Buchanan and Pompeani Win Gold Coast Half Marathon

The winner of Tokyo's Year End Half Marathon in 2019, Andy Buchanan ran a crafty race to beat four sub-61 Japanese men and the debuting Australian Isaac Heyne at the Gold Coast Half Marathon. Smiling most of the way, Heyne led on 2:59/km pace through the turnaround point just before 11 km before Koki Kamata took over. From there it was a series of turnovers that took the lead group down to just Heyne, favorite Shunsuke Shikama, 2:06 marathoner Daisuke Doi, and Buchanan. All of them made moves in the last 2 km, but Buchanan made the definitive one in the last km, pulling away to win in a PB 1:02:20. After falling slightly behind, Heyne fought back for 2nd in 1:02:22 with Doi getting Shikama on the line for 3rd, both clocking 1:02:25. Four other Japanese men including 2:05 marathoner Kenya Sonota made the top 10.

The women's race started out as a trio with Australians Leanne Pompeani and Jessica Stenson, and two-time winner Sara Hall. Hall was the first to drop off, and over the second half of the race Pompeani ground Stenson down to win easily in 1:09:16 unofficially. Tuning up for the Paris Olympics marathon after a controversial Australian selection process, Stenson ran a PB 1:09:54 for 2nd, with Hall almost a minute further back in 3rd in 1:10:48. That time was in range of all three Japanese women in the race, but all three were non-factors and finished in the 1:13-1:14 range. Rinka Hida was first among them at 7th in 1:13:20.

Gold Coast Half Marathon Top Results

Gold Coast, Australia, 6 July 2024

complete results

Men

1. Andy Buchanan (Australia) - 1:02:20 - PB

2. Isaac Heyne (Australia) - 1:02:22 - debut

3. Daisuke Doi (Japan/Kurosaki Harima) - 1:02:25

4. Shunsuke Shikama (Japan/Logisteed) - 1:02:25

5. Koki Kamata (Japan/Yakult) - 1:02:58

6. Cameron Avery (New Zealand) - 1:03:02

7. Naoya Sakuda (Japan/JR Higashi Nihon) - 1:03:03

8. Soshi Suzuki (Japan/Yasukawa Denki) - 1:03:04

9. Kenya Sonota (Japan/JR Higashi Nihon) - 1:03:18

10. Oli Chignell (New Zealand) - 1:03:21

-----

13. Rei Yamahira (Japan/Chuo Univ.) - 1:03:49

15. Haruki Abe (Japan/Chuo Univ.) - 1:04:20

Women

1. Leanne Pompeani (Australia) - 1:09:16 (unoff)

2. Jessica Stenson (Australia) - 1:09:54 - PB

3. Sara Hall (U.S.A.) - 1:10:48

4. Natasha Wodak (Canada) - 1:11:18

5. Andrea Seccafien (Canada) - 1:11:28

6. Vanessa Wilson (Australia) - 1:12:51

7. Rinka Hida (Japan/Daiichi Seimei) - 1:13:20

8. Yukari Nagatomo (Japan/Memolead) - 1:13:41

9. Moe Shimizu (Japan/Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo) - 1:14:30

10. Anneke Grogan (New Zealand) - 1:15:12

Japan's First Goldless Day - Asian Athletics Championships Day Four Highlights

Day 4 of the Bangkok Asian Athletics Championships was the first without a single gold medal going to Japan, but there were still enough silvers and bronzes to go around. Robyn Lauren Brown of the Philippines outclassed the rest of the women's 400 mH final field, taking gold in 57.50. Eri Utsunomiya and Ami Yamamoto made it a Japanese 2-3, Utsunomiya running 57.73 for silver and Yamamoto 57.80 for bronze. Yusaku Kodama also scored silver in the men's 400 mH, running 48.96 behind Qatari winner Bassem Hemeida 's 48.64. Yuki Yamasaki won bronze in the heptathlon with 5696 points, Uzbekistan's Ekaterina Voronina taking gold in 6098 and Swapna Barman silver in 5840. Teammate Karin Odama was 4th in 5487. Another bronze came in the mixed 4x400 m relay, with Japan running 3:15.71 behind India's 3:14.70 and Sri Lanka's 3:15.41. Naoto Hasegawa and Ryoichi Akamatsu both cleared 2.23 m in the men's high jump, Hasegawa finishing 4th overall and Akamatsu 5th. ...

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