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Golden Games in Nobeoka Top Results

 

For everyone not running yesterday's 10000 m National Championships, where the Asahi Kasei corporate team dominated the men's race with four out of four men sub-28 including winner Jun Kasai, 27:17.46, the grand dame of Japan's long distance time trial circuit was happening on AK's home ground in Miyazaki at the Golden Games in Nobeoka. Not including kids' races, a total of 74 women and 227 men ran in 14 heats of 5000 m, with a packed-in crowd of fans lining the track beating on metal sponsor boards with batons. It's a pretty awesome meet, and memorable performances included:
  • National champion Kamimura Gakuen H.S. standout Caroline Kariba continued to kill it in the second month of her corporate league career, winning the 5000 m A-heat in 15:00.95 in a race where 3 out of the top 4 including her ran PBs.
  • National champion Meijo University seemed flat at this point in the season, with none of its people under 16 minutes and star Nanase Tanimoto leading them in only 16:19.51.
  • Josai University grad Takuma Sunaoka unexpectedly shone after quitting the Konica Minolta corporate team in March, winning the men's A-heat in a PB 13:27.55 over disgraced former Rikkyo University head coach Yuichiro Ueno, 2nd in 13:34.54 at age 38. Sunaoka's time ended up being the fastest Japanese time of the day.
  • Asahi Kasei's Emmanuel Kiprop Kipruto won the B-heat, the real A-heat, in 13:15.17, surprisingly slow for this meet and only 4 seconds faster than C-heat winner Edwin Kisalsak's 13:19.29. Asahi Kasei runners took four of the 11 men's heats, making the home crowd of local supporters happy.

35th Golden Games in Nobeoka

Nobeoka, Miyazaki, 4 May 2024

Women's 5000 m A-Heat
1. Caroline Kariba (Japan Post) - 15:00.95 - PB
2. Janet Nyiva (Panasonic) - 15:01.25 - PB
3. Esther Muthoni (Nitori) - 15:01.51
4. Diana Cherotich (Higo Ginko) - 15:01.80 - PB
5. Agnes Mwikali (Kyocera) - 15:04.36
6. Pauline Kamulu (Route Inn Hotels) - 15:08.08
7. Susan Kamotho (Yamada Holdings) - 15:25.87
8. Yuna Takahashi (Shimamura) - 15:51.16
9. Azusa Mihara (Route Inn Hotels) - 15:52.89
10. Hikaru Kitagawa (Universal Ent.) - 15:53.80
11. Haruko Hosaka (Panasonic) - 15:54.82
12. Shiori Nagumo (Higo Ginko) - 15:56.03
13. Miki Hirai (Uniqlo) - 15:58.32
14. Yuri Tasaki (Sysmex) - 16:00.64
15. Yuki Hidaka (Canon) - 16:03.62
16. Yuma Yamamoto (Sekisui Kagaku) - 16:04.59
17. Nanase Tanimoto (Meijo Univ.) - 16:19.51
18. Nanaka Yonezawa (Meijo Univ.) - 16:22.76
19. Yuri Karasawa (Kyudenko) - 16:24.28
20. Kasumi Nishihara (Sysmex) - 16:29.20
21. Riko Iijima (SID Group) - 16:35.36
22. Ayano Ikemitsu (Kagoshima Ginko) - 16:35.77
23. Kae Gyu (Japan Post) - 16:36.31
24. Martha Mokaya (Canon) - 16:48.56
25. Io Akashi (18 Ginko) - 16:52.53

Women's 5000 m B-Heat
1. Kaho Onishi (Route Inn Hotels) - 15:46.92 - PB
2. Rino Maeda (Iwatani Sangyo) - 15:51.68
3. Kaho Horio (Route Inn Hotels) - 16:00.02
4. Akino Asahina (Senko) - 16:01.14 - PB
5. Karen Suzuki (Hitachi) - 16:02.81
6. Yui Kawabe (Shimamura) - 16:05.78
7. Chiho Sakamoto (Route Inn Hotels) - 16:09.00
8. Azumi Nagira (Meijo Univ.) - 16:12.03
9. Sumika Tsutsumi (Higo Ginko) - 16:12.74
10. Kotone Hoshina (Route Inn Hotels) - 16:14.31
-----
DNF - Saho Okumura (Universal Ent.)

