Skip to main content

Ndirangu and Niiya Top Fukuoka XC

by Bret Larner

Sera H.S. grad Charles Ndirangu (Kenya/Team JFE Steel) followed up his win two weeks ago at the Chiba International Cross-Country Meet with another win Feb. 23 at the Fukuoka International Cross-Country Meet, narrowly outrunning #1-ranked Japanese collegiate Suguru Osako (Waseda Univ.) in the senior men's 10 km, 29:47 to 29:50 with Australian 10000 m national record holder Ben St. Lawrence 3rd in 30:21.  With Fukuoka a selection race for Japan's World Cross-Country teams, Osako and 4th and 5th place finishers Yuki Matsuoka (Team Otsuka Seiyaku) and Wataru Ueno (Komazawa Univ.) threw their hats into the ring for team consideration.  The top Japanese man from Chiba, Keigo Yano of 2013 Hakone Ekiden champion Nittai University, was 6th as Ueno just got him at the line.

In the senior women's 6 km race London Olympian Hitomi Niiya (Team Univ. Ent.) took yet another Fukuoka title by a sweeping margin, clocking 20:00 to runner-up Ayumi Hagiwara's 20:37.  Mai Ishibashi (Team Denso) was 3rd in 20:40 to get into consideration for the Worlds team, with the top Japanese woman in Chiba, Hanae Tanaka (Team Daiichi Seimei) 4th in 20:44 over Chiba runner-up Susan Wairimu (Kenya/Team Denso).

Chiba's top two junior men repeated their placings in the 8 km, Jeremiah Karemi of 2012 National High School Ekiden champion Toyokawa H.S. taking the win in 24:02 over Hakone champ Nittai's Hideto Yamanaka in 24:27.  Kazuki Takahashi (Omagari Kogyo H.S.) led Chiba 4th-placer Tatsuya Hayashi (Ishin H.S.) and national champion Toyokawa's Tadashi Isshiki across the line in 24:40 to round out the top five, all three likely names for the Worlds team.

Chiba junior women's winner Miyuki Uehara (Kagoshima Joshi H.S.) faltered in the Fukuoka junior women's 6 km, finishing only 5th.  Winning in a close sprint finish was relative unknown Azusa Sumi (Toyokawa H.S.) in 20:28 with Saki Yoshimizu (Chikushi Joshi Gakuen H.S.) a step behind in 20:29.    Chiba 4th-placer Yui Fukuda (Suma Gakuen H.S.) got into Worlds consideration as she took 3rd in 20:31.

Ryo Nishiyama (Yamanashi Gakuin Prep H.S.) and Miina Kato (Hakuho Joshi H.S.) took the junior 4 km races, Nishiyama in 12:53 and Kato in 14:18.

2013 Fukuoka International Cross-Country Meet
Fukuoka, 2/23/13
click here for complete results

Senior Men's 10 km
1. Charles Ndirangu (Kenya/Team JFE Steel) - 29:47
2. Suguru Osako (Waseda Univ.) - 29:50
3. Ben St. Lawrence (Australia) - 30:21
4. Yuki Matsuoka (Team Otsuka Seiyaku) - 30:26
5. Wataru Ueno (Komazawa Univ.) - 30:35
6. Keigo Yano (Nittai Univ.) - 30:35
7. Hiroyuki Ono (Team Nissin Shokuhin) - 30:39
8. Minato Oishi (Team Toyota) - 30:42
9. Hiroyoshi Umegae (Team NTN) - 30:51
10. Shota Hattori (Nittai Univ.) - 30:55

Senior Women's 6 km
1. Hitomi Niiya (Team Univ. Ent.) - 20:00
2. Ayumi Hagiwara (Team Uniqlo) - 20:37
3. Mai Ishibashi (Team Denso) - 20:40
4. Hanae Tanaka (Team Daiichi Seimei) - 20:44
5. Susan Wairimu (Kenya/Team Denso) - 20:45
6. Miho Ihara (Team Shikoku Denryoku) - 20:45
7. Kaho Tanaka (Team Daiichi Seimei) - 20:48
8. Risa Takenaka (Team Shiseido) - 20:53
9. Tomomi Tanaka (Team Daiichi Seimei) - 20:55
10. Yuko Shimizu (Team Sekisui Kagaku) - 20:58

