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Omwamba Doubles and Suzuki Defends in National University T&F Championships 5000 m

by Brett Larner

Two days after winning the National University Track & Field Championships 10000 m title, Kenyan first-year Enock Omwamba (Yamanashi Gakuin Univ.) returned to outrun Nihon University's Kenyan pair Benjamin Gandu and Daniel Kitonyi and all Japanese comers for the 5000 m title.  Running off a slow first 2000 m in 5:40, Omwamba accelerated throughout the second half of the race to take the win in 13:53.53, Gandu 2nd in 13:55.81.  Shuho Dairokuno (Meiji Univ.) was the top Japanese finisher, 4th overall in 14:02.01 a step ahead of Aoyama Gakuin University's star first-year recruit Kazuma Kubota with Aoyama Gakuin captain Takehiro Deki just behind in his first quality performance since his 2:10:02 marathon debut at March's Lake Biwa Mainichi Marathon.  Defending collegiate 5000 m champion Kenta Murayama (Komazawa Univ.) was only 14th in 14:22.38 just ahead of his twin brother Kota Murayama (Josai Univ.)

The women's 5000 m went out the other way, defending champion Ayuko Suzuki (Nagoya Univ.) taking things out very fast with a 3:03 first km and burning off all competition early. Suzuki was alone for almost the entire race, opening a 20-second gap on chaser Mai Shoji (Chukyo Univ.) before fading badly over the final 2000 m. Suzuki slowed to 3:20/km but still managed to hold on for her second-straight win, clocking a solid 15:44.45 to Shoji's 15:51.25. 10000 m champ Haruka Kyuma (Tsukuba Univ.) was 8th in 16:04.93.

2012 National University T&F Championships Day Three
National Stadium, Tokyo, 9/11/12
click here for complete results

Men's 5000 m
1. Enock Omwamba (Kenya/Yamanashi Gakuin Univ.) - 13:53.53
2. Benjamin Gandu (Kenya/Nihon Univ.) - 13:55.81
3. Daniel Kitonyi (Kenya/Nihon Univ.) - 13:57.68
4. Shuho Dairokuno (Meiji Univ.) - 14:02.01
5. Kazuma Kubota (Aoyama Gakuin Univ.) - 14:02.70
6. Takehiro Deki (Aoyama Gakuin Univ.) - 14:03.71
7. Yuki Maeda (Waseda Univ.) - 14:05.56
8. Wataru Ueno (Komazawa Univ.) - 14:06.18
9. Shuhei Yamamoto (Waseda Univ.) - 14:08.10
10. Tatsuya Oike (Juntendo Univ.) - 14:14.21

 Women's 5000 m
1. Ayuko Suzuki (Nagoya Univ.) - 15:44.45
2. Mai Shoji (Chukyo Univ.) - 15:51.25
3. Shiho Takechi (Bukkyo Univ.) - 15:56.78
4. Miho Shimizu (Hakuoh Univ.) - 15:58.50
5. Mai Tsuda (Ritsumeikan Univ.) - 15:59.25
6. Sairi Maeda (Bukkyo Univ.) - 15:59.81
7. Nanaka Izawa (Juntendo Univ.) - 16:04.15
8. Haruka Kyuma (Tsukuba Univ.) - 16:04.93
9. Mutsumi Ikeda (Ritsumeikan Univ.) - 16:05.63
10. Hitomi Suzuki (Tamagawa Univ.) - 16:11.90

(c) 2012 Brett Larner
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