Skip to main content

Weekend Track Roundup - High-Schoolers Sub-14 and Sub-29

by Brett Larner

Beyond all the road action in Fukuoka and Kosa, this weekend saw the last two big track time trial meets before the national championship ekidens.  High schoolers made most of the noteworthy news at both meets.  On the first day of the Nittai Time Trials in Yokohama, Ken Yokote (Sakushin Gakuin H.S.) ran 28:57.31 to place 3rd in the men's 10000 m B-heat behind pros Jun Shinoto (Team Sanyo Tokushu Seiko) and Kazuki Onishi (Team Kanebo).  Led by World XC silver medalist Paul Tanui (Team Kyudenko) Africans took the top 10 places in Sunday's men's 5000 m, but close behind in 13:55.91 and 13:57.30 were the aptly-named Kenya Sonota (Aomori Yamada H.S.) and Soma Ishikawa (Sano Nichidai Prep H.S.).  Ishikawa's time was the 3rd-best ever by a Japanese high school junior.  The high school girls also ran well at Nittai, with outstanding first-year Rosemary Wanjiru (Aomori Yamada H.S.) running 15:26.07 in one of the men's 5000 m heats, Momoko Akiyama (Hakuoh Joshi H.S.) 5th in the women's 5000 m A-heat in 15:52.52 and Toyokawa High School's Beatrice Wainaina Murugi and Yuka Ando going 1-2 in the 3000 m A-heat in 9:04.10 and 9:14.27.

Across the country at the Time Trial in Nagasaki meet, Kojokan High School girls took the top four spots in the 3000 m, led by Sakurako Yamoto in 9:16.40.  Kojokan aces Katsuki Suga and Miyuki Oka opted for the 5000 m.  Suga and Kitakyushu Civic High School junior Shiori Yano both broke 15:45, with Oka droping behind but still finishing in a strong 15:51.23.

Nittai University Time Trials - Top Results
Yokohama, 12/3-4/11
click here for complete results

Men's 10000 m Heat 12
1. Jacob Wanjuki (Kenya/Team Aichi Seiko) - 28:13.46
2. Samuel Ndungu (Kenya/Team Aichi Seiko) - 28:27.78
3. Yuta Takahashi (Team S&B) - 28:30.51
4. Kensuke Takezawa (Team S&B) - 28:40.05
5. Yusuke Hasegawa (Team S&B) - 28:50.13

Men's 10000 m Heat 11
1. Jun Shinoto (Team Sanyo Tokushu Seiko) - 28:56.72
2. Kazuki Onishi (Team Kanebo) - 28:57.04
3. Ken Yokote (Sakushin Gakuin H.S.) - 28:57.31 - PB

Men's 5000 m Heat 37
1. Paul Tanui (Kenya/Team Kyudenko) - 13:18.52
2. Edward Waweru (Kenya/Team NTN) - 13:18.62
3. Jonathan Ndiku (Kenya/Team Hitachi Cable) - 13:19.04
4. Clement Langat (Kenya/Team Subaru) - 13:20.09
5. Gideon Ngatuny (Kenya/Team Nissin Shokuhin) - 13:33.90
-----
11. Kenya Sonota (Aomori Yamada H.S.) - 13:55.91 - PB
12. Soma Ishikawa (Sano Nichidai Prep H.S.) - 13:57.30 - PB

Men's 5000 m Heat 9
9. Rosemary Wanjiru (Kenya/Aomori Yamada H.S.) - 15:26.07

Women's 5000 m Heat 30
1. Azusa Kurisu (Juntendo Univ.) - 15:47.60
2. Azusa Nojiri (Team Daiichi Seimei) - 15:49.29
3. Nanaka Izawa (Juntendo Univ.) - 15:50.02
4. Azusa Saito (Niigata Albirex H.S.) - 15:51.71
5. Momoko Akiyama (Hakuoh Joshi H.S.) - 15:52.52

Women's 3000 m Heat 6
1. Beatrice Wainaina Murugi (Kenya/Toyokawa H.S.) - 9:04.10
2. Yuka Ando (Toyokawa H.S.) - 9:14.27
3. Misaki Tanabe (Tamura H.S.) - 9:22.95

