by Brett Larner
videos by Ekiden News and Tomoyuki Maruyama
Honda's William Malel led the results from the weekend's two big Japanese meets, Kobe's Hyogo Relay Carnival and Yokohama's Nittai University Time Trials, frontrunning to a world-leading 27:42.99 in the Hyogo Grand Prix Men's 10000 m. Malel and James Mwangi (Kenya/Team NTN) ran together on low-27 pace for the first half of the race, while former Komazawa University star Kenta Murayama (Team Asahi Kasei) ran at the front of a chase pack hoping to hit the 27:45.00 standard for the Beijing World Championships. The pace in both groups slowed in the second half, and when Mwangi lost touch Murayama was quick to run him down for 2nd in 28:09.28. Hakone Ekiden champion Aoyama Gakuin University's Tadashi Isshiki, winner of last month's record-setting National University Half Marathon, was the top collegiate runner in 28:37.82.
With Isshiki already leading the World University Games half marathon team thanks to his National win most of the other top collegiate runners were in the World University Games Selection 10000 m heat, where Hironori Tsuetaki (Chuo Gakuin Univ.) raced Isshiki's teammate Yusuke Ogura (Aoyama Gakuin Univ.) all the way to take the win in 28:36.61, Ogura just behind in 28:38.57. Kazuto Kawabata (Tokai Univ.) took 3rd in 28:44.71 to round out the World University Games 10000 m team.
Women's World University Games selection happened at Nittai, where Rina Koeda (Daito Bunka Univ.) won a close race over Sakie Arai (Osaka Gakuin Univ.) and Mai Shoji (Chukyo Univ.) in 33:03.03, all three finishing within just over a second of each other.
Back in Hyogo, Yuika Mori (Yamada Denki) and Ronald Kwemoi (Kenya/Komori Corp.) ran meet record times, Mori winning the Asics Challenge women's 5000 m in 15:39.79 and Kwemoi the Grand Prix men's 1500 m in 3:37.94. Year-leading Japanese half marathoner Michi Numata (Team Toyota Jidoshokki) added the leading 10000 m time to her resume, winning in 32:25.08 but coming up well short of the Beijing qualifying mark as most of her competition opted for next weekend's Payton Jordan Invitational in the U.S.A.
Other winners included Melaku Abera (Ethiopia/Kurosaki Harima) in the Hyogo Asics Challenge men's 10000 m in 28:10.29, 2007 World Championships 10000 m bronze medalist Martin Mathathi (Kenya/Suzuki Hamamatsu AC) in the men's 10000 m A-heat at Nittai in 28:14.24, Daniel Kipkemoi (Kenya/Toyota Boshoku) in the Nittai men's 5000 m A-heat in 13:27.44, and Pauline Kamulu, an apparent new addition to the fledgling Route Inn Hotels team, in the Nittai women's 3000 m A-heat in 9:10.84. At Nittai, Taiga Machizawa (Chuo Univ.) turned in what may have been the collegiate men's performance of the weekend, running a 10000 m PB of over one minute to finish 4th behind Mathathi in 28:43.51. Nine university men broke 29 minutes at Nittai versus eight at Hyogo, despite the Hyogo Relay Carnival counting as the selection event for the World University Games team.
