Skip to main content

Eritreans Dominate 250th Nittai University Time Trials

by Brett Larner

With the launch of the Sky Project exchange program earlier this year, Kanagawa prefecture will play host to Eritrean athletes between now and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, with Eritrea scheduled to hold its pre-Olympic and Paralympic training camps in the prefecture along Tokyo's southern side.  The Eritreans made their presences felt at the 250th edition of the Nittai University Time Trials meet in suburban Yokohama over the weekend, winning the A-heats of both the men's 5000 m and 10000 m and a number of women featuring in the 5000 m as well.

Four Eritrean women ran the single women's 5000 m heat on Saturday.  With top Japanese track runner Ayuko Suzuki and teammate Hanami Sekine (both Team Japan Post) going 1-2 in 15:26.28 and 15:28.88, Kokob Tesfagaber Solomon and Merhawit Ghide Medhin led the Eritrean contingent in 6th and 7th in 16:18.68 and 16:18.79.  Kokob Ghebru Abraha and Berhane Tesfay Berhe made more of an impact in the men's 10000 m A-heat, also on Saturday, taking the top two spots in 28:38.46 and 28:45.98.

Kokob Ghebru Abraha was back on Sunday for the men's 5000 m A-heat, where Eritrean men took six of the top seven spots.  Teklit Teweldebrhan Tesfable and Awet Habte Gebregi dominated the field, 1st and 2nd in 13:24.13 and 13:24.40, with Kokob 4th another 25 seconds back.  Unknown Yohei Suzuki (Waseda Univ.) was the only runner to break up the Eritrean pack, outrunning Berhane Mehansho Beru for 6th in 13:53.58, a PB by 25 seconds.  The vibe at Nittai, the Tokyo area's main spring and fall track series, is bound to change for the more competitive.

250th Nihon Taiiku University Time Trials
Yokohama, Kanagawa, May 14-15, 2016
click here for complete results

Women's 5000 m
1. Ayuko Suzuki (Japan Post) - 15:26.28
2. Hanami Sekine (Japan Post) - 15:28.88
3. Harumi Okamoto (Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo) - 15:35.43
4. Tomoka Kimura (Universal Entertainment) - 16:06.76
5. Rui Aoyama (Universal Entertainment) - 16:10.80
6. Kokob Tesfagaber Solomon (Eritrea) - 16:18.68
7. Merhawit Ghide Medhin (Eritrea) - 16:18.79
-----
10. Rahma Mohammed Abas (Eritrea) - 16:48.36
13. Kidanu Teshome Teurde Medhin (Eritrea) - 17:08.01

Men's 10000 m Heat 5
1. Kokob Ghebru Abraha (Eritrea) - 28:38.46
2. Berhane Tesfay Berhe (Eritrea) - 28:45.98
3. Ryo Hashimoto (GMO Athletes) - 29:06.20
4. Saiya Yamamoto (Toyo Univ.) - 29:10.11
5. Hotaka Murofushi (Nittai Univ.) - 29:16.83

Men's 5000 m Heat 16
1. Teklit Teweldebrhan Tesfable (Eritrea) - 13:24.13
2. Awet Habte Gebregi Aberu (Eritrea)  13:24.40
3. Berhane Tsegaye Tekle (Eritrea) - 13:48.87
4. Kokob Ghebru Abraha (Eritrea) - 13:49.16
5. Yohannes Mehansho Teskete (Eritrea) - 13:49.41
6. Yohei Suzuki (Waseda Univ.) - 13:53.58
7. Berhane Mehansho Beru (Eritrea) - 13:54.35
8. Joseph Onsarigo (Kenya/ND Software) - 13:54.71
9. Hiroki Miura (Nissin Shokuhin) - 13:57.73
10. Hiroyoshi Umegae (NTN) - 14:06.60

© 2016 Brett Larner
all rights reserved
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Most-Read This Week

Australian Male Arrested on Drug Smuggling Charges After Entering Japan for Osaka Marathon

On Apr. 9 the Kinki Region Bureau of Health, Labor and Welfare's Drug Control Division arrested Matthew Inglis Fox , 38, an Australian business owner of no known fixed address, on charges of violating the importation regulations of the Narcotics Control Act by smuggling tablets containing marijuana elements from the United States. The suspect had entered Japan in February to run in the Osaka Marathon . The suspect was arrested on suspicion of smuggling approximately 12 pills containing marijuana by sending them from a U.S. airport to Osaka's Kansai Airport using an international courier service on Feb. 19. The Osaka branch of the Customs Service discovered the tablets in arriving cargo and suspected them to be narcotics. Customs contacted the Narcotics Control Division, which then began its investigation of the case. According to the Narcotics Control Division, the suspect denies the charges.  Translator's note: Fox, who received a lifetime ban from the Ageo City Half Mara...
41 comments
Read more

Long Time Coming - Akira Akasaki and Haruka Onodera's Road to the 2022 United Airlines NYC Half

Back in pre-pandemic days Akira Akasaki and Haruka Onodera  were still in college, Akasaki at Takushoku University and Onodera at Teikyo University . At the 2019 Ageo City Half Marathon they frontran most of the race together, dead set on finishing in the top two Japanese collegiate spots to win invitations to the 2020 United Airlines NYC Half. For Akasaki it had already been a year and a half wait. Inspired by Kenta Murayama 's 1:00:57 5th place in finish in New York in 2017 and Kei Katanishi 's 7th-place in 2018, Akasaki went for it his junior year in his debut at the 2018 Ageo Half . "Coming up to 10 km I was in the lead pack and feeling good, so I knew I had a shot at going to New York and got pretty excited," he said. But right after the 10 km turnaround point he tripped and fell, and by the time he was back up the lead group was out of range. He finished 20th in 1:03:07, over a minute and a half behind top Japanese university man Ken Nakayama . "I was f...
1 comment
Read more

My Training for 1:00:44

Hi, I'm Ayumu Kobayashi . Today I'm going to write about this year's National Corporate Half Marathon and the training I did for it. I hope other runners will find it even a little bit helpful. At the Corporate Half on Feb. 13 I was 10th in 1:00:44. My goal had been to run 61 minutes, so I hit that target. My Training Menu In January I ran a total of 681 km. Key workouts: Jan. 11: 1000 m x 5 at 2:50/km Jan. 12: 22.5 km Jan. 15: 9 km variable pace Jan. 17: 25 km Jan. 24: 1000 m x 8 at 2:52/km Jan. 27: 1 km + 4 km + 2 km Jan. 30: 16 km at 3:18/km avg. In January I was tired from the New Year Ekiden and had some knee pain after it, so I just jogged for 10 days until I started doing workouts again on the 11th. That's why I only ran 681 km for the month. But even on the jog days I was aware that I had the Corporate Half coming up, so I was doing around 30 km. It's pretty meat and potatoes, but I think it was really important. February (training for the 10 days before...
2 comments
Read more