Women's 5000 m C-Heat
1. Miu Yagi (Iwatani Sangyo) - 16:16.02
2. Mayuka Fujita (Route Inn Hotels) - 16:17.65
3. Yuri Mitsune (18 Ginko) - 16:18.93
4. Yui Fujimaru (18 Ginko) - 16:21.37
5. Rin Kamiyanagi (Miyazaki Nichidai H.S.) - 16:22.44

Men's 5000 m A-Heat
1. Takuma Sunaoka (Tokyo T&F Assoc.) - 13:27.55 - PB
2. Yuichiro Ueno (Hiramatsu Byoin) - 13:34.54
3. Riki Koike (Soka Univ.) - 13:37.54
4. Haruki Minatoya (NTT Nishi Nihon) - 13:37.77
5. Hiroshi Ichida (Asahi Kasei) - 13:40.39
6. Daiki Hattori (Toyota Boshoku) - 13:42.07
7. Kyuma Yokota (Toyota Kyushu) - 13:44.84
8. Ryuya Kajitani (Subaru) - 13:46.41
9. Shingo Moriyama (YKK) - 13:48.37
10. Yuki Ishii (NTT Nishi Nihon) - 13:53.79
-----
DNF - Samuel Kibathi (Toyota)
DNF - Yuhei Urano (Fujitsu)

Men's 5000 m B-Heat
1. Emmanuel Kiprop Kipruto (Asahi Kasei) - 13:15.17
2. Antipas Kibet (Komori Corp.) - 13:15.38
3. Emmanuel Kipchirchir (SG Holdings) - 13:15.52
4. Kiprono Sitonik (Kurosaki Harima) - 13:15.85 - PB
5. Emmanuel Kiplagat (Mitsubishi Juko) - 13:17.61
6. Gideon Ronoh (Logisteed) - 13:17.65
7. Daniel Ndiritu (NTT Nishi Nihon) - 13:17.73 - PB
8. Anthony Maina (Toyota Kyushu) - 13:18.08
9. Benard Koech (Kyudenko) - 13:18.19
10. Joseph Razini Lemeteki (Yasukawa Denki) - 13:19.98
11. Richard Kimunyan (Logisteed) - 13:24.22
12. Yeneblo Biyazen (Ethiopia/Hiramatsu Byoin) - 13:25.54
13. Vincent Yegon (Honda) - 13:26.05
14. Daniel Kosen (Fujitsu) - 13:29.17
15. Rogers Kibet (Uganda/Konica Minolta) - 13:29.33
16. Amos Bett (Tokyo Kokusai Univ.) - 13:30.20
17. Jonathan Ndiku (YKK) - 13:30.56
18. Cosmas Mwangi (Chugoku Denryoku) - 13:35.88
19. Yuta Bando (Fujitsu) - 13:46.37

Men's 5000 m C-Heat
1. Edwin Kisalsak (Fujisan no Meisui) - 13:19.29
2. Benuel Mogeni Magoma (Yasukawa Denki) - 13:22.10 - PB
3. Shadrack Rono (Subaru) - 13:22.98 - PB
4. Victor Kimutai (Josai Univ.) - 13:23.60 - PB
5. Nickson Lesiyia (Nishitetsu) - 13:24.96 - PB
6. Felix Korir (Toyota) - 13:26.45
7. Jonson Mugeni (Asia Univ.) - 13:27.21 - PB
8. Simon Saidimu (Chuo Hatsujo) - 13:28.37
9. Zach Facioni (Australia) - 13:29.52
10. Waweru Nganga (Chugoku Denryoku) - 13:30.72
11. Shu Hasegawa (Kao) - 13:32.69
12. Dennis Kipkurui (Makes) - 13:37.22
13. James Muoki (Konica Minolta) - 13:38.19
14. Shotaro Ishihara (SG Holdings) - 13:38.85
15. Joel Mwaura (Kurosaki Harima) - 13:43.35
16. Hiroto Yoshioka (Juntendo Univ.) - 13:44.04
17. Evans Kipkemei (JFE Steel) - 13:45.50
18. Akihito Kawada (SID Group) - 13:58.15
19. Philip Mulwa (GMO) - 14:00.01
20. Yamato Yoshii (Toyota) - 14:07.74
21. Macharia Ndirangu (Aichi Seiko) - 14:13.82
-----
DNF - Saleh Ahnida (Morocco/HRC)