Hyogo Relay Carnival
Kobe, Hyogo, 4/25-26/15
click here for complete results
Grand Prix Men's 10000 m
1. William Malel (Kenya/Honda) - 27:42.99 - WL
2. Kenta Murayama (Asahi Kasei) - 28:09.28
3. James Mwangi (Kenya/NTN) - 28:20.21
4. Naohiro Domoto (JR Higashi Nihon) - 28:21.00
5. Hiroyuki Yamamoto (Konica Minolta) - 28:22.92
6. Hiroto Inoue (Mitsubishi HPS Nagasaki) - 28:32.09
7. Tsubasa Hayakawa (Toyota) - 28:33.34
8. Keita Shitara (Konica Minolta) - 28:35.76
9. Tadashi Isshiki (Aoyama Gakuin Univ.) - 28:37.82
10. Keisuke Nakatani (Komazawa Univ.) - 28:49.10
Grand Prix Women's 10000 m
1. Michi Numata (Toyota Jidoshokki) - 32:25.08
2. Ai Inoue (Noritz) - 32:39.04
3. Keiko Nogami (Juhachi Ginko) - 32:40.53
4. Chieko Kido (Canon AC Kyushu) - 33:02.59
5. Rika Shintaku (Shimamura) - 33:02.61
6. Hanami Sekine (JP Post) - 33:20.99
7. Misato Horie (Noritz) - 33:23.95
8. Kotomi Takayama (Sysmex) - 33:26.34
9. Fumiko Hashimoto (Shimamura) - 33:28.73
10. Yuki Hidaka (Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo) - 33:29.58
Asics Challenge Men's 10000 m
1. Melaku Abera (Ethiopia/Kurosaki Harima) - 28:10.29
2. Alex Mwangi (Kenya/YKK) - 28:17.16
3. Patrick Mwaka (Kenya/Aisan Kogyo) - 28:19.60
4. Joseph Onsarigo (Kenya/ND Software) - 28:22.64
5. Akihiko Tsumurai (Mazda) - 28:22.86
6. Sota Hoshi (Fujitsu) - 28:23.75
7. Yuki Matsuoka (Otsuka Seiyaku) - 28:25.97
8. Masaru Aoki (Kanebo) - 28:26.27
9. Ryo Kiname (Mitsubishi HPS Nagasaki) - 28:36.51
10. Takashi Ichida (Asahi Kasei) - 28:40.40
World University Games Selection Men's 10000 m
1. Hironori Tsuetaki (Chuo Gakuin Univ.) - 28:36.61
2. Yusuke Ogura (Aoyama Gakuin Univ.) - 28:38.57
3. Kazuto Kawabata (Tokai Univ.) - 28:44.71
4. Kaido Kita (Chugoku Denryoku) - 28:45.42
5. Shin Kimura (Meiji Univ.) - 28:52.15
6. Naoki Kudo (Komazawa Univ.) - 28:54.40
7. Ryosuke Maki (Subaru) - 28:55.60
8. Yuki Muta (Meiji Univ.) - 28:59.03
9. Shinnosuke Ogino (Nihon Univ.) - 29:09.41
10. Tsukasa Koyama (Subaru) - 29:10.33
Asics Challenge Women's 5000 m
1. Yuika Mori (Yamada Denki) - 15:39.79 - MR
2. Susan Wairimu (Kenya/Denso) - 15:41.37 (MR)
3. Sakiho Tsutsui (Yamada Denki) - 15:41.63
4. Akane Yabushita (Toyota Jidoshokki) - 15:47.45
5. Mizuki Matsuda (Daihatsu) - 15:55.66
6. Kasumi Nishihara (Yamada Denki) - 15:57.32
7. Nami Hashimoto (Denso) - 15:59.14
8. Ami Hirose (Kansai Univ.) - 16:00.77
9. Miyuki Oka (Denso) - 16:02.81
10. Naoka Akutsu (Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo) - 16:08.84
Grand Prix Men's 1500 m
1. Ronald Kwemoi (Kenya/Komori Corp.) - 3:37.94 - MR
2. Enock Omwamba (Kenya/Yamanashi Gakuin Univ.) - 3:38.78 (MR)
3. Masaki Noda (Tokyo Nogyo Univ.) - 3:42.14
4. Daiki Hirose (Osaka Gas) - 3:42.15
5. Yuki Akimoto (Sanyo Tokushu Seiko) - 3:43.92
Nittai University Time Trials
Yokohama, Kanagawa, 4/25-26/15
click here for complete results
Men's 10000 m Heat 9
1. Martin Mathathi (Kenya/Suzuki Hamamatsu AC) - 28:14.24
2. Mitchell Gizae (Kenya/Suzuki Hamamatsu AC) - 28:36.12
3. Dominic Nyairo (Kenya/Yamanashi Gakuin Univ.) - 28:38.46
4. Taiga Machizawa (Chuo Univ.) - 28:43.51
5. Shohei Otsuka (Komazawa Univ.) - 28:44.31
6. Ryohei Nishiyama (Kanagawa Univ.) - 28:44.88
7. Hiroki Matsueda (Juntendo Univ.) - 28:46.42
8. Sho Tokunaga (Chuo Univ.) - 28:48.19
9. Kenta Ueda (Yamanashi Gakuin Univ.) - 28:48.92
10. Kento Hanazawa (Juntendo Univ.) - 28:49.96
World University Games Selection Women's 10000 m
1. Rina Koeda (Daito Bunka Univ.) - 33:03.03
2. Sakie Arai (Osaka Gakuin Univ.) - 33:03.18
