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Osako and Yoroizaka Break 5000 m National Record at KBC Nacht

by Brett Larner

Eight years after it was set at on the same track, Suguru Osako (Oregon Project) and Tetsuya Yoroizaka (Team Asahi Kasei) made history at the KBC Nacht in Heusden-Zolder, Belgium, both breaking Takayuki Matsumiya's 13:13.20 Japanese men's 5000 m national record.  For Osako it was do or die, his last chance to clear the Beijing World Championships qualifying standard of 13:23.00 after his official debut season with the Oregon Project was repeatedly hit by setbacks, not least of all the series of doping allegations against his coach Alberto Salazar.  Osako came through in a big way, running 13:08.40 for 6th, easily breaking both the NR and the Beijing standard.  10000 m national champion Yoroizaka, already on the Beijing team in the 10000 m, unexpectedly hung on to the pace and likewise cleared the record and standard in 13:12.63.

After countless all-time top performances over 5000 m, 10000 m, half marathon and marathon have sent things bubbling in the right direction in the last few years, it was the first new Japanese men's national record at one of the major distances since Matsumiya set foot in Heusden.  With the gates now open more are bound to come.  At the very least Heusden remains a magical track for Japanese men, with 7 of the 10 fastest Japanese 5000 m times now having been run there.

Kota Murayama (Team Asahi Kasei), who outkicked Osako to win last month's National Championships 5000 m after running 13:19.62 in May, had an off day, running just 13:58.56 for 19th.  Another raft of Japanese corporate runners ran in the B-heat, Yoroizaka and Murayama's teammate Shuho Dairokuno (Team Asahi Kasei) leading the way with a PB 13:28.61 for 2nd.  In the women's 5000 m, 10000 m national champion Kasumi Nishihara (Team Yamada Denki) likewise turned in a PB performance but came up painfully shy of clearing the 15:20.00 Beijing standard, running 15:20.20 for 6th.  Teammates Yuika Mori and Shiho Takechi were 10th and 14th in 15:34.13 and 15:37.41.

KBC Nacht
Heusden-Zolder, Belgium, 7/18/15
click here for complete results

Men's 5000 m
1. Dejen Gebremeskel (Ethiopia) - 13:05.38
2. Bashir Abdi (Belgium) - 13:06.10
3. Ben True (U.S.A.) - 13:06.15
4. Albert Rop (Kenya) - 13:06.74
5. Eric Jenkins (U.S.A.) - 13:07.33
6. Suguru Osako (Japan/Nike Oregon Project) - 13:08.40 - NR
7. Thomas Farrell (Great Britain) - 13:10.48
8. Philip Kipyego (Kenya) - 13:10.69
9. Bernard Kimani (Kenya) - 13:10.83
10. Richard Ringer (Germany) - 13:10.94
11. Sindre Buraas (Norway) - 13:11.96
12. Tetsuya Yoroizaka (Japan/Asahi Kasei) - 13:12.63 (NR)
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19. Kota Murayama (Japan/Asahi Kasei) - 13:58.56
20. Naohiro Domoto (Japan/JR Higashi Nihon) - 14:17.23

Women's 5000 m
1. Mimi Belete (Ethiopia) - 14:54.71
2. Goytom Gebrselase (Ethiopia) - 14:57.33
3. Abbey D'Agostino (U.S.A.) - 15:03.85
4. Stephanie Twell (Great Britain) - 15:14.39
5. Jennifer Wenth (Austria) - 15:16.12
6. Kasumi Nishihara (Japan/Yamada Denki) - 15:20.20
7. Laura Whittle (Great Britain) - 15:22.00
8. Louise Carton (Belgium) - 15:23.82
9. Lidia Rodriguez (Spain) - 15:24.25
10. Yuika Mori (Japan/Yamada Denki) - 15:34.13
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14. Shiho Takechi (Japan/Yamada Denki) - 15:37.41

Men's 5000 m B-Heat
1. Frederick KIpkosgei (Kenya) - 13:28.32
2. Shuho Dairokuno (Japan/Asahi Kasei) - 13:28.61
3. Ross Proudfoot (Canada) - 13:29.32
4. Brian Shrader (U.S.A.) - 13:30.09
5. Roy Hoornweg (Netherlands) - 13:31.41
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11. Yuta Shitara (Japan/Honda) - 13:37.76
14. Kaido Kita (Japan/Chugoku Denryoku) - 13:43.91
15. Hiroto Inoue (Japan/Mitsubishi HPS) - 13:45.92
16. Masato Kikuchi (Japan/Konica Minolta) - 13:48.07

(c) 2015 Brett Larner
all rights reserved

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Brett Larner said…
This is the first real Japanese men's NR at a major distance since we started doing JRN full-time. Raising a glass of bubbly in toast tonight.
July 19, 2015 at 8:47 PM
Eryn said…
7 out of 10 best times for 5000 m on one track in Belgium ! Wow. This is amazing. I can't help thinking the track may be a bit short ;-)
July 20, 2015 at 5:30 AM
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