the three students having received special permission to run in the pro meet in order to help them set faster marks.  Murasawa, who ran 28:00.78 in the spring, was also quoted as saying that he hopes to run a 10000 m this fall targeting 27:30-27:45.  Even the slower end of that range would clear the London Olympic A-standard.  The faster end would be Japanese national record territory.

2011 Palio della Quercia
Rovereto, Italy, 9/13/11
click here for complete results

Men's 5000 m
1. Joseph Kiplimo (Kenya) - 13:15.23
2. Juan Luis Barrios (Mexico) - 13:15.27
3. Daniele Meucci (Italy) - 13:27.14
4. Yuichiro Ueno (Team S&B) - 13:27.66
5. Tetsuya Yoroizaka (Meiji Univ.) - 13:29.11 - PB
6. Arne Gabius (Germany) - 13:32.08
7. Kensuke Takezawa (Team S&B) - 13:32.98
8. Akinobu Murasawa (Tokai Univ.) - 13:34.85 - PB
9. Maxim Obrubanskyy (Italy) - 13:36.48
10. Daudi Liokitok Makalla (Kenya) - 13:42.47

(c) 2011 Brett Larner
all rights reserved

Comments

Most-Read This Week

Nagoya Asian Games Test Event Canceled After Insulation Falls From Venue Ceiling

A section of insulation material fell from the ceiling of Nagoya Kinjo Futo Arena, the official venue for squash competition at September's Nagoya Asian Games. There were no injuries, but the city suspended use of the arena until its safety could be guaranteed, resulting in the cancelation of the Asian Games squash test event which was scheduled to have begun on May 14. It is not yet clear whether the arena will be usable for the Asian Games as planned. According to city officials, arena staff found that the insulation material had fallen onto a work walkway 13 m above the ground on the night of May 11. The fallen material was 3.6 m long, 50 cm wide and 2.5 km thick, and was found to be waterlogged. The cause of the accident is unknown, but it is possible that it was caused by rainwater leaking in from the roof. The same insulation material is installed across the entire ceiling, and the city plans to check for the extent of the possible flooding. Asked whether the arena will be re...

Hakone Ekiden Qualifying Race Entry Roster Sizes Increased from 14 to 16

Hakone Ekiden organizers KGRR have announced details for the qualifying half marathon for next year's 103rd Hakone Ekiden. The Yosenkai qualifying race will be held Oct. 17 in Tachikawa, Tokyo. The combined times of the 10 fastest finishers from each participating team will be used for team scoring, with the 10 fastest teams going on the the main event next January and top-placing individuals from teams that do not qualify being names to the Kanto Region Student Alliance select team. One change from previous years is that the number of runners each school can enter has been increased from 14 to 16. Teams will still only be allowed to have from 10 to 12 athletes on the starting line, but the move gives coaches greater flexibility in making the final decision on their starting rosters. No changes have been made to the qualifying times of 34:00 for 10000 m or 1:13:00 for the half marathon, and the new earlier starting time of 8:30 a.m. introduced last year in an effort to mitigate ...

Nomura and Odagiri Go 3-4 at Zevenheuvelenloop 15 km

2010 Zevenheuvelenloop 15 km Nijmegen, Netherlands, 11/21/10 Women click here for complete women's results 1. Genet Getaneh (Ethiopia) - 47:53 2. Florence Kiplagat (Kenya) - 48:07 3. Sayo Nomura (Meijo Univ.) - 49:43 4. Aki Odagiri (Meijo Univ.) - 51:37 5. Benita Willis (Australia) - 51:51 Men click here for complete men's results 1. Leonard Patrick Komon (Kenya) - 41:13 - WR 2. Abera Kuma (Ethiopia) - 42:01 3. Ayele Abshiro (Ethiopia) - 42:01 4. Abraham Kiplimo (Uganda) - 43:03 5. Berhanu Delale (Ethiopia) - 43:08 ----- 14. Kazuya Watanabe (Team Sanyo Tokushu Seiko) - 45:31