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Paul Tanui With Another 10000 m World Lead at Hyogo Relay Carnival

by Brett Larner

James Mwangi's 27:23.24 10000 m world leading time on day one of the Hyogo Relay Carnival lasted less than 24 hours as two-time World Championships bronze medalist Paul Tanui (Team Kyudenko) held off an Ethiopian challenge from Mamiyo Nuguse (Team Yasukawa Denki) to win Hyogo's day two Grand Prix 10000 m in a new world leader of 27:22.28.  Tanui led the entire way from a 2:42 opening 1000 m to the finish, Nuguse waiting to kick in true Ethiopian style but coming up short in 27:24.85 for 2nd.  2016 National cross-country champion Takashi Ichida (Team Asahi Kasei) outran a heavyweight domestic field to take the top Japanese spot, running 28:22.57 for 5th.

Felista Wanjugu (Team Univ. Ent.) took the women's Grand Prix 10000 m in 32:11.68, running behind Yuka Ando (Suzuki Hamamatsu) through 9000 m before kicking away for the win.  Ando was 2nd in 32:16.34, well ahead of a Japanese trio including marathoner Rei Ohara (Team Tenmaya).

Japan-based Africans also won both the men's and women's Grand Prix 1500 m races, with meet record holder Ann Karindi (Team Toyota Jidoshokki) taking the women's title in 4:16.10 and world junior record holder Ronald Kwemoi (Team Komori Corp.) just off his own meet record with a 3:38.86 in the men's race.  Close behind him, rookie pro Masaki Toda (Team Nissin Shokuhin) took another big step forward with a rare Japanese sub-3:40 clocking, running 3:39.67 for 2nd.

Juntendo University second-year Kazuya Shiojiri got fans on their feet by challenging for the men's Grand Prix 3000 mSC win, but Kosei Yamaguchi (Team Aisan Kogyo) got away from him on the last lap to take it in 8:36.78.  Junior national record holder Anju Takamizawa (Matsuyama Univ.) won the women's race in 10:00.95.

At the weekend's other big meet, 2012 World Junior Championships 5000 m bronze medalist William Malel (Team Honda) turned in a 13:23.65 to win the Nittai University Time Trials men's 5000 m A-heat by 0.14 seconds over newcomer Charles Muneria (Team Toyota Boshoku).  Second-year Patrick Wambui (Nihon Univ.) was the top university man at 3rd in 13:27.63, with Hiroki Matsueda (Team Fujitsu) the first Japanese man across the line in 13:43.22.  The D-heat featured two interesting names, with former Aoyama Gakuin University star and aspiring Olympic triathlete Ryotaro Otani 6th in 14:13.02 and 2012 London Olympics marathoner Arata Fujiwara (Arata Project) getting in his first post-Tokyo Marathon shakeout with a 14:25.91 for 20th.  "I'll be ready for sub-14 by May," he told JRN post-race.

64th Hyogo Relay Carnival Day Two Highlights
Universiade Memorial Stadium, Kobe, Hyogo, 4/24/16
click here for complete results

Men's Grand Prix 10000 m
1. Paul Tanui (Kenya/Kyudenko) - 27:22.28 - WL
2. Mamiyo Nuguse (Ethiopia/Yasukawa Denki) - 27:24.85
3. Rodgers Kwemoi (Kenya/Aisan Kogyo) - 27:43.85
4. Bernard Kimanyi (Kenya/Yakult) - 27:50.81
5. Takashi Ichida (Asahi Kasei) - 28:22.57
6. Tsubasa Hayakawa (Toyota) - 28:24.79
7. Akihiko Tsumurai (Mazda) - 28:26.12
8. Akinobu Murasawa (Nissin Shokuhin) - 28:32.13
9. Masato Kikuchi (Konica Minolta) - 28:34.58
10. Keisuke Nakatani (Komazawa Univ.) - 28:48.92

Women's Grand Prix 10000 m
1. Felista Wanjugu (Kenya/Universal Entertainment) - 32:11.68
2. Yuka Ando (Suzuki Hamamatsu AC) - 32:16.34
3. Risa Yokoe (Toyota Jidoshokki) - 32:24.87
4. Yukari Abe (Shimamura) - 32:26.84
5. Rei Ohara (Tenmaya) - 32:27.51
6. Miho Shimizu (Hokuren) - 32:28.62
7. Kaho Tanaka (Daiichi Seimei) - 32:28.77
8. Doricah Obare (Kenya/Edion) - 32:38.73
9. Yukari Ishizawa (Edion) - 32:38.73
10. Mao Kiyota (Suzuki Hamamatsu AC) - 32:39.43

Men's Grand Prix 1500 m
1. Ronald Kwemoi (Kenya/Komori Corp.) - 3:38.86
2. Masaki Toda (Nissin Shokuhin) - 3:39.67
3. Abiyot Abinet (Ethiopia/Yachiyo Kogyo) - 3:42.49
4. Tetsuya Yoroizaka (Asahi Kasei) - 3:43.74
5. Hiroya Inoue (Jobu Univ.) - 3:44.12

Women's Grand Prix 1500 m
1. Ann Karindi (Kenya/Toyota Jidoshokki) - 4:16.10
2. Ayako Jinnouchi (Kyudenko) - 4:17.91
3. Chihiro Sunaga (Shiseido) - 4:20.14
4. Chikako Mori (Sekisui Kagaku) - 4:21.21
5. Yuna Wada (Nagano Higashi H.S.) - 4:22.13

Men's Grand Prix 3000 m SC
1. Kosei Yamaguchi (Aisan Kogyo) - 8:36.78
2. Kazuya Shiojiri (Juntendo Univ.) - 8:39.10
3. Hironori Tsuetaki (Fujitsu) - 8:47.02
4. Yasutaka Ishibashi (Tokai Univ.) - 8:48.72
5. Aoi Matsumoto (Otsuka Seiyaku) - 8:55.53

Women's Grand Prix 3000 m SC
1. Anju Takamizawa (Matsuyama Univ.) - 10:00.94
2. Soyoka Segawa (Daito Bunka Univ.) - 10:08.36
3. Yui Yabuta (Kyoto Sangyo Univ.) - 10:10.55
4. Ayaka Koike (Edion) - 10:13.24
5. Nana Sato (Starts) - 10:18.88

249th Nittai University Time Trials Day Two Highlights
Nittai University, Yokohama, Kanagawa, 4/24/16
click here for complete results

Men's 5000 m Heat 31
1. William Malel (Kenya/Honda) - 13:23.65
2. Charles Muneria (Kenya/Toyota Boshoku) - 13:23.79
3. Patrick Wambui (Kenya/Nihon Univ.) - 13:27.63
4. Daniel Kipkemoi (Kenya/Toyota Boshoku) - 13:27.70
5. Amos Kirui (Kenya/Toyota Boshoku) - 13:29.44
6. Samuel Mwangi (Kenya/Konica Minolta) - 13:31.57
7. Joseph Onsarigo (Kenya/ND Software) - 13:40.50
8. Hiroki Matsueda (Fujitsu) - 13:43.22
9. Minato Oishi (Toyota) - 13:43.91
10. Genki Yagisawa (Yakult) - 13:45.28

Men's 5000 m Heat 28
1. Wataru Sato (Tokai Univ.) - 14:09.46
2. Shoma Funtasu (Chuo Univ.) - 14:09.67
3. Takumi Ichida (Chuo Univ.) - 14:10.09
-----
6. Ryotaro Otani (unattached) - 14:13.02
20. Arata Fujiwara (Arata Project) - 14:25.91

© 2016 Brett Larner
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