Skip to main content

Long Weekend Track Roundup - Olympic B-Standards Abound

by Brett Larner

Fall track season continued over the National Sports Day long weekend with three large meets.  The National Sports Festival in Yamaguchi produced a women's 5000 m Olympic B-standard PB from this year's national corporate 10000 m champion Kasumi Nishihara (Team Yamada Denki), who ran 15:23.80 to win by six seconds.  The junior women's 3000 m saw the top four high schoolers break 9:10, with Tomoka Kimura (Chikushi Joshi Gakuen H.S.) winning in 9:05.81 over rival Miki Sakakibara (Hamakita Nishi H.S.) after losing to Sakakibara in the heats.

The Niigata Time Trials meet also produced two Olympic B-standard performances.  2010 national 5000 m champion Yuki Matsuoka (Team Otsuka Seiyaku) ran a PB 28:03.46 to win the 10000 m and clear the London B-standard.  Five-time national 1500 m champion Mika Yoshikawa (Team Panasonic) continued her successful transition to longer distances this year by breaking 32 in a virtually solo 10000 m, qualifying for the Olympics with a time of 31:55.06.  The men's and women's 5000 m were literally solo runs, with 2009 double 1500 m and 5000 m champion Yuichiro Ueno (Team S&B) running 14:05.07 alone in the men's 5000 m and 1500 m national record holder Yuriko Kobayashi (Team Toyota Jidoshokki) a DNF with no other athletes in the race.

The Chubu Jitsugyodan Fall T&F Championships did not produce any Olympic-qualifying runs from Japanese athletes, but Kenyan Edward Waweru (Team NTN) just cleared the men's 5000 m B-standard with a 13:24.99 meet record.  John Thuo (Team Toyota) likewise set a meet record in the men's 3000 m, running 7:46.01.

National Sports Festival
Yamaguchi, 10/7-11/11
click here for complete results

Junior Women's 3000 m
1. Tomoka Kimura (Chikushi Joshi Gakuen H.S.) - 9:05.81
2. Miki Sakakibara (Hamakita Nishi H.S.) - 9:07.31
3. Miyuki Gokan (Tokiwa H.S.) - 9:08.46
4. Fuyuki Kimura (Yamagata Johoku H.S.) - 9:09.18
5. Eri Makikawa (Seiryo H.S.) - 9:11.30

Women's 5000 m
1. Kasumi Nishihara (Team Yamada Denki) - 15:23.80 - PB
2. Hiroko Shoi (Team Nihon ChemiCon) - 15:29.69 - PB
3. Hikari Yoshimoto (Bukkyo Univ.) - 15:30.94
4. Hitomi Niiya (Sakura AC) - 15:32.92
5. Risa Takenaka (Ritsumeikan Univ.) - 15:33.54

Junior Men's 5000 m
1. Ken Yokote (Sakushin Gakuin H.S.) - 14:04.49
2. Kazuma Kubota (Kyushu Gakuin H.S.) - 14:05.56
3. Yuta Katsumata (Nishiwaki Kogyo H.S.) - 14:06.43
4. Shun Morozumi (Saku Chosei H.S.) - 14:07.62
5. Kaoru Hirosue (Kobayashi H.S.) - 14:17.13


Niigata Time Trials
Niigata, 10/10/11
click here for complete results

Men's 10000 m
1. Yuki Matsuoka (Team Otsuka Seiyaku) - 28:03.46 - PB
2. Yusuke Hasegawa (Team S&B) - 28:21.86
3. Shota Yamaguchi (Team Fujitsu) - 28:54.97
4. Kazuharu Takai (Team Kyudenko) - 29:02.59
5. Tomoyuki Morita (Team Kanebo) - 29:04.32

Women's 10000 m
1. Mika Yoshikawa (Team Panasonic) - 31:55.06
2. Yoshie Kurisu (Team Tenmaya) - 33:05.43
DNF - Kazue Kojima (Team Toyota Jidoshokki)


Chubu Jitsugyodan Fall Track & Field Championships
Gifu, 10/10/11
click here for complete results

Men's 5000 m Heat 4
1. Edward Waweru (Kenya/Team NTN) - 13:24.99 - CR
2. Samuel Ngungu (Kenya/Team Aichi Seiko) - 13:38.14
3. Jacob Wanjuki (Kenya/Team Aichi Seiko) - 13:44.23
4. James Mwangi (Kenya/Team NTN) - 13:45.05
5. Hiroyoshi Umegae (Team NTN) - 13:49.73

Men's 3000 m Heat 2
1. John Thuo (Team Toyota) - 7:46.01 - CR
2. Chihiro Miyawaki (Team Toyota) - 8:15.10
3. Kensuke Takahashi (Team Toyota) - 8:16.96

Women's 3000 m Heat 2
1. Mao Kuroda (Team Yutaka Giken) - 9:32.51
2. Anri Shibahara (Team Yutaka Giken) - 9:38.38
3. Akiko Matsunaga (Team Yutaka Giken) - 9:39.98

(c) 2011 Brett Larner
all rights reserved
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Most-Read This Week

Everything You Need to Know About the 2026 Hakone Ekiden

The Hakone Ekiden is the world's biggest road race, 2 days of road relay action with Japan's 20 best university teams racing 10 half marathon-scale legs from central Tokyo to the mountains east of Mount Fuji and back. The level just keeps going higher and higher , hitting the point this year where there are teams with 10-runner averages of 13:33.10 for 5000 m, 27:55.98 for 10000 m, and 1:01:20 for the half marathon. It's never been better, and with great weather in the forecast it's safe to say this could be one of the best races in Hakone's 102-year history, especially on Day One. If you've seen it then you know NTV's live broadcast is the best sports broadcast in the world, with the pre-race show kicking off at 7:00 a.m. Japan time on the 2nd and 3rd and the race starting at 8:00 a.m. sharp. If you've got a VPN you should be able to watch it on TVer starting at 7:50 a.m. on the 2nd , and again at 7:50 a.m. on the 3rd . There's even a 2-hour high...
3 comments
Read more

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...
Post a Comment
Read more

Shikama and Njeri Win Sendai International Half Marathon

Shunsuke Shikama (Logisteed) and Tabitha Njeri Kamau (Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo) won the Sendai International Half Marathon Sunday in Sendai, Shikama in 1:01:31 and Njeri in 1:09:20. Mizuki Nishimura (Tenmaya) was the top Japanese woman at 2nd overall. The men's race went through 5 km in 14:34 and 10 km in 29:22. Shikama ran alongside top competition including Shoki Yamaguchi (Soka Univ.), who has been running well in half marathons this season, and Tokyo World Championships marathon team member Naoki Koyama (Honda). On a course with many small ups and downs, Shikama attacked on a downhill just after 15 km, quickly breaking free of the lead group of 7. 13 seconds up by 20 km, Shikama covered the last 1.0975 km in 3:06 to seal his first Sendai title. A graduate of Juntendo University , Shikama is in his 4th season with Logisteed. At the 2024 National Corporate Half Marathon he ran 1:00:41, and at last year's East Japan Corporate Ekiden he won the Third Stage. In his marathon d...
Post a Comment
Read more