Set up as a shot at the 13:08.40 Japanese NR, the race went out with steady 63-second laps with pacing from 10-mile world best holder Benard Koech. After the pack settled out 2024 Komazawa University grad Mebuki Suzuki was at the front behind Koech with this year's Komazawa captain Kotaro Shinohara right with him. When a gap opened Singh moved up from 5th or 6th to go with them.
Koech stepped off at 4000 m leaving Suzuki to lead, Shinohara struggling to hang on and coming back twice after falling off. At the bell Singh went to the front, and with a 55-second last lap he held off Suzuki in the last 100 m to win in 13:11.82, 7 seconds under his old NR. Suzuki ran a PB 13:18.80 for all-time Japanese #9, with Shinohara running 13:15.70, the fastest-ever outdoor 5000 m by a Japanese-born collegiate runner and 10th-fastest ever by a Japanese man, for 3rd.
"I'm very happy," Singh told JRN post-race. "That was better than I was expecting." Disappointed at missing the Japanese record, Suzuki said, "It was OK. I'd give it about an 80%." Celebrating after finishing, Shinohara said, "That was great! Next up Izumo!"
The women's 5000 m was mostly a four-way battle between Hellen Ekarare, Mirriam Cherop, Tabitha Njeri Kamau and Caroline Kariba, Olympian Haruka Kokai the only Japanese woman to try going with them at 3:02-3:03/1000 m but dropping off after a few laps. Ekarare did most of the leading until Cherop made a jab with a move to the front after 3000 m that motivated the others to all take turns surging. But Ekarare had the close to pull away over the last 1000 m for the win in 15:08.51. Cherop was next in 15:13.56 and Njeri 3rd in 15:14.62, with Kokai hanging onto the top Japanese spot at 5th in 15:31.42.
Miriam Njeri of Sendai Ikuei H.S. won the U20 women's 3000 m by over 16 seconds in 9:07.82, with Saki Katagihara taking the 1500 m in 4:15.76 over Korean Yu Jin Kim. Nanako Matsumoto won the 400 m in 52.74. On the field, in her final competition Australia-resident brit Jade Lally won the discus throw for the third year in a row with a 59.77 m on her final attempt. In the absence of NR holder Sumire Hata, Maya Takeuchi won the long jump with a 6.11 m (-1.0) last-round jump, equalling leader Ria Kitada but surpassing her 2nd-best jump at 6.05 m (+0.3) to Kitada's 5.98 m (0.0).
Korean Jong Hak Park outran South Sudanese Olympian Abraham Guem by 0.08 to win the men's 1500 m in 3:41.99, with Ryoto Aoki 3rd in 3:42.34 for top Japanese. 400 m NR holder Kentaro Sato out ran Joseph Nakajima, Fuga Sato and Sri Lankan Kalinga Kumarage for the win in 45.40. Masateru Yugami won the men's discus throw at 58.46 m.
Complete results here. The Yogibo Athletics Challenge Cup continues Sunday, with the highlight being the 800 m featuring teenaged NR holders Rin Kubo and Ko Ochiai.
text and photo © 2024 Brett Larner, all rights reserved
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