Junior Men's 8 km
1. Jeremiah Karemi (Kenya/Toyokawa H.S.) - 24:02
2. Hideto Yamanaka (Nittai Univ.) - 24:27
3. Kazuki Takahashi (Omagari Kogyo H.S.) - 24:40
4. Tatsuya Hayashi (Ishin H.S.) - 24:40
5. Tadashi Isshiki (Toyokawa H.S) - 24:40
6. Koki Yoshimura (Team NTN) - 24:44
7. Yusuke Nishiyama (Iga Hakuo H.S.) - 24:47
8. Ryoichi Yoshida (Omuta H.S.) - 24:47
9. Hazuma Hattori (Toyokawa H.S.) - 24:48
10. Soma Ishikawa (Sano Nittai Prep H.S.) - 24:56

Junior Women's 6 km
1. Azusa Sumi (Toyokawa H.S.) - 20:28
2. Saki Yoshimizu (Chikushi Joshi Gakuen H.S.) - 20:29
3. Yui Fukuda (Suma Gakuen H.S.) - 20:31
4. Nanami Aoki (Ritsumeikan Uji H.S.) - 20:31
5. Miyuki Uehara (Kagoshima Joshi H.S.) - 20:39
6. Maki Izumida (Hakuho Joshi H.S.) - 20:44
7. Mizuki Matsuda (Osaku Kunei Joshi Gakuin H.S.) - 20:45
8. Kotona Ota (Suma Gakuen H.S.) - 20:48
9. Shoko Sonoda (Chikushi Joshi Gakuen H.S.) - 20:51
10. Megumi Aoba (Yamanashi Gakuin Prep H.S.) - 20:56

Junior Men's 4 km
1. Ryo Nishiyama (Yamanashi Gakuin Prep H.S.) - 12:53
2. Shota Sugiyama (Sendai Ikuei H.S.) - 12:55
3. Atsushi Fujiwara (Kurashiki H.S.) - 12:57
4. Koki Mori (Kurashiki H.S.) - 12:59
5. Takatoshi Tanigawa (Toyokawa H.S.) - 13:00

Junior Women's 4 km
1. Miina Kato (Hakuho Joshi H.S.) - 14:18
2. Arisa Yamamoto (Tottori Chuo Ikuei H.S.) - 14:26
3. Honami Maeda (Osaka Kunei Joshi Gakuin H.S.) - 14:27
4. Aoi Nakajima (Tokoha Gakuen Kikugawa H.S.) - 14:30
5. Chihiro Maeda (Kagoshima Joshi H.S.) - 14:30

(c) 2013 Brett Larner
all rights reserved
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Most-Read This Week

Federation Tells World Championships Marathoner Horibata To Go On Diet

http://hochi.yomiuri.co.jp/sports/etc/news/20110307-OHT1T00258.htm translated by Brett Larner Having made the 2011 World Championships marathon team by running a PB of 2:09:25 to come in 3rd overall and as the top Japanese finisher at the Mar. 6 Lake Biwa Mainichi Marathon, Hiroyuki Horibata (24, Team Asahi Kasei), talked to the media at Osaka Airport on Mar. 7. Following Sunday's race Rikuren director Keisuke Sawaki , 67, told Horibata, "Let's cut things down a bit until the World Championships," directing him to go on a diet. The 189 cm Horibata weighs 72 kg [~6'3", 160 lbs]. When he joined Team Asahi Kasei in 2005 at age 18 he weighed 65 kg, and this weight is still generally listed on his profile at races and in the media. "For some reason it never changes," he said with a grin. His coach Takeshi Soh , 58, commented, "If he was hungrier for glory his world would change completely," slapping the 'heavyweight division runner...
Post a Comment
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

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