3. Mai Shoji (Chukyo Univ.) - 33:04.22
Men's 5000 m Heat 29
1. Daniel Kipkemoi (Kenya/Toyota Boshoku) - 13:27.44
2. Paul Kuira (Kenya/Konica Minolta) - 13:28.18
3. Rodgers Chumo Kemoi (Kenya/Aisan Kogyo) - 13:30.20
4. Edwin Mokua (Kenya/Nissin Shokuhin) - 13:32.16
5. Silas Kingori (Kenya/Sendai Ikuei H.S.) - 13:43.28
6. Samuel Mwangi (Kenya/Konica Minolta) - 13:43.54
7. Benjamin Ngandu (Kenya/Monteroza) - 13:45.22
8. Daniel Muiva Kitonyi (Kenya/Nihon Univ.) - 13:47.04
9. Patrick Wambui (Kenya/Nihon Univ.) - 13:48.74
10. Tomoyuki Morita (Kanebo) - 13:49.50
Women's 5000 m Heat 2
1. Moeno Nakamura (Universal Entertainment) - 15:52.65
2. Hitomi Nakamura (Panasonic) - 15:56.21
3. Wakana Itsuki (Fukuoka Univ.) - 15:57.21
4. Mizuho Nasukawa (Universal Entertainment) - 15:57.61
5. Akane Higashimura (Sysmex) - 15:58.07
6. Kureha Seki (Ritsumeikan Univ.) - 15:59.17
7. Saki Fukui (Josai Univ.) - 16:00.97
8. Nana Sato (Starts) - 16:06.42
9. Shiori Yano (Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo) - 16:12.96
10. Eri Hashimoto (Shimamura) - 16:16.61
Women's 3000 m Heat 6
1. Pauline Kamulu (Kenya/Route Inn Hotels) - 9:10.84
2. Monica Margaret (Kenya/Aomori Yamada ) - 9:15.20
3. Maki Izumida (Rikkyo Univ.) - 9:19.13
4. Miho Shimada (Yamanashi Gakuin Prep H.S.) - 9:20.05
5. Rika Toguchi (Route Inn Hotels) - 9:20.83
(c) 2015 Brett Larner
all rights reserved
videos by Ekiden News and Tomoyuki Maruyama
Honda's William Malel led the results from the weekend's two big Japanese meets, Kobe's Hyogo Relay Carnival and Yokohama's Nittai University Time Trials, frontrunning to a world-leading 27:42.99 in the Hyogo Grand Prix Men's 10000 m. Malel and James Mwangi (Kenya/Team NTN) ran together on low-27 pace for the first half of the race, while former Komazawa University star Kenta Murayama (Team Asahi Kasei) ran at the front of a chase pack hoping to hit the 27:45.00 standard for the Beijing World Championships. The pace in both groups slowed in the second half, and when Mwangi lost touch Murayama was quick to run him down for 2nd in 28:09.28. Hakone Ekiden champion Aoyama Gakuin University's Tadashi Isshiki, winner of last month's record-setting National University Half Marathon, was the top collegiate runner in 28:37.82.
With Isshiki already leading the World University Games half marathon team thanks to his National win most of the other top collegiate runners were in the World University Games Selection 10000 m heat, where Hironori Tsuetaki (Chuo Gakuin Univ.) raced Isshiki's teammate Yusuke Ogura (Aoyama Gakuin Univ.) all the way to take the win in 28:36.61, Ogura just behind in 28:38.57. Kazuto Kawabata (Tokai Univ.) took 3rd in 28:44.71 to round out the World University Games 10000 m team.
Women's World University Games selection happened at Nittai, where Rina Koeda (Daito Bunka Univ.) won a close race over Sakie Arai (Osaka Gakuin Univ.) and Mai Shoji (Chukyo Univ.) in 33:03.03, all three finishing within just over a second of each other.
Back in Hyogo, Yuika Mori (Yamada Denki) and Ronald Kwemoi (Kenya/Komori Corp.) ran meet record times, Mori winning the Asics Challenge women's 5000 m in 15:39.79 and Kwemoi the Grand Prix men's 1500 m in 3:37.94. Year-leading Japanese half marathoner Michi Numata (Team Toyota Jidoshokki) added the leading 10000 m time to her resume, winning in 32:25.08 but coming up well short of the Beijing qualifying mark as most of her competition opted for next weekend's Payton Jordan Invitational in the U.S.A.
