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Margaret Akidor Leads 306th Nittai Time Trials Results With 2nd-Best 5000 m of Career


Returning to the track where she set the 3000 m Japanese all-comers' record of 8:32.53 and her 5000 m best of 14:44.83 last November, Margaret Akidor (Comodi Iida) led the results at the 306th Nittai University Time Trials with the 2nd-fastest 5000 m of her career. For whatever reason the meet's format was reversed from its usual setup, with men's 5000 m heats happening Saturday and everything else Sunday. In the women's 5000 m A-heat Akidor ran 14:48.91 for the win, almost 9 seconds up on Teresiah Muthoni (Daiso) who ran 14:57.56 for 2nd. Eva Cherono (Toto) just missed going sub-15 too, 3rd in 15:00.03.

Hikaru Kitagawa (Osaka Geijutsu Univ.) was the fastest Japanese woman in the race, 5th in 15:55.79. The women's 3000 m saw a Japanese woman take the top spot, with Asuka Ishimatsu (Meijo Univ.) 1st in 9:14.07. Ayu Henmi (Toyota Jidoshokki) won the women's 1500 m A-heat in 4:22.52 and Nanako Izumi (Chiba Univ.) the 800 m A-heat in 2:15.83.


The top six went sub-28 in the men's 10000 m A-heat, Benard Koech (Kyudenko) leading the way with another sub-27:20 clocking in 27:17.87. In the 10000 m B-heat Steven Lemaiyan (Saitama T&F Assoc.) and Samson Ndirangu (Sunbelx) went sub-28 too, Lemaiyan getting the win in 27:56.49 and Ndirangu 2nd in 27:57.25. Soshi Suzuki (Yasukawa Denki) was the top Japanese man at 3rd in 28:53.08.


One of Tokyo Kokusai University's two new Kenyan 1st-years, Amos Bett beat TKU alum Vincent Yegon (Honda) for the top spot in the men's 5000 m A-heat 13:16.85 to 13:17.07. Keita Yoshida (Sumitomo Denko) was the fastest Japanese man at 5th in 13:31.86 with Sodai Shimizu (Otsuka Seiyaku) and Yuya Yoshida (GMO) less than a second behind. Hironori Kishimoto (GMO) was at the same level in the B-heat, running 13:32.80 for 2nd behind Steven Muchini (Soka Univ.), 13:28.97 for the win.

Keito Suzuki (Koku Gakuin Univ.) won the men's 1500 m A-heat in 3:46.35 and Mahiro Ito (Nihon Univ.) the 800 m A-heat in 1:50.07. Complete results here. The series' last meet of the season takes place July 1 in a reduced 1-day format.

© 2023 Brett Larner, all rights reserved

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