Time Trial in Nagasaki - Top Results
Nagasaki, 12/4/11
click here for complete results

Men's 10000 m
1. Yuki Mori (Omura T&F Assoc.) - 29:17.32
2. Ayumu Sato (Team Mitsubishi Juko Nagasaki) - 29:21.11
3. Taku Miyahara (Team Mitsubishi Juko Nagasaki) - 29:21.92

Women's 5000 m Heat 2
1. Sally Chepyego (Kenya/Team Kyudenko) - 15:21.08
2. Misaki Kato (Team Kyudenko) - 15:43.90
3. Katsuki Suga (Kojokan H.S.) - 15:44.11
4. Shiori Yano (Kitakyushu Civic H.S.) - 15:44.43
5. Miyuki Oka (Kojokan H.S.) - 15:51.23

High School Girls' 3000 m
1. Sakurako Yamoto (Kojokan H.S.) - 9:16.40
2. Tomoyo Adachi (Kojokan H.S.) - 9:18.16
3. Junna Fujii (Kojokan H.S.) - 9:35.84

(c) 2011 Brett Larner
all rights reserved
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Most-Read This Week

Kobe Marathon Elite Field

Sunday's Kobe Marathon has announced its elite fields, finally. Japanese athletes have a shot at qualifying for next fall's MGC Race, the official trials race for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, if they go sub-2:27 for the first Japanese woman across the line or sub-2:09 for the first 3 Japanese men to do it. There aren't a lot of contenders to pull it off. On the women's side, Kaede Hagitani , Ayaka Shimoyamada and Kotomi Tsubokura all ran 2:31-32 PBs in the spring and will need to step it up a couple of notches to get there. 2:23 Kenyan Antonina Kwambai is perfectly positioned to help. On the men's side, Keijiro Mogi is closest with a 2:09:06 at last year's Beppu-Oita Mainichi Marathon, Hiroto Kanamori his closest domestic competition with a 2:10:01 PB in Osaka in February. The international trio of last year's winner Barnaba Kipkoech , Elisha Rotich and Goitom Kifle all have recent 2:06-7 times and should help set it up for someone to get there, wh...
1 comment
Read more

Kenyan Graduate Student Athlete Posts Job Hunt for Ekiden Team on Twitter

A Kenyan runner who had tried to help lead his team to the Hakone Ekiden has taken an unusual approach to finding a post-graduation sponsor. Last week Patrick Kamau posted his job hunt on his Twitter account , saying, "I am looking for a club team or a corporate team where I can run in ekidens. I would be happy to run for any team that gave me a chance. I would be grateful for any opportunity and take it on with a positive attitude!" Kamau was 5th at the Hakone Ekiden Yosenkai qualifying race half marathon in 1:01:10 last year during his 4th year at Jobu University . But despite his efforts, Jobu never qualified for Hakone during his 4 years there. He is currently working on a graduate degree while looking for "a team that will let me continue my competitive career." Fans responded to Kamau's job search posting, saying, "I hope it works out for you!" "Good luck comes to those who work hard" and "Kamau is going to graduate school? Given...
Post a Comment
Read more

Hofu Yomiuri Marathon Elite Field (updated)

Another big race on the MGC qualifying calendar has posted its elite fields, the Dec. 6 Hofu Yomiuri Marathon . It looks like a good race for the single MGC spot up for women under 2:27, and the 6 spots for men sub-2:09. Yuka Ando is the favorite in the women's race with a 2:21:18 in Nagoya 2 years ago, with her only real competition coming from Ayumi Morita , who broke 2:27 in Hofu last year but missed qualifying by not being the first Japanese woman across the line. CR holder Workneh Derese is back after his 2:06:58 win last year, leading Kenyan veteran Bedan Karoki and 4 Japanese men with a solid chance at sub-2:09, Tatsuya Maruyama , Ryoma Takeuchi , Shuho Dairokuno and Kento Nishi . Takeuchi set his 2:08:20 PB at Gold Coast in July, and Dairokuno is fresh off a great run at the final Kyushu Corporate Ekiden. Masatoshi Sakata , Yota Ifuku , Madoka Tanihara and Daiji Kawai have both come close to sub-2:09 in recent races and could factor in. 57th Hofu Yomiuri Marathon Elite...
1 comment
Read more