Other winners included Melaku Abera (Ethiopia/Kurosaki Harima) in the Hyogo Asics Challenge men's 10000 m in 28:10.29, 2007 World Championships 10000 m bronze medalist Martin Mathathi (Kenya/Suzuki Hamamatsu AC) in the men's 10000 m A-heat at Nittai in 28:14.24, Daniel Kipkemoi (Kenya/Toyota Boshoku) in the Nittai men's 5000 m A-heat in 13:27.44, and Pauline Kamulu, an apparent new addition to the fledgling Route Inn Hotels team, in the Nittai women's 3000 m A-heat in 9:10.84. At Nittai, Taiga Machizawa (Chuo Univ.) turned in what may have been the collegiate men's performance of the weekend, running a 10000 m PB of over one minute to finish 4th behind Mathathi in 28:43.51. Nine university men broke 29 minutes at Nittai versus eight at Hyogo, despite the Hyogo Relay Carnival counting as the selection event for the World University Games team.
Hyogo Relay Carnival
Kobe, Hyogo, 4/25-26/15
click here for complete results
Grand Prix Men's 10000 m
1. William Malel (Kenya/Honda) - 27:42.99 - WL
2. Kenta Murayama (Asahi Kasei) - 28:09.28
3. James Mwangi (Kenya/NTN) - 28:20.21
4. Naohiro Domoto (JR Higashi Nihon) - 28:21.00
5. Hiroyuki Yamamoto (Konica Minolta) - 28:22.92
6. Hiroto Inoue (Mitsubishi HPS Nagasaki) - 28:32.09
7. Tsubasa Hayakawa (Toyota) - 28:33.34
8. Keita Shitara (Konica Minolta) - 28:35.76
9. Tadashi Isshiki (Aoyama Gakuin Univ.) - 28:37.82
10. Keisuke Nakatani (Komazawa Univ.) - 28:49.10
Grand Prix Women's 10000 m
1. Michi Numata (Toyota Jidoshokki) - 32:25.08
2. Ai Inoue (Noritz) - 32:39.04
3. Keiko Nogami (Juhachi Ginko) - 32:40.53
4. Chieko Kido (Canon AC Kyushu) - 33:02.59
5. Rika Shintaku (Shimamura) - 33:02.61
6. Hanami Sekine (JP Post) - 33:20.99
7. Misato Horie (Noritz) - 33:23.95
8. Kotomi Takayama (Sysmex) - 33:26.34
9. Fumiko Hashimoto (Shimamura) - 33:28.73
10. Yuki Hidaka (Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo) - 33:29.58
Asics Challenge Men's 10000 m
1. Melaku Abera (Ethiopia/Kurosaki Harima) - 28:10.29
2. Alex Mwangi (Kenya/YKK) - 28:17.16
3. Patrick Mwaka (Kenya/Aisan Kogyo) - 28:19.60
4. Joseph Onsarigo (Kenya/ND Software) - 28:22.64
5. Akihiko Tsumurai (Mazda) - 28:22.86
6. Sota Hoshi (Fujitsu) - 28:23.75
7. Yuki Matsuoka (Otsuka Seiyaku) - 28:25.97
8. Masaru Aoki (Kanebo) - 28:26.27
9. Ryo Kiname (Mitsubishi HPS Nagasaki) - 28:36.51
10. Takashi Ichida (Asahi Kasei) - 28:40.40
World University Games Selection Men's 10000 m
1. Hironori Tsuetaki (Chuo Gakuin Univ.) - 28:36.61
2. Yusuke Ogura (Aoyama Gakuin Univ.) - 28:38.57
3. Kazuto Kawabata (Tokai Univ.) - 28:44.71
4. Kaido Kita (Chugoku Denryoku) - 28:45.42
5. Shin Kimura (Meiji Univ.) - 28:52.15
6. Naoki Kudo (Komazawa Univ.) - 28:54.40
7. Ryosuke Maki (Subaru) - 28:55.60
8. Yuki Muta (Meiji Univ.) - 28:59.03
9. Shinnosuke Ogino (Nihon Univ.) - 29:09.41
10. Tsukasa Koyama (Subaru) - 29:10.33
Asics Challenge Women's 5000 m
