Back from a few months in Australia and in her new home at the Shiseido corporate team, Tomoka Kimura became the third Japanese woman to clear the 15:22.00 standard for this year's Doha World Championships, running an early-season outdoor world-leading 15:20.26 to win Hiroshima's Oda Memorial Meet.
Tucked behind Kenyans Grace Kimanzi (Starts) and Helen Ekarare (Toyota Jidoshokki) through 4000 m, Kimura split under 3:00 for the last 1000 m to take the win. In her corporate league debut Ririka Hironaka (Japan Post) was right behind her, just missing the Doha standard with a PB 15:23.58 for 2nd. Ekarare, one of six Japan-based Kenyans to have already cleared the standard, was 3rd in 15:25.28.
In the men's 5000 m Richard Kimunyan (Hitachi Butsuryu) took the top spot in 13:43.33 a near photo-finish with Bernard Koech (Kyudenko). Daiji Kawai (Toenec) was the top Japanese man at 3rd in 13:51.56, 0.04 off his season best.
53rd Oda Memorial Meet
Edion Stadium, Hiroshima, 4/27-27/19complete results
Women's 5000 m
1. Tomoka Kimura (Shiseido) - 15:20.26 - WL
2. Ririka Hironaka (Japan Post) - 15:23.58
3. Helen Ekarare (Toyota Jidoshokki) - 15:25.28
4. Grace Kimanzi (Starts) - 15:26.13
5. Kaori Morita (Panasonic) - 15:30.98
6. Rebecca Mwangi (Kojokan H.S.) - 15:32.64
7. Yuna Wada (Meijo Univ.) - 15:35.97
8. Rino Goshima (Chuo Univ.) - 15:37.45
9. Nanami Watanabe (Panasonic) - 15:39.04
10. Sakio Tsutsui (Yamada Denki) - 15:51.60
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DNF - Naomi Muthoni Kariuki (Univ. Ent.)
Men's 5000 m
1. Richard Kimunyan (Hitachi Butsuryu) - 13:43.33
2. Bernard Koech (Kyudenko) - 13:43.42
3. Daiji Kawai (Toenec) - 13:51.56
4. Kazuma Taira (Kanebo) - 13:53.24
5. Jun Nobuto (Mazda) - 14:01.41
6. Daichi Takeuchi (Toenec) - 14:02.88
7. Shunsaku Shibata (Osaka Police) - 14:04.54
8. Shota Onizuka (Tokai Univ.) - 14:08.71
9. Gaku Hirose (Takeda Yakuhin) - 14:09.88
10. Taisei Hashizume (SGH Group) - 14:09.98
˙© 2019 Brett Larner, all rights reserved
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