Skip to main content

Chesang and Kipkoech Win Hot Gifu Half


Hot conditions held back fast times at the Gifu Seiryu Half Marathon Sunday, where Ugandan Stella Chesang and Kenya Hillary Kipkoech took the top spots over last year's winners Dolphine Nyaboke Omare and Amos Kurgat.

In the women's race Chesang, Omare and Kenyan-born Bahraini Eunice Chebichii Chumba went out as a trio, Japan-based Hellen Ekarare with them initially but eventually dropping out. After a 15:39 opening 5 km Chumba started to slip off, and by 15 km Chesang was on her own. Chesang won in 1:07:59, solid given the conditions, with Omare 2nd in 1:08:31 and Chumba 3rd in 1:09:10. Rinka Hida was the first Japanese woman, 5th overall in 1:12:06 behind Australian Genevieve Gregson.

A lead men's pack of 11 went through 5 km in 14:31, but by 10 km it was down to Kipkoech, Kurgat, , Timothy Kiplagat, Ugandan Stephen Kissa and Japan-based Kenyans Patrick Mathenge Wambui and Anthony Maina. At 15 km in 43:40 only Kurgat and Kipkoech were left, and over the last 5 km Kipkoech pulled away for the win in 1:01:26. Kurgat was next in 1:01:38, with Kiplagat 3rd in 1:01:55. Top Japanese honors went to Hideyuki Tanaka, 6th in 1:02:31. Paris Olympics marathon-bound Australian Brett Robinson and Canadian Rory Linkletter were 11th and 14th overall, Robinson in 1:03:42 and Linkletter in 1:04:16.

13th Gifu Seiryu Half Marathon

Gifu, 28 April 2024

Women
1. Stella Chesang (Uganda) - 1:07:59
2. Dolphine Nyaboke Omare (Kenya/Uniqlo) - 1:08:31
3. Eunice Chebichii Chumba (Bahrain) - 1:09:10
4. Genevieve Gregson (Australia) - 1:11:39
5. Rinka Hida (Japan/Daiichi Seimei) - 1:12:06
6. Mao Kiyota (Japan/Suzuki) - 1:12:09
7. Reia Iwade (Japan/Denso) - 1:12:46
8. Kaori Morita (Japan/Panasonic) - 1:13:18
9. Sayaka Sato (Japan/Sekisui Kagaku) - 1:13:38
10. Ayaka Kato (Japan/Uniqlo) - 1:14:30
11. Ayano Ikeuchi (Denso) - 1:14:31
12. Madoka Nakano (Japan/Iwatani Sangyo) - 1:14:48
13. Erina Yasui (Japan/Iwatani Sangyo) - 1:14:54
14. Miku Hirashima (Japan/Uniqlo) - 1:15:50
15. Mirai Waku (Japan/Universal Entertainment) - 1:16:20
16. Erin Mawhinney (Canada) - 1:17:23
-----
23. Linda Janthachit (Thailand) - 1:23:17
-----
DNF - Hellen Ekarare (Kenya/Toyota Jidoshokki)

Men
1. Hillary Kipkoech (Kenya) - 1:01:26
2. Amos Kurgat (Kenya/Chudenko) - 1:01:38
3. Timothy Kiplagat (Kenya) - 1:01:55
4. Patrick Mathenge Wambui (Kenya/NTT Nishi Nihon) - 1:01:58
5. Anthony Maina (Kenya/Toyota Kyushu) - 1:02:29
6. Hideyuki Tanaka (Japan/Toyota) - 1:02:31
7. Benard Kimani (Kenya/Comodi Iida) - 1:02:48
8. Stephen Kissa (Uganda) - 1:03:07
9. Charles Kamau (Kenya/SG Holdings) - 1:03:25
10. Kazuto Kawabata (SG Holdings) - 1:03:26
11. Brett Robinson (Australia) - 1:03:42
12. Kazuya Azegami (Japan/Toyota) - 1:03:48
13. Kiyohito Akiyama (Japan/Aichi Seiko) - 1:04:08
14. Rory Linkletter (Canada) - 1:04:16
15. Hiromasa Kumahashi (Japan/Sanyo Tokushu Seiko) - 1:04:23
16. Shuto Mikami (Japan/SG Holdings) - 1:04:30
17. Yuma Hattori (Japan/Toyota) - 1:04:30
18. Simon Saidimu (Kenya/Chuo Hatsujo) - 1:04:39
19. Taiki Suzuki (Japan/ND Software) - 1:05:05
20. Yuichi Yasui (Japan/Toyota) - 1:05:14
21. Tatsuya Sumide (Japan/Aichi Seiko) - 1:05:23
22. Yuta Shitara (Japan/Nishitetsu) - 1:05:25
23. Yohei Suzuki (Japan/Aisan Kogyo) - 1:05:35
24. Joel Mwaura (Kenya/Kurosaki Harima) - 1:05:44
25. Masashi Ishida (Japan/Shimamura) - 1:06:02
-----
35. Yuki Nakamura (Japan/Sumitomo Denko) - 1:08:11
40. Nattawut Innum (Thailand) - 1:08:43
44. Tetsuya Yoroizaka (Japan/Asahi Kasei) - 1:09:56