1. Yuika Mori (Yamada Denki) - 15:39.79 - MR
2. Susan Wairimu (Kenya/Denso) - 15:41.37 (MR)
3. Sakiho Tsutsui (Yamada Denki) - 15:41.63
4. Akane Yabushita (Toyota Jidoshokki) - 15:47.45
5. Mizuki Matsuda (Daihatsu) - 15:55.66
6. Kasumi Nishihara (Yamada Denki) - 15:57.32
7. Nami Hashimoto (Denso) - 15:59.14
8. Ami Hirose (Kansai Univ.) - 16:00.77
9. Miyuki Oka (Denso) - 16:02.81
10. Naoka Akutsu (Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo) - 16:08.84
Grand Prix Men's 1500 m
1. Ronald Kwemoi (Kenya/Komori Corp.) - 3:37.94 - MR
2. Enock Omwamba (Kenya/Yamanashi Gakuin Univ.) - 3:38.78 (MR)
3. Masaki Noda (Tokyo Nogyo Univ.) - 3:42.14
4. Daiki Hirose (Osaka Gas) - 3:42.15
5. Yuki Akimoto (Sanyo Tokushu Seiko) - 3:43.92
Nittai University Time Trials
Yokohama, Kanagawa, 4/25-26/15
click here for complete results
Men's 10000 m Heat 9
1. Martin Mathathi (Kenya/Suzuki Hamamatsu AC) - 28:14.24
2. Mitchell Gizae (Kenya/Suzuki Hamamatsu AC) - 28:36.12
3. Dominic Nyairo (Kenya/Yamanashi Gakuin Univ.) - 28:38.46
4. Taiga Machizawa (Chuo Univ.) - 28:43.51
5. Shohei Otsuka (Komazawa Univ.) - 28:44.31
6. Ryohei Nishiyama (Kanagawa Univ.) - 28:44.88
7. Hiroki Matsueda (Juntendo Univ.) - 28:46.42
8. Sho Tokunaga (Chuo Univ.) - 28:48.19
9. Kenta Ueda (Yamanashi Gakuin Univ.) - 28:48.92
10. Kento Hanazawa (Juntendo Univ.) - 28:49.96
World University Games Selection Women's 10000 m
1. Rina Koeda (Daito Bunka Univ.) - 33:03.03
2. Sakie Arai (Osaka Gakuin Univ.) - 33:03.18
3. Mai Shoji (Chukyo Univ.) - 33:04.22
Men's 5000 m Heat 29
1. Daniel Kipkemoi (Kenya/Toyota Boshoku) - 13:27.44
2. Paul Kuira (Kenya/Konica Minolta) - 13:28.18
3. Rodgers Chumo Kemoi (Kenya/Aisan Kogyo) - 13:30.20
4. Edwin Mokua (Kenya/Nissin Shokuhin) - 13:32.16
5. Silas Kingori (Kenya/Sendai Ikuei H.S.) - 13:43.28
6. Samuel Mwangi (Kenya/Konica Minolta) - 13:43.54
7. Benjamin Ngandu (Kenya/Monteroza) - 13:45.22
8. Daniel Muiva Kitonyi (Kenya/Nihon Univ.) - 13:47.04
9. Patrick Wambui (Kenya/Nihon Univ.) - 13:48.74
10. Tomoyuki Morita (Kanebo) - 13:49.50
Women's 5000 m Heat 2
1. Moeno Nakamura (Universal Entertainment) - 15:52.65
2. Hitomi Nakamura (Panasonic) - 15:56.21
3. Wakana Itsuki (Fukuoka Univ.) - 15:57.21
4. Mizuho Nasukawa (Universal Entertainment) - 15:57.61
5. Akane Higashimura (Sysmex) - 15:58.07
6. Kureha Seki (Ritsumeikan Univ.) - 15:59.17
7. Saki Fukui (Josai Univ.) - 16:00.97
8. Nana Sato (Starts) - 16:06.42
9. Shiori Yano (Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo) - 16:12.96
10. Eri Hashimoto (Shimamura) - 16:16.61
Women's 3000 m Heat 6
1. Pauline Kamulu (Kenya/Route Inn Hotels) - 9:10.84
2. Monica Margaret (Kenya/Aomori Yamada ) - 9:15.20
3. Maki Izumida (Rikkyo Univ.) - 9:19.13
4. Miho Shimada (Yamanashi Gakuin Prep H.S.) - 9:20.05
5. Rika Toguchi (Route Inn Hotels) - 9:20.83
(c) 2015 Brett Larner
all rights reserved
Comments