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Mukai Runs 5000 m World Youth Leading Time at Challenge Games in Oita

by Brett Larner

Yuka Mukai, an 11th-grader at Hiroshima's Sera High School ran a world youth leading time of 15:31.92 to win Saturday's Challenge Games in Oita women's 5000 m.  Mukai led the race together with 12th-grade teammate Shinobu Koyoshigawa unchallenged by the university and corporate runners in the field, and both were rewarded with places in the all-time Japanese high school top ten.  Mukai's winning time was good for all-time #6, with Koyoshigawa's 15:36.96 coming at all-time #9.

The Sera H.S. boys, the defending National High School Ekiden champions, likewise led the way in the 5000 m A-heat, sweeping the top five and taking seven of the top nine places.  12th-grader Paul Kamais was 1st with a meet record 13:42.90, but 11th-grader Keita Yoshida made bigger news in 3rd place with his time of 13:50.67, all-time #10 on the Japanese high school lists.  Sera H.S. now has a top seven runner 5000 m average of 14:01.96, putting them in range of the legendary 2:01:32 National High School Ekiden course record set by Sendai Ikuei H.S. in 2004 during future Olympic gold medalist Samuel Wanjiru's senior year.

The women's 10000 m was an intramural for the Daiichi Seimei corporate team in preparation for next weekend's National Corporate Women's Ekiden qualifier.  Miyuki Uehara led the six Daiichi Seimei runners in the race with a meet record 32:16.66.  Four broke 33 minutes, putting the team in a good position leading into ekiden season.

Challenge Games in Oita
Oita Ginko Dome, Oita, 10/17/15
click here for complete results

Women's 5000 m Heat 2
1. Yuka Mukai (Sera H.S.) - 15:31.92 - WYL
2. Shinobu Koyoshigawa (Sera H.S.) - 15:36.96
3. Ayumi Uehara (Matsuyama Univ.) - 15:44.59
4. Ami Hirose (Kansai Univ.) - 15:45.38
5. Kanade Furuya (Matsuyama Univ.) - 15:46.09
6. Chisaki Takegami (Canon AC Kyushu) - 15:48.12
7. Yuki Munehisa (Yamaguchi Saikyo Prep H.S.) - 15:49.37
8. Chieko Kido (Canon AC Kyushu) - 15:50.66
9. Madoka Mitsueda (Daiichi Seimei) - 15:53.03
10. Misaki Mishima (Matsuyama Univ.) - 15:53.07

Men's 5000 m Heat 12
1. Paul Kamais (Sera H.S.) - 13:42.90 - MR
2. David Grey (Sera H.S.) - 13:43.91
3. Keita Yoshida (Sera H.S.) - 13:50.67
4. Shiki Shinsako (Sera H.S.) - 14:14.26
5. Takumi Uemura (Sera H.S.) - 14:16.97
6. Yuma Kaiki (Tsurusaki Kogyo H.S.) - 14:17.68
7. Taiju Nakashima (Sera H.S.) - 14:19.18
8. Chihiro Ono (Tsurusaki Kogyo H.S.) - 14:19.95
9. Kazuya Yamaguchi (Sera H.S.) - 14:23.02
10. Tsuyoshi Miyamoto (Oita City Hall) - 14:23.31

Women's 10000 m
1. Miyuki Uehara (Daiichi Seimei) - 32:16.66 - MR
2. Hanae Tanaka (Daiichi Seimei) - 32:19.36
3. Sakiko Matsumi (Daiichi Seimei) - 32:22.92
4. Kaho Nishizawa (Daiichi Seimei) - 32:55.34
5. Kaho Tanaka (Daiichi Seimei) - 33:10.58

(c) 2015 Brett Larner
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Unknown said…
What is David Grey's background? Japanese, Kenyan, Western?
October 19, 2015 at 9:30 AM
Brett Larner said…
Kenyan. Since he turned up this year I've only seen his family name in katakana, グレ. Could be Gure or Gule, or something else entirely as Sera has a poor record with regard to accurate katakana renditions of Kenyan names. Until I find out his actual name I'll list him as Grey.
October 19, 2015 at 4:31 PM
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