© 2024 Brett Larner, all rights reserved

Buy Me A Coffee

Labels:

Comments

Stefan said…
Daiichi Seimei are a team that are delivering very good results. Congrats to Rinka Hida. And nice to see Reia Iwade putting in a good performance to finish 7th.

I'm hoping Daiichi Seimei's run of good results continues in the 10000m national championships on Friday.
April 28, 2024 at 3:00 PM
Post a Comment

Most-Read This Week

Chien Breaks TPE NR, Iwata Betters ID-Class WR - Weekend Track Roundup

The last weekend of the academic and fiscal year saw at least 5 meets with good results domestically and abroad. Kicking things off Friday was the Maurie Plant Meet in Melbourne, where Tomohiro Shinno and Naoto Hasegawa took 1st and 3rd in the men's high jump, both of them only clearing 2.18 m along with 2nd-placer Roman Anastasios . 12 other Japanese athletes were in action on the second day of the meet on Saturday, where 3000 mSC NR holder Ryuji Miura ran 3:42.84 for 6th in the men's 1500 m. Nagiya Mori had a better one in the men's 3000 m with a 7:45.40 for 4th. Both Yota Mashiko and Rui Suzuki cleared 8:00 too, Mashiko's 7:53.84 the 2nd-fastest ever by a Japanese-born high schooler. Abigail Fuka Ido and Nagisa Takahashi both placed 3rd in their events, Ido going 23.85 (-0.9) in the women's 200 m and Takahashi clearing 1.82 m in the women's high jump. 8 Japanese men were at The TEN in California to run 10000 m. In the B-heat won by Edward Marks in ...
2 comments
Read more

JAAF Announces World Road Running Championships Half Marathon Team

The JAAF announced the men's and women's half marathon teams today for this fall's World Road Running Championships in Copenhagen: Women Yumi Yoshikawa (Canon) - 1:09:14 (1st, 2026 Osaka Half) Wakana Kabasawa (Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo) - 1:09:20 (1st, 2026 Nat'l Corp. Half) Rina Shimizu (Noritz) - 1:09:22 (2nd, 2026 Osaka Half) Yuna Takahashi (Shimamura) - 1:09:23 (3rd, 2026 Osaka Half) Men Tomoya Ogikubo (Hiramatsu Byoin) - 1:00:22 (4th, 2026 Marugame Half) Yuma Nishizawa (Toyota Boshoku) - 1:00:26 (5th, 2026 Marugame Half) Neo Namiki (Subaru) - 1:00:29 (6th, 2026 Marugame Half) Daisuke Sato (Chuo Univ.) - 1:00:40 (7th, 2026 Marugame Half) Mile and 5 km teams, if any, will be decided after June's National Track and Field Championships. © 2026 Brett Larner , all rights reserved
Post a Comment
Read more

Updates on Transfers

April 1 is the start of Japan's new academic and fiscal year, and there's always a wave of transfer announcements to go with it. Some notable ones yesterday: 800 m NR holder Rin Kubo skipped university to go straight to 2023 Queens Ekiden national champion Sekisui Kagaku after her graduation from Higashi Osaka Keiai H.S. Multiple NR holder Nozomi Tanaka rejoined the Toyota Jidoshokki women's team after having left it to pursue a solo pro career as a New Balance athlete. Already on the team for this fall's Nagoya Asian Games in the 10000 m, Ririka Hironaka announced a switch from her longtime home at Japan Post to the Uniqlo women's team. Collegiate marathon record holder Asahi Kuroda joined the 2026 national champion GMO corporate team after graduating from 2026 Hakone Ekiden champ Aoyama Gakuin University last week. Hakone Ekdien First Stage CR holder Rui Aoki joins the Sumitomo Denko corporate team after running his final race for 2025 Izumo Ekiden w...
Post a Comment
Read more