by Brett Larner
As in the 10000 m, Japanese women did the lion's share of the work in ensuring fast times in both heats of the women's 5000 m. Ranked well outside the top five of her heat, 5000 m national record holder Kayoko Fukushi (Team Wacoal) needed a fast race to have a chance at making the final. She took Heat One out at a solid 3:01 and led the next three km at a steady 3:03/km, but despite going under 3 minutes for the final km she was outkicked over the final lap by the pursuing pack, falling to 8th in a season-best 15:09.31 behind winner Tirunesh Dibaba (Ethiopia) who led three under 15 minutes in 14:58.48.
It looked as though Fukushi might have a shot at making the final on time after 5000 m national champion Hitomi Niiya (Team Univ. Ent.) took Heat Two out slightly slower, but despite winner Gelete Burka (Ethiopia) running only 15:01.44 a denser pack meant Fukushi was shut out. Niiya almost tied Fukushi on time, improving from #10 to #7 on the all-time Japanese list with a 15:10.20 for 10th, but likewise did not advance. Three spots behind Niiya, 10000 m national champion Mika Yoshikawa (Team Panasonic) ran a PB of 15:16.77.
In the men's 200 m, 2012 national champion Kei Takase (Team Fujitsu) and Beijing Olympics 4x100 m relay bronze medalist Shinji Takahira (Team Fujitsu) finished 2nd and 3rd in their heats to advance to the semi-finals. 2010 World Junior Championships 200 m gold medalist Shota Iizuka (Chuo Univ.) finished only 5th in his heat and did not advance. Women's javelin national record holder Yuki Ebihara (Suzuki Hamamatsu AC) also failed to advance out of the qualification round. In the men's triathlon, despite briefly leading on the bike stage Hirokatsu Tayama could do no better than 20th by the end of the run stage. His teammate Yuichi Hosoda was only 43rd.
2012 London Olympics Athletics Day Five
London, England, 8/7/12
click here for complete results
click here for triathlon results
Women's 5000 m Heat One
1. Tirunesh Dibaba (Ethiopia) - 14:58.48 - Q
2. Meseret Defar (Ethiopia) - 14:58.70 - Q
3. Viola Jelagat Kibiwot (Kenya) - 14:59.31 - Q
4. Olga Golovkina (Russia) - 15:05.26 - Q, PB
5. Julie Culley (U.S.A.) - 15:05.38 - Q, PB
6. Tejitu Daba (Bahrain) - 15:05.59 - q, PB
7. Silvia Weissteiner (Italy) - 15:06.81
8. Kayoko Fukushi (Japan) - 15:09.31
9. Barbara Parker (U.K.) - 15:12.81 - PB
10. Fionnuala Britton (Ireland) - 15:12.97 - PB
Women's 5000 m Heat Two
1. Gelete Burka (Ethiopia) - 15:01.44 - Q
2. Vivian Jepkemoi Cheruiyot (Kenya) - 15:01.54 - Q
3. Saly Jepkosgei Kipyego (Kenya) - 15:01.87 - Q
4. Julia Bleasdale (U.K.) - 15:02.00 - Q, PB
5. Molly Huddle (U.S.A.) - 15:02.26 - Q
6. Yelena Nagovitsyna (Russia) - 15:02.80 - q, PB
7. Joanne Pavey (U.K.) - 15:02.84 - q
8. Shitaye Eshete (Bahrain) - 15:05.48 - q, PB
9. Elena Romagnolo (Italy) - 15:06.38 - q, PB
10. Hitomi Niiya (Japan) - 15:10.20 - PB
-----
13. Mika Yoshikawa (Japan) - 15:16.77 - PB
Men's 200 m Heat Three
1. Maurice Mitchell (U.S.A.) - 20.54 - Q
2. Christian Malcom (U.K.) - 20.59 - Q
3. Michael Mathieu (Bahamas) - 20.62 - Q
-----
5. Shota Iizuka (Japan) - 20.81
Men's 200 m Heat Six
1. Alex Quinonez (Ecuador) - 20.28 - Q, NR
2. Wallace Spearmon (U.S.A.) - 20.47 - Q
3. Shinji Takahira (Japan) - 20.57 - Q
4. Brendan Christian (Antigua) - 20.63 - q
Men's 200 m Heat Seven
1. Churandy Martina (Netherlands) - 20.58 - Q
2. Kei Takase (Japan) - 20.72 - Q
3. Jared Connaughton (Canada) - 20.72 - Q
Women's Javelin Qualification Round Group B
1. Sunette Viljoen (South Africa) - 65.92 m - Q
2. Huihui Lu (China) - 64.45 m - Q
3. Maria Abakumova (Russia) - 63.25 - Q
-----
8. Yuki Ebihara (Japan) - 59.25 m
Men's Triathlon
1. Alistair Brownlee (U.K.) - 1:46:25
2. Javier Gomez (Spain) - 1:46:36
3. Jonathan Brownlee (U.K.) - 1:46:56
-----
20. Hirokatsu Tayama (Japan) - 1:49:24
43. Yuichi Hosoda (Japan) - 1:51:40
DNF - Simon Whitfield (Canada)
(c) 2012 Brett Larner
all rights reseved
As in the 10000 m, Japanese women did the lion's share of the work in ensuring fast times in both heats of the women's 5000 m. Ranked well outside the top five of her heat, 5000 m national record holder Kayoko Fukushi (Team Wacoal) needed a fast race to have a chance at making the final. She took Heat One out at a solid 3:01 and led the next three km at a steady 3:03/km, but despite going under 3 minutes for the final km she was outkicked over the final lap by the pursuing pack, falling to 8th in a season-best 15:09.31 behind winner Tirunesh Dibaba (Ethiopia) who led three under 15 minutes in 14:58.48.
