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Osako Sets 3000 m National Record in Rieti

by Brett Larner



Already on the edge of national records for 3000 m, 2 miles, 5000 m and 10000 m, Suguru Osako (Team Nissin Shokuhin) stepped up in his last race on the summer European circuit, the 3000 m at Italy's Rieti Meeting 2014.  Partially based in the U.S. since graduating from Waseda University this spring, Osako has been training with the Alberto Salazar-coached Nike Oregon Project.  Before the race NOP assistant coach Pete Julian told JRN, "He's been hitting all the workouts with Mo Farah and Galen Rupp, so he's pretty worn out at this point.  With a couple weeks of rest he'll be stronger but we don't expect much for this race."

Despite the fatigue Osako went with the 2:29.24 opening 1000 m in Rieti, hanging on to the leaders through some ups and downs in the pacing and crossing the line in 7:40.09 to break marathon national record holder Toshinari Takaoka's 15-year-old 3000 m record by almost two seconds.  Among distances officially recorded by the JAAF it was the first Japanese men's long distance national record since Takayuki Matsumiya and Atsushi Sato set 5000 m and half marathon records in 2007, and with Osako already ranked all-time Japanese #6 for 5000 m and #4 for 10000 m it was an encouraging sign of good things to come in the next couple of years.  In the short term he now returns to Japan to get ready for the Incheon Asian Games 10000 m later this month.

Rieti Meeting 2014
Rieti, Italy, 9/7/2014
click here for complete results

Men's 3000 m
1. Abdelaati Iguider (Morocco) - 7:34.99
2. Thomas Pkemei Longosiwa (Kenya) - 7:35.28
3. Lawi Lalang (Kenya) - 7:36.44
4. Ryan Hill (U.S.A.) - 7:38.64
5. Lopez Lomong (U.S.A.) - 7:39.81
6. Suguru Osako (Japan/Team Nissin Shokuhin) - 7:40.09 - NR
7. Imane Merga (Ethiopia) - 7:43.59
8. Cornelius Kangogo (Kenya) - 7:44.17
9. Florian Orth (Germany) - 7:44.65
10. Jesus Espana (Spain) - 7:45.06

(c) 2014 Brett Larner
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TokyoRacer said…
Nice that the training in the US paid off.
September 8, 2014 at 9:00 PM
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