Skip to main content

Midweek Track Roundup


Catching up on track results from the last few days:

After skipping the National Championships, men's 3000 mSC NR holder Ryuji Miura (Subaru) and 110 mH hurdler Shunsuke Izumiya (Sumitomo Denko) demonstrated fitness at the Paris Diamond League meet. Miura ran a season best 8:10.52 for 7th, with Izumiya 3rd in the final in a 13.16 (-0.6) SB after winning Heat 2 in 13.16 (+0.4). National champion Rachid Muratake (JAL) was a DNS in the final after winning Heat 1 in 13.15 (+0.1).

At the last Nittai University Time Trials meet of the season, collegiate 5000 m and 10000 m record holder Richard Etir (Tokyo Kokusai Univ.) won the men's 5000 m fast heat in 13:27.48, outrunning Brian Kiptoo (Reitaku Univ.) and Patrick Kamau (Kokushikan Univ.). Reishi Yoshida (Chuo Gakuin Univ.) was the fastest Japanese man in the meet at 13:45.54 for 6th. Kiptoo also soloed a 10000 m, literally, as in the only person in the race, in 29:05.52. Sharon Mwanthi (Yamanashi Gakuin H.S.) won the women's 3000 m fast heat in 9:23.96, Saki Arai (Takushoku Univ.) taking the 5000 m in 16:35.02.


But most people were up in Hokkaido for summer training, with the Hokuren Distance Challenge series getting underway in Kitami. In the all-African men's 5000 m C-heat, Samuel Kibathi (Toyota) outlined Raphael Dapash (JR Higashi Nihon) for the win 13:12.28 to 13:12.82. Kento Yamauchi (Kyudenko) won the all-Japanese A-heat on 13:32.48. Tatsuya Matsuoka (Kao) and Yudai Shimazu (GMO) both cleared 8 minutes in the men's 3000 m, Matsuoka winning in 7:58.01 and Shimazu 2nd in 7:58.34.

Deborah Chemutai (Univ. Ent.) took the Kitami women's 5000 m A-heat in 15:36.04 over Rion Furukawa (Nitori), 2nd in 15:38.18. Susan Kamotho (Yamada Holdings) and Janet Nyiva (Panasonic) were both way under 9 minutes in the women's in the closest race in a day of close races, Kamotho scoring the win in 8:46.68 and Nyiva 2nd in 8:46.70. Hellen Ekarare (Toyota Jidoshokki) won the women's 1500 easily in a PB 4:03.65, following up on her near-miss on her PB last week at the National Championships.


At the HDC Abashiri meet, Stephen Muthini (Soka Univ.) ran 27:44.92 to lead Yuya Yoshida (GMO), Yuto Imae (GMO), Itta Tameike (Chuo Univ.) and Osaka Marathon winner Kiyoto Hirabayashi (Koku Gakuin Univ.) under 28 minutes in the men's 10000 m A-heat. Tameike's time of 27:52.38 was a new school record that made him the first Chuo runner in history to break 28. Amos Kurgat (Chudenko) couldn't match Kibathi's run in Kitami, winning the 5000 m A-heat in 13:19.11. Komazawa University captain Kotaro Shinohara was the top Japanese man, just off his PB at 13:35.33 for 6th. Shimazu followed up his 3000 m in Kitami with a 13:37.35 win in the 5000 m B-heat in Abashiri.

Nyiva was back to win the women's 10000 m in 31:16.01, just outrunning Caroline Kariba (Japan Post) by 0.56 for the win. The top 7 all went under 32 minutes, including Sayaka Sato (Sekisui Kagaku), Erika Tanoura (Sekisui Kagaku) and Kazuna Kanetomo (Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo). Kamotho was also back, winning the women's 5000 m A-heat in a solid 15:09.68 almost 30 seconds up on top Japanese finisher Yuna Takahashi (Shimamura), 3rd in 15:36.46. Lucy Nduta (Aomori Yamada H.S.) won the 3000 m in Abashiri in 8:57.26, Ai Watanabe (Sonoda Gakuen Joshi H.S.) taking the 1500 m in 4:19.16.

The Hokuren Distance Challenge series continues Saturday in Shibetsu.

© 2024 Brett Larner, all rights reserved

Buy Me A Coffee

Labels:

Comments

Stefan said…
Very impressed with Sayaka Sato, Erika Tanoura and Kazuna Kanetomo in the 10000m. They stuck with the 2nd pace setting very well when I was expecting them to gradually drop off. Sayaka Sato's time was her best time at this distance since 2020 which is providing me with optimism regarding her future running goals including this year's Ekiden season. And Erika Tanoura is a marathoner in the making! They did well in tough wet conditions.
July 11, 2024 at 6:47 PM
Post a Comment

Most-Read This Week

Arao Becomes 1st Man in 40 Years to Score Back-to-Back Ome Road Race Wins

30 km is an under-appreciated distance, and both of Japan's big races at that distance happened Sunday. At the Ome Road Race in western Tokyo's mountains, Sydney Marathon 6th-placer Masato Arao (ND Software) became the first man since the great Kunimitsu Ito in 1985-1986 to win back-to-back years. Arao, who finished 39th of 40 on his leg at the New Year Ekiden last month, stayed in the pack through 20 km before going on the attack, putting over a minute on New Year Ekiden Sixth Stage CR breaker Yudai Shimazu (GMO). Sub-1:31 winning times are rare on the tough and hilly Ome course, but Arao's 1:30:54 almost equaled his 1:30:50 from last year, making him the first Japanese man ever to do it twice and second only to CR holder Ezekiel Cheboitibin . Next up Arao races the Tokyo Marathon, where he is targeting sub-2:06. Shimazu was 2nd in 1:31:58 and Yuta Nakayama (JR Higashi Nihon) 3rd in 1:32:07. Cheboitibin was only 9th, running almost 8 minutes off his CR in 1:36:42. Shi...
3 comments
Read more

Nagoya Women's Marathon Elite Field

Last year's top 3 Sheila Chepkirui , Sayaka Sato and Eunice Chebichii Chumba are back for this year's Nagoya Women's Marathon on Mar. 8, but things are being set up more for it to be a race between Chepkirui, 2:17:49 in Berlin 2023, Aynalem Desta , 2:17:37 in Amsterdam last fall, and Japanese NR holder Honami Maeda , 2:18:59 at the Osaka International Women's Marathon in 2024. Aynalem has the freshest sub-2:20 of the 3, with neither Chepkirui nor Maeda having done it in 2 years. Maeda's only recent result is a 1:10:07 from Houston last month, but when she ran her NR she didn't have any kind of tuneup race to indicate her fitness so it's probably best not to read too much into that. If it goes out as a 2:18 race those are the only 3 who can probably hang with it. If it turns out to be more of a 2:20 race like when Chepkirui won in 2:20:40 last year then there's a group of 7 at the 2:20-2:22 level who will be in the picture, including Chumba, Selly Chep...
Post a Comment
Read more

'Kobe 2024: Aitchison, Athmani Lead Record-Breaking Thursday'

  https://www.paralympic.org/news/kobe-2024-para-athletics-world-championships-aitchison-athmani-lead-record-breaking-thursday Complete results and daily schedule from the Kobe World Para Athletics Championships are here .
Post a Comment
Read more