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Asian Games Athletics Day One - Japanese Results (updated)

by Brett Larner

Athletics competition at the 2014 Asian Games got rolling today with medals handed out in three distance events.  The women's 10000 m started conservatively but ground steadily down to a pack of three, Alia Mohammed Saeed Mohammed (U.A.E.), Changqin Ding (China) and this year's #1-ranked Japanese woman, Ayumi Hagiwara.  Mohammed led much of the way except for a brief challenge from Ding late in the race, Hagiwara staying right behind them until Mohammed's bell lap kick got away from her.  All three broke 32 minutes, Mohammed winning in a PB 31:51.86.  2014 national champion Kasumi Nishihara never looked comfortable, struggling to keep herself at the rear of the lead pack before sinking to 8th in 32:41.49.

The men's 5000 m likewise started slow until India's Suresh Kumar got impatient and took off at 800 m.  Leading on PB pace for the next 3000 m, Kumar took things from 2:49 to 2:42/km before the two pairs of Qatari and Bahraini men got to work.  All the while, Japan's Kota Murayama and Yuki Sato stayed in contact, university 10000 m champion Murayama making a few sorties toward the front.  At the bell Murayama lost touch while Sato, the 10000 m national champion, tried to go with them.  Qatar's Mohamad Al Garni had another gear in store, dropping a kick with 200 m to go that gave him enough of a margin over the three African-born rivals left up front to ease up and jump over the finish line in celebration of the win and a new 13:26.13 meet record.  Bahrain's Alemu Bekele Gebre and Albert Kibichii Rop took 2nd and 3rd, they and everyone through 7th place breaking the great Toshinari Takaoka's 13:38.37 Asian Games meet record.  Murayama also had a gear in store, running down Sato to take 5th in a PB 13:34.57, Sato just behind in 6th in 13:34.97.  Kumar paid for the pace he laid down most of the way but was rewarded with a new PB of 13:42.28 in 9th.

The women's 3000 mSC also saw a mass improvement on the meet record, with the top six clearing the old mark of 9:55.67 set four years ago in Guangzhou by India's Sudha Singh.  Singh was back and cleared that time by over 20 seconds in a PB 9:35.64 but finished out of the medals as favorite Ruth Jebet (Bahrain) told first in a new record of 9:31.36.  Li Zhenzhu (China) and Lalita Shivaji Babar (India) were right there with Singh in a three-way battle for the remaining two medals, but it was Zhenzhu who took 2nd in 9:35.23 with Babar shutting Singh out in a PB 9:35.37 for 3rd.  Japan's Misaki Sango and Mayuko Nakamura took 6th and 7th, Sango the last athlete to break Singh's old record as she finished in 9:52.26. 

In post-race interviews Jebet was clear about her goals for next year.  "I am very happy to win gold here," she said, "and I promise the people of Bahrain that I will win the World Championships next year."  However, just before the start of the medal ceremony it was announced that she had been disqualified for stepping inside the track after losing her balance.  The step had no impact on her win, but rules being rules she was stricken from the results and the gold and meet record went to Li, the Indian pair taking home silver and bronze.

2014 Asian Games - Athletics Day One
Incheon, South Korea, 9/27/14
click here for complete results

Women's 10000 m
1. Alia Mohammed Saeed Mohammed (U.A.E.) - 31:51.86 - PB
2. Changqin Ding (China) - 31:53.09 - PB
3. Ayumi Hagiwara (Japan) - 31:55.67
4. Sitora Khamidova (Uzbekistan) - 32:12.54 - PB
5. Chaofeng Jia (China) - 32:21.74
6. Eunice Chumba (Bahrain) - 32:27.69 - PB
7. Preeja Sreedharan (India) - 32:29.17
8. Kasumi Nishihara (Japan) - 32:41.49
9. Munkhzaya Bayartsogt (Mongolia) - 33:31.11 - PB
10. Doyeon Kim (South Korea) - 34:47.31
11. Seoyong Hyun (South Korea) - 35:06.35
DNF - Tejitu Daba Chalchissa (Bahrain)

Men's 5000 m
1. Mohamad Al Garni (Qatar) - 13:26.13 - MR
2. Alemu Bekele Gebre (Bahrain) - 13:27.98 (MR)
3. Albert Kibichii Rop (Bahrain) - 13:28.08 (MR)
4. Abubaker Ali Kamal (Qatar) - 13:28.59 (MR)
5. Kota Murayama (Japan) - 13:34.57 - PB (MR)
6. Yuki Sato (Japan) - 13:34.97 (MR)
7. Kheta Ram (India) - 13:37.40 - PB (MR)
8. Tariq Ahmed Alamri (Saudi Arabia) - 13:38.40
9. Suresh Kumar (India) - 13:42.28 - PB
10. Suengho Baek (South Korea) - 14:06.76

Women's 3000 mSC
1. Zhenzhu Li (China) - 9:35.23 MR
2. Lalita Shivaji Babar (India) - 9:35.37 - PB (MR)
3. Sudha Singh (India) - 9:35.64 - PB (MR)
4. Rini Budiarti (Indonesia) - 9:49.46 - PB (MR)
5. Misaki Sango (Japan) - 9:52.26 (MR)
6. Mayuko Nakamura (Japan) - 10:08.67
7. Irina Moroz (Uzbekistan) - 10:32.89
8. Sejung Lee (South Korea) - 10:35.78
9. Rosemary Mumo Katua (Bahrain) - 10:45.69
DQ - Ruth Jebet (Bahrain) - 9:31.36 - (MR)

(c) 2014 Brett Larner
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