It looked as though Fukushi might have a shot at making the final on time after 5000 m national champion Hitomi Niiya (Team Univ. Ent.) took Heat Two out slightly slower, but despite winner Gelete Burka (Ethiopia) running only 15:01.44 a denser pack meant Fukushi was shut out. Niiya almost tied Fukushi on time, improving from #10 to #7 on the all-time Japanese list with a 15:10.20 for 10th, but likewise did not advance. Three spots behind Niiya, 10000 m national champion Mika Yoshikawa (Team Panasonic) ran a PB of 15:16.77.
In the men's 200 m, 2012 national champion Kei Takase (Team Fujitsu) and Beijing Olympics 4x100 m relay bronze medalist Shinji Takahira (Team Fujitsu) finished 2nd and 3rd in their heats to advance to the semi-finals. 2010 World Junior Championships 200 m gold medalist Shota Iizuka (Chuo Univ.) finished only 5th in his heat and did not advance. Women's javelin national record holder Yuki Ebihara (Suzuki Hamamatsu AC) also failed to advance out of the qualification round. In the men's triathlon, despite briefly leading on the bike stage Hirokatsu Tayama could do no better than 20th by the end of the run stage. His teammate Yuichi Hosoda was only 43rd.
2012 London Olympics Athletics Day Five
London, England, 8/7/12
click here for complete results
click here for triathlon results
Women's 5000 m Heat One
1. Tirunesh Dibaba (Ethiopia) - 14:58.48 - Q
2. Meseret Defar (Ethiopia) - 14:58.70 - Q
3. Viola Jelagat Kibiwot (Kenya) - 14:59.31 - Q
4. Olga Golovkina (Russia) - 15:05.26 - Q, PB
5. Julie Culley (U.S.A.) - 15:05.38 - Q, PB
6. Tejitu Daba (Bahrain) - 15:05.59 - q, PB
7. Silvia Weissteiner (Italy) - 15:06.81
8. Kayoko Fukushi (Japan) - 15:09.31
9. Barbara Parker (U.K.) - 15:12.81 - PB
10. Fionnuala Britton (Ireland) - 15:12.97 - PB
Women's 5000 m Heat Two
1. Gelete Burka (Ethiopia) - 15:01.44 - Q
2. Vivian Jepkemoi Cheruiyot (Kenya) - 15:01.54 - Q
3. Saly Jepkosgei Kipyego (Kenya) - 15:01.87 - Q
4. Julia Bleasdale (U.K.) - 15:02.00 - Q, PB
5. Molly Huddle (U.S.A.) - 15:02.26 - Q
6. Yelena Nagovitsyna (Russia) - 15:02.80 - q, PB
7. Joanne Pavey (U.K.) - 15:02.84 - q
8. Shitaye Eshete (Bahrain) - 15:05.48 - q, PB
9. Elena Romagnolo (Italy) - 15:06.38 - q, PB
10. Hitomi Niiya (Japan) - 15:10.20 - PB
-----
13. Mika Yoshikawa (Japan) - 15:16.77 - PB
Men's 200 m Heat Three
1. Maurice Mitchell (U.S.A.) - 20.54 - Q
2. Christian Malcom (U.K.) - 20.59 - Q
3. Michael Mathieu (Bahamas) - 20.62 - Q
-----
5. Shota Iizuka (Japan) - 20.81
Men's 200 m Heat Six
1. Alex Quinonez (Ecuador) - 20.28 - Q, NR
2. Wallace Spearmon (U.S.A.) - 20.47 - Q
3. Shinji Takahira (Japan) - 20.57 - Q
4. Brendan Christian (Antigua) - 20.63 - q
Men's 200 m Heat Seven
1. Churandy Martina (Netherlands) - 20.58 - Q
2. Kei Takase (Japan) - 20.72 - Q
3. Jared Connaughton (Canada) - 20.72 - Q
Women's Javelin Qualification Round Group B
1. Sunette Viljoen (South Africa) - 65.92 m - Q
2. Huihui Lu (China) - 64.45 m - Q
3. Maria Abakumova (Russia) - 63.25 - Q
-----
8. Yuki Ebihara (Japan) - 59.25 m
Men's Triathlon
1. Alistair Brownlee (U.K.) - 1:46:25
2. Javier Gomez (Spain) - 1:46:36
3. Jonathan Brownlee (U.K.) - 1:46:56
-----
20. Hirokatsu Tayama (Japan) - 1:49:24
43. Yuichi Hosoda (Japan) - 1:51:40
DNF - Simon Whitfield (Canada)
(c) 2012 Brett Larner
all rights reseved
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