Skip to main content

Kosimbei and Azmeraw Win Gifu Seiryu Half, Kawauchi 14th

Breaking away over the last 5 km, Nicholas Kosimbei (Toyota) scored his second-straight win at the Gifu Seiryu Half Marathon, putting 12 seconds on Alexander Mutiso (ND Software) to take the top spot in 1:01:12. Moses Murong (Uganda) was 3rd in 1:01:57, with Yohei Suzuki (Aisan Kogyo) the top-placing Japanese man with a 1:03:34 for 9th.

Just five days given the time difference after winning the Boston Marathon, Yuki Kawauchi (Saitama Pref. Gov't) outkicked Beppu-Oita Mainichi Marathon runner-up Hayato Sonoda (Kurosaki Harima) to take 14th overall in 1:04:35 with the third-fastest closing split in the field despite unseasonably hot temperatures nearing 30 degrees.

Women's world record holder and defending champion Joyciline Jepkosgei (Kenya) was a last-minute withdrawal, leaving Degitu Azmeraw to become Gifu's first Ethiopian women's winner in five years. Like Kosimbei, Azmeraw broke free of the competition over the last 5 km, opening an 18-second lead over Valary Jemeli (Kenya) for 1st in 1:09:53. Marie Imada (Iwatani Sangyo) was the top Japanese woman at 7th in 1:14:20.

8th Gifu Seiryu Half Marathon

Gifu, 4/22/18

Men
1. Nicholas Kosimbei (Kenya/Toyota) - 1:01:12
2. Alexander Mutiso (Kenya/ND Software) - 1:01:24
3. Moses Murong (Uganda) - 1:01:57
4. James Mwangi (Kenya/NTN) - 1:02:14
5. Edward Waweru (Kenya/NTN) - 1:02:29
6. Joel Mwaura (Kenya/Kurosaki Harima) - 1:02:59
7. Michael Githae (Kenya/Suzuki Hamamatsu AC) - 1:03:09
8. Daniel Muiva Kitonyi (Kenya/Kanebo) - 1:03:27
9. Yohei Suzuki (Japan/Aisan Kogyo) - 1:03:34
10. Patrick Muendo Mwaka (Kenya/Aisan Kogyo) - 1:03:40
-----
14. Yuki Kawauchi (Japan/Saitama Pref. Gov't) - 1:04:35

Women
1. Degitu Azmeraw (Ethiopia) - 1:09:53
2. Valary Jemeli (Kenya) - 1:10:11
3. Joy Kemuma (Kenya) - 1:10:47
4. Andrea Seccafien (Canada) - 1:13:19
5. Sinead Diver (Australia) - 1:13:23
6. Karolina Nadolska (Poland) - 1:13:56
7. Marie Imada (Japan/Iwatani Sangyo) - 1:14:20
8. Yuko Watanabe (Japan/Edion) - 1:14:51
9. Sayo Nomura (Japan/Uniqlo) - 1:17:08
10. Sakura Wada (Japan/Denso) - 1:17:51

© 2018 Brett Larner, all rights reserved

Comments

sensato said…
Sorry, but I understand that her right name is Degitu AzImeraw with taht "I" ... that is not right like you wrote Azmeraw...

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...

Australian YouTuber Handed Lifetime Ban by Ageo City Half Marathon After Running 1:06 with Another Runner's Bib (updated)

After discussion with their race's chief JAAF referee, on Nov. 27 the organizers of the Ageo City Half Marathon handed down a lifetime ban from their event against 36-year-old Australian Matt Inglis Fox  for running the Nov. 15 race wearing the bib number of another JAAF-registered runner. The incident came to light after Fox posted on his personal Instagram account that he had run a PB of 1:06:33 and finished 203rd in Ageo with a 10 km split of 31:03, along with photos and video of himself in the race wearing a bib number beginning with 11. Fox did not appear in the results by name or in that time or place, the closest match being a 1:06:54 gross, 1:06:50 net finish time with a 31:21 10 km split for 18th place in the JAAF-registered division and 209th overall by bib number 1129, registered to a non-Japanese Tokyo-resident club runner. The club runner, Harrisson Uk , readily confirmed that he had given his bib to Fox, saying, "I gave my number to Matt. It wasn't me."...

Suzuki and Hironaka Win 10000 m National Titles - Kanakuri Memorial Meet Highlights

Former Komazawa University captain Mebuki Suzuki (Toyota) and 3-time 10000 m national champion Ririka Hironaka (Japan Post) ran through rain that started just before the day's last two events to win the 10000 m national titles Saturday in Kumamoto at the Kanakuri Memorial meet. With Kenyan pacers and Wavelight in action both races were steady time trials that ground the fields down to a few legit contenders. In the men's race that was Suzuki, 2024 national champ Jun Kasai (Asahi Kasei) and Suzuki's teammate Yamato Yoshii . Yoshii made an early move to break away, but Suzuki and Kasai reeled him back in by 7200. At 9000 m the pace had slowed to 24:56, on track for 27:42, but Suzuki attacked with a 61-second lap from 9000 to 9400, a pace he held to drop a 2:32 last 1000 m for the win in 27:28.82. Kasai was next in 27:33.52 and Yoshii 3rd in a 27:36.33 PB with the top 8 all breaking 28 minutes. The women's race was down to just 2021, 2022 and 2023 national champion Hir...