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Weekend Track Roundup


The Kobe World Para Athletics Championships kicked off Friday, with Japan taking two bronze medals in the first three days of competition. Kenya Karasawa got things started with a bronze medal in the men's T11 5000 m on the opening day, and Uran Sawada followed that up with a T12 women's long jump bronze Sunday. Six days remain, with the results in Kobe weighing heavily in athletes' chances of being at the Paris Paralympics later this year.

Two weeks after winning the 10000 m National Championships in a PB 27:17.46, Jun Kasai's chances of making the Paris Olympics got a boost when he ran 27:34.14 for 5th at the Night of the 10,000 m PBs in the U.K. Saturday. Japanese men currently occupy 25th and 27th in the 27-deep Paris 10000 m quota, 2023 and 2024 Nationals runner-up Tomoki Ota in 25th with 1249 points and former NR holder Akira Aizawa in 27th with 1228. With this run Kasai's score comes in at 1232, enough to bump Aizawa down to 28th and out of the quota but short of what he needed to overtake France's Jimmy Gressier in 26th with 1235 points. Aizawa, Kasai's teammate at the Asahi Kasei corporate team, was also in the race but couldn't manage what he needed to check Kasai's advance, running only 28:02.84 for 21st.


10000 m NR holder Kazuya Shiojiri (Fujitsu) missed making the Paris team in his main event after two disappointing races this season, but his chances of making it in the 5000 m are still alive. At Sunday's Golden Grand Prix meet in Tokyo Shiojiri was 6th in 13:23.63, enough to put him at 42nd in the Paris 5000 m quota of 42. He won't stay there, but with Nationals still to come next month he'll be a lock for a top-3 finish and enough points to give him a good shot at regaining whatever ground he loses in between. Likewise for 4th-placer Hyuga Endo (Sumitomo Denko), whose 13:20.28 for top Japanese wasn't enough to get him into the top 42 but put him in position to get there with one more good run. Emmanuel Maru (Toyota Boshoku) won in a PB 13:18.95, outkicking American Thomas Ratcliffe.

The women's 5000 m was the race of the meet at the GGP, with Rose Davies running an Australian national record 14:41.65 in a steadily accelerating performance that ground down the field until only Japan-based Margaret Akidor was left. Davies put 3 seconds on Akidor over the last lap, with Akidor's 14:44.75 also a PB. 10000 m national champion Rino Goshima (Shiseido) was the only Japanese woman to try to go with the front group but was obviously still tired from her 30:53.31 two weeks ago, fading to 14th in 15:36.14. Wakana Kabasawa (Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo) took the top Japanese spot in 15:20.94 for 5th, scoring enough to boost her into the top 42 in the Paris rankings but still well short of top three Japanese. Special recognition goes to Australians Sarah Billings and Georgia Griffith, who did pacing duties less than two hours after going 1-2 in the 1500 m, where Billings took the win in a PB 4:04.66.


Japan's top two Olympic prospects in the men's 3000 mSC both raced overseas this weekend, but both were well off their best. At the Marrakech Diamond League meet NR holder Ryuji Miura (Subaru) was 14th in 8:21.74, well off the 8:13.96 he ran at the previous DL meet in Doha. Ryoma Aoki (Honda) was at the USATF Los Angeles Grand Prix meet, where he ran 8:33.47 for 13th, a season best but not doing anything to improve his 22nd-place position in the Paris quota.


In corporate league regional championship action, Rebecca Mwangi (Daiso) won the women's 10000 m in the Chugoku Region meet in Hiroshima in 32:00.69, with Paris Olympics marathon team alternate Ai Hosoda (Edion) 2nd in 32:18.02. Amos Kurgat (Chudenko) won the men's 5000 m in 13:33.74.

Joseph Razini Lemeteki (Yasukawa Denki) won a close men's 10000 m at the Kyushu Region meet in Fukuoka, taking 1st in 27:57.37 with Anthony Maina (Toyota Kyushu) 2nd in 27:57.95. Wakana Itsuki (Kyudenko) won the women's 10000 m title in 33:13.87. Agnes Mwikali (Kyocera) set a meet record 4:15.87 to win the women's 1500 m on Saturday, Hiroto Hayashida (Mitsubishi Juko) winning the men's title in 3:44.93. On Sunday Mwikali doubled back to win the 5000 m too, running 15:30.20. Nickson Lessia (Nishitetsu) won the men's 5000 m in 13:48.56.


At the East Japan Region meet in Saitama, Pauline Kamulu (Route Inn Hotels) ran a solid 31:36.62 for 1st in the women's 10000 m. Antipas Kibet (Komori Corp.) was the men's 10000 m winner in 28:08.11. Caroline Kariba (Japan Post) continued to make an impact in her first year in the corporate leagues, winning the women's 1500 m in 4:11.81. Alex Kipirech (Comodi Iida) won the men's 1500 m in 3:40.18, one of three men under the old meet record. Like Mwikali in Kyushu, Sunday Kariba was back to take the 5000 m in 15:20.64 with Kenyans taking the top 6 spots. Edwin Kisalsak (Fujisan no Meisui) had yet another win in a close finish, taking the men's 5000 m in 13:37.47 with Gilbert Kiprotich (Sunbelx) 2nd in 13:38.05.


© 2024 Brett Larner, all rights reserved

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