Doha World Championships Day Nine Japanese Results

Tweaking its lineup to replace the ailing Yuki Koike with fast starter Shuhei Tada, the Japanese men's 4x100 m relay team pulled off a bronze medal on the second-to-last day of the Doha World Championships. In a fast race that saw the top four teams set national and area records, Japan ran an Asian record 37.43 for 3rd behind winner U.S.A. in 37.10 and 2nd-place Great Britain in 37.36, a shot of confidence ahead of next summer's Tokyo Olympics where the 4x100 will be one of the country's best chances of medaling. Along with its pair of men's race walk gold medals the team's bronze brought Japan's medal count to three for the Championships.

After running an 11-second PB to move up to all-time Japanese #3 in the women's 5000 m heats, Nozomi Tanaka improved again with a 15:00.01 in the final to advance to all-time #2. With the race going out well below Japanese national record pace Tanaka was just hanging on the entire time, part of the first group to detach from the back of the pack but staying steady throughout. In the last 100 m she lost out in a three-way sprint against New Zealand's Camille Buscomb and Canada's Andrea Seccafien, both of whom went under 15 minutes for the first time with Tanaka just missing. Post-race she told JRN, "I could see that I still have a lot of work to do to be able to compete at this level, but the gap between me and the rest of Japan is only getting bigger and there's not much point racing there any more. I need to focus on racing internationally."

With the 2020 Olympic marathon trials having just happened Japan effectively sent a C-team to the men's marathon in Doha. In unexpectedly favorable conditions that saw a five-way race over the last 2 km in which Ethiopian Lelisa Desisa took gold in 2:10:40, as expected Hiroki Yamagishi was the leading Japanese man the entire way, ultimately finishing 25th in 2:16:43. Yuki Kawauchi ran up to current ability with a 2:17:59 for 29th in what is bound to be his final national team appearance, with sub-2:10 man Kohei Futaoka a disappointing 2:19:23 for 37th after having trained in part under Kawauchi's guidance. The team's alternate Daiji Kawai ran 2:15:56 in more difficult conditions and on a harder course in the Olympic trials three weeks ago. You can't help but wonder how he might have done here if the JAAF's selection priorities had been different.

In the women's 4x100 m hurdles heats, national record holder Asuka Terada and Ayako Kimura both fell short of qualifying for the semis with 5th-place finishes in their heats, Terada in 13.20 and Kimura in 13.19. The men's 4x400 m relay team also took 5th in its heat to come up short of qualifying. Ryohei Arai was in range of making the men's javelin throw final but dropped from 12th to 15th in the final round of throws to miss out. With none of them advancing it means that no Japanese athletes will be in competition on the final day of the Doha World Championships.

Doha World Athletics Championships

Day Nine Japanese Results
Doha, Qatar, 5 Oct. 2019
complete results

Finals

Women's 5000 m Final
1. Hellen Obiri (Kenya) - 14:26.72 - MR
2. Margaret Kipkemboi (Kenya) - 14:27.49 - PB
3. Konstanze Klosterhalfen (Germany) - 14:28.43
4. Tsehay Gemechu (Ethiopia) - 14:29.60 - PB
5. Lilian Rengeruk (Kenya) - 14:36.05 - PB
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14. Nozomi Tanaka (Japan) - 15:00.01 - PB

Men's 4x100 m Relay Final
1. U.S.A. - 37.10 - AR
2. Great Britain - 37.36 - AR
3. Japan - 37.43 - AR
4. Brazil - 37.72 - AR
5. South Africa - 37.73
6. China - 38.07
DQ - Netherlands
DNF - France

Men's Marathon
1. Lelisa Desisa (Ethiopia) - 2:10:40
2. Mosinet Geremew (Ethiopia) - 2:10:44
3. Amos Kipruto (Kenya) - 2:10:51
4. Callum Hawkins (Great Britain) - 2:10:57
5. Stephen Mokoka (South Africa) - 2:11:09
6. Zersenay Tadese (Eritrea) - 2:11:29
7. El Hassan El Abbassi (Bahrain) - 2:11:44
8. Hamza Sahli (Morocco) - 2:11:49
9. Tadesse Abraham (Switerland) - 2:11:58
10. Daniel Mateo (Spain) - 2:12:15
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25. Hiroki Yamagishi (Japan) - 2:16:43
29. Yuki Kawauchi (Japan) - 2:17:59
37. Kohei Futaoka (Japan) - 2:19:23

Qualifying Rounds

Women's 100 m Hurdles Heat 1 +0.3 m/s
1. Nia Ali (U.S.A.) - 12.59 - Q
2. Megan Tapper (Jamaica) - 12.78 - Q
3. Cindy Ofili (Great Britain) - 12.97 - Q
4. Genesis Romero (Venezuela) - 13.14 - Q
5. Asuka Terada (Japan) - 13.20
6. Stanislava Skvarkova (Slovakia) - 13.44
7. Adrine Monagi (Papua New Guinea) - 14.00
DNF - Solene Ndama (France)

Women's 100 m Hurdles Heat 2 +0.2 m/s
1. Luminosa Bogliolo (Italy) - 12.80 - Q
2. Yanique Thompson (Jamaica) - 12.86 - Q
3. Anne Zagre (Belgium) - 12.91 - Q
4. Brianna Beahan (Australia) - 13.11 - Q
5. Ayako Kimura (Japan) - 13.19
6. Fanny Quenot (France) - 13.51
DQ - Brianna McNeal (U.S.A.)

Men's 4x400 m Relay Heat 2
1. U.S.A. - 2:59.89 - Q
2. Colombia - 3:01.06 - Q, NR
3. Italy - 3:01.60 - Q
4. Great Britain - 3:01.96 - q
5. Japan - 3:02.05
6. Spain - 3:04.27
7. Australia - 3:05.49
DQ - Botswana

Men's Javelin Throw Qualification Group B
1. Magnus Kirt (Estonia) - 88.36 m - Q
2. Kim Amb (Sweden) - 84.85 m - Q
3. Keshorn Walcott (Trinidad and Tobago) - 84.44 - Q
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8. Ryohei Arai (Japan) - 81.71 m

photo © 2019 Ekiden News, all rights reserved
text © 2019 Brett Larner, all rights reserved