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Nabeshima Hits Doha Standard - Hokuren Distance Challenge Abashiri Meet Results

The 2019 Hokuren Distance Challenge series wrapped up Monday in Abashiri with two main races, the women's 5000 m and men's 10000 m A-heats.

Conditions for most of the day were too windy to produce the kinds of times people had hoped for, but just as the women's 5000 m got underway after sunset the wind died down enough for the race to go out on track for the Doha World Championships standard of 15:22.00. Four of the top five women from last month's National Championships 5000 m were in the field, of whom only national champion Tomoka Kimura (Shiseido) had already cleared the Doha standard inside the window. 2nd and 3rd-placers Rina Nabeshima (Japan Post) and Ririka Hironaka (Japan Post) both needed to clear it to join Kimura on the team, but while Hironaka faded off pace in the second half it took a long push from 1000 m for Nabeshima to get there. Which she did, just, winning in 15:21.40.

Also the 10000 m national champion, Nabeshima was the fifth Japanese woman to clear the standard, meaning that the probable team lineup for Doha will be Kimura, Nabeshima and the fastest Japanese woman during the qualifying window, National Championships 4th-placer Nozomi Tanaka (Toyota Jidoshokki). Hitomi Niiya (Nike Tokyo TC) is almost definitely on the 10000 m squad alongside Nabeshima, but while Niiya went under the standard over the weekend in Heusden in a faster time than Nabeshima her absence from the 5000 m at Nationals will probably stop her from doubling. Harumi Okamoto (Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo) was also faster than Nabeshima inside the qualifying window but like Niiya was a no-show at Nationals.

The men's 10000 m was also billed as a shot at the Doha standard of 27:40.00, but with four of the eight Japanese men in the field set to run September's MGC Race 2020 Olympic marathon trials including heavyweights Suguru Osako (Nike Oregon Project) and Yuta Shitara (Honda) for most fans it was a more of an appetizer for September's big show. The pace was never really on for the 27:40 standard, steadily about a second too slow per lap, with a rotating cast of every Japanese man in the field except Shitara, steeplechase specialist Kazuya Shiojiri (Fujitsu) and MGC qualifier Daiji Kawai (Toenec) taking turns up front alongside or ahead of the half dozen Japan-based African pacers. The quartet of marathoners initially stuck together at the back of the field, but when Yuki Sato (Nissin Shokuhin) made a move to the front early in the second half first marathon national record holder Osako and then, reluctantly, Shitara followed suit.

Osako uncharacteristically took the lead and looked to be setting up for a long push, but with one lap to go pacer Muthoni Muiru (Soka Univ.) and national champion Kazuki Tamura (Sumitomo Denko) were still there. Coming into the home straight it looked to be between Osako and Muiru, but just before the line Tamura kicked hard to go past Osako. Muiru took 1st in 27:57.10 with Tamura almost right beside him in 27:57.14 and Osako just behind in 27:57.41. Sato was 6th in 28:08.34, his best time in over four years, with Shitara pulling off a 28:17.38 for 10th just fifteen days after winning Australia's Gold Coast Marathon in 2:07:50. Fourth MGC qualifier Kawai was last in 28:38.90.

It's a sign of how interconnected things are in Japan that Tamura is coached by Osako's former coach at Waseda University, Yasuyuki Watanabe, now head coach at the Sumitomo Denko corporate team. Post-race Osako ran a cooldown workout clockwise on the track. Calling out splits was 2019 Hakone Ekiden champion Tokai University's head coach Hayashi Morozumi, who coached both Osako and Sato at Saku Chosei H.S. before moving to Tokai, from which Sato graduated. We'll see whether their star pupils come through at what's bound to be the best marathon of 2019 in just under two months.

Hokuren Distance Challenge Abashiri Meet

Abashiri, Hokkaido, 7/22/19
complete results

Women's 10000 m
1. Grace Kimanzi (Starts) - 32:02.20
2. Martha Mokaya (Canon AC Kyushu) - 32:07.68
3. Yuka Hori (Panasonic) - 32:26.20
4. Misaki Kato (Kyudenko) - 32:53.30
5. Natsumi Matsushita (Tenmaya) - 32:56.87

Men's 10000 m A-Heat
1. Muthoni Muiru (Soka Univ.) - 27:57.10
2. Kazuki Tamura (Sumitomo Denko) - 27:57.14
3. Suguru Osako (Nike Oregon Project) - 27:57.41
4. Peter Langat (SGH Group) - 27:58.84
5. Tetsuya Yoroizaka (Asahi Kasei) - 28:03.93
6. Yuki Sato (Nissin Shokuhin) - 28:08.34
7. Simon Kariuki (Togami Denki) - 28:08.71
8. Benuel Mogeni (Asahi Kasei) - 28:15.36
9. Shimn Mushio Saidim (Chuo Hatsujo) - 28:15.82
10. Yuta Shitara (Honda) - 28:17.38

Women's 5000 m A-Heat
1. Rina Nabeshima (Japan Post) - 15:21.40
2. Hellen Ekalale (Toyota Jidoshokki) - 15:24.51
3. Kaede Hagitani (Edion) - 15:28.13
4. Tomoka Kimura (Shiseido) - 15:32.86
5. Sayaka Sato (Sekisui Kagaku) - 15:38.50
6. Kasumi Nishihara (Yamada Denki) - 15:46.52
7. Ririka Hironaka (Japan Post) - 15:51.86
8. Sakiho Tsutsui (Yamada Denki) - 15:53.30
9. Momoka Kawaguchi (Toyota Jidoshokki) - 16:01.84
10. Shiho Takechi (Yamada Denki) - 16:09.32

Women's 5000 m B-Heat
1. Tabitha Njeri Kamau (Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo) - 15:26.37
2. Joan Kipkemoi (Kyudenko) - 15:28.23
3. Winnie Jerotich (Kyudenko) - 15:53.29
4. Mary Shipuko (Hitachi) - 15:56.57
5. Toshika Tamura (Hitachi) - 15:56.58

Men's 5000 m A-Heat
1. Alex Cherono (Toyota) - 13:44.41
2. Yohei Urano (Koku Gakuin Univ.) - 13:45.94
3. Shu Hasegawa (Senshu Univ.) - 13:47.77
4. Philip Muluwa (Soka Univ.) - 13:50.50
5. Donald Mitei (Chudenko) - 13:53.46

Men's 3000 mSC
1. Hironori Tsuetaki (Fujitsu) - 8:39.23
2. Yasunari Kusu (Ami AC) - 8:44.01
3. Kosei Yamaguchi (Aisan Kogyo) - 8:49.00
4. Yusuke Uchikoshi (Otsuka Seiyaku) - 8:58.38
5. Satoshi Kondo (Toyota) - 9:05.76

© 2019 Brett Larner, all rights reserved

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