Men's 5000 m D-Heat
1. Ryo Saito (Asahi Kasei) - 13:33.99 - PB
2. Noah Kiplimo (Togami Denki) - 13:36.12 - PB
3. Hiroto Hayashida (Mitsubishi Juko) - 13:38.16 - PB
4. Shoya Yonei (JR Higashi Nihon) - 13:38.84 - PB
5. Kiyoshi Koga (Yasukawa Denki) - 13:39.43
6. Shunpei Tomita (Logisteed) - 13:39.46
7. Torazo Kai (Suzuki) - 13:41.96
8. Kyohei Hosoya (Kurosaki Harima) - 13:42.49
9. Hiroto Fujimagari (Toyota Kyushu) - 13:43.85
10. Shunta Uchida (Toyota) - 13:51.20
-----
DNF - Cleophas Kandie (Mitsubishi Juko)

Men's 5000 m E-Heat
1. Itsuki Hirabayashi (Josai Univ.) - 13:39.77 - PB
2. Tomoki Ichimura (Sunbelx) - 13:42.01
3. Ryota Kondo (Mitsubishi Juko) - 13:43.35 - PB
4. Kiyoto Suzuki (Asahi Kasei) - 13:44.19
5. Junna Ishimaru (Soka Univ.) - 13:45.04

Men's 5000 m F-Heat
1. Yamato Otsuka (NTT Nishi Nihon) - 13:46.56 - PB
2. Kira Migita (Toyota Kyushu) - 13:48.09
3. Hidekazu Hijikata (Asahi Kasei) - 13:48.46 - PB
4. Shohei Otsuka (Kyudenko) - 13:48.68 - PB
5. Keigo Yuhara (Komori Corp.) - 13:56.04

Men's 5000 m G-Heat
1. Kosei Matsunami (Kurosaki Harima) - 13:53.56 - PB
2. Tatsuya Tsunashima (YKK) - 13:58.40
3. Kaito Ojima (Yakult) - 13:58.88
4. Akihiro Kaneko (Comodi Iida) - 14:00.58
5. Ryota Ejima (Mitsubishi Juko) - 14:02.19

Men's 5000 m H-Heat
1. Sota Fukutani (Kurosaki Harima) - 13:57.48
2. Ginga Takahashi (Komori Corp.) - 13:57.73
3. Rin Kitsuki (Kyudenko) - 13:58.10
4. Yusuke Yoshiyama (Togami Denki) - 13:59.49
5. Tatsuya Kobayashi (Fujisan no Meisui) - 14:02.02

Men's 5000 m I-Heat
1. Taiga Nakanishi (Asahi Kasei) - 13:59.52
2. Sakito Matsuzaki (NTT Nishi Nihon) - 14:00.33 - PB
3. Kazuki Moriya (Mitsubishi Juko) - 14:05.14 - PB
4. Kazuma Kubo (Nishitetsu) - 14:07.24
5. Hayate Kudo (Comodi Iida) - 14:07.67

Men's 5000 m J-Heat
1. Keijiro Mogi (Asahi Kasei) - 14:05.32
2. Jinichiro Kameda (Asahi Kasei) - 14:14.88
3. Maki Yamada (Asahi Kasei) - 14:14.98

© 2024 Brett Larner, all rights reserved

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Stefan said…
The Women's 5000m A-Heat was as exciting as it gets up front. Incredible battle for the win by Caroline Kariba. Sub 15min is not far away for her. Any of the top 4 could have won but wow, Caroline was special yesterday. Yuma Yamamoto's (Sekisui Kagaku) performance was underwhelming to be kind. I'm curious to see how her season unfolds. From what I've seen so far, breaking her PBs seems a long way off. Credit to Kaho Onishi in the B race (15:46.92) who achieved a PB and would have finished the top Japanese finisher if she entered the A race. It was an amazing PB given her best time previously was 16:22.31!
May 5, 2024 at 10:01 AM
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