Lee Breaks Korean 1500 m NR - Hokuren Distance Challenge Shibetsu Meet Highlights

After tuning up with a 3:40.19 win in the men's 1500 m A-heat in Fukagawa on Wednesday, South Korean Jae Ung Lee turned in the performance of the day at the second Hokuren Distance Challenge meet in Shibetsu Saturday. Going to the front after 900 m, Lee ran a 3:38.55 for the win, just enough to achieve his goal of breaking the 1993-era Korean national record of 3:38.60 and almost 6 seconds up on nearest Japanese competitor Rikuto Iijima (Ami AC), 2nd in 3:44.27. Na Yeon Park also repeated her Fukagawa win, slightly slower this time in 4:15.58 over Rose Wangui (Daiso), 2nd in 4:16.09.

Other standout performances included an 8:55.45 win in the women's 3000 m by Yvonne Jepchirchir Chepkosgei (Higo Ginko), a 7:52.11 win by Isaac Ndiema (Mazda) in the men's 3000 m, and a 14:55.45 win by Caroline Kariba (Japan Post) in the women's 5000 m. No Japanese athletes hit the qualifying standards for next month's National Championships at any distance. The next meet in the HDC series won't happen until after Nationals, picking up July 12 in Chitose.

Hokuren Distance Challenge Shibetsu Meet

Shibetsu, Hokkaido, 14 June 2025

complete results

Women's 1500 m A-Heat

1. Na Yeon Park (South Korea) - 4:15.58

2. Rose Wangui (Daiso) - 4:16.09

3. Yume Goto (Uniqlo) - 4:20.49

4. Karin Yasumoto (Memolead) - 4:23.50

5. Ayu Koyama (Iwatani Sangyo) - 4:27.17

Men's 1500 m A-Heat

1. Jae Ung Lee (South Korea) - 3:38.55 - NR

2. Rikuto Iijima (Ami AC) - 3:44.27

3. Atsushi Shobu (Kao) - 3:48.29

4. Kenneth Kipngeno (Sapporo Gakuin Univ.) - 3:51.17

5. Hayato Ichimiya (Ehime Ginko) - 3:54.90

Women's 3000 m

1. Yvonne Jepchirchir Chepkoskei (Higo Ginko) - 8:55.45

2. Martha Mokaya (Canon) - 9:13.98

3. Mayu Tsukamoto (Higo Ginko) - 9:14.73

4. Toshika Tamura (Hitachi) - 9:17.45

5. Riko Iijima (Nitori) - 9:23.69

6. Michi Kawanishi (Toyota Jidoshokki) - 9:24.55

7. Shiori Ogumo (Higo Ginko) - 9:27.24

8. Rina Sasaki (Sekisui Kagaku) - 9:29.60

9. Kanoko Nawa (Edion) - 9:30.82

10. Rion Furukawa (Nitori) - 9:33.31

Men's 3000 m

1. Isaac Ndiema (Mazda) - 7:52.11

2. Shoya Kawase (NTN) - 8:02.17

3. Ryotaro Yoshihara (Aichi Seiko) - 8:03.32

4. Yusuke Takahashi (Sanyo Tokushu Seiko) - 8:04.53

5. Tomoki Nakano (Toenec) - 8:06.48

6. Kibet Mangata (Mazda) - 8:06.84

7. Daichi Takeuchi (Toenec) - 8:09.51

8. Hiroto Takamura (Toenec) - 8:19.33

DNF - Shoma Funatsu (Hiramatsu Byoin)

Women's 5000 m A-Heat

1. Caroline Kariba (Japan Post) - 14:55.45

2. Lucy Nduta (Ehime Ginko) - 15:07.55

3. Agnes Mwikali (Kyocera) - 15:10.98

4. Miyaka Sugata (Japan Post) - 15:51.17

5. Yu Jin Kim (South Korea) - 16:00.41

6. Mao Kogure (Japan Post) - 16:01.76

7. Hikari Onishi (Japan Post) - 16:06.37

8. Momoka Kawaguchi (Uniqlo) - 16:07.94

9. Ayuka Kazama (Shiseido) - 16:09.27

10. Kaho Onishi (Route Inn Hotels) - 16:15.15

Men's 5000 m A-Heat

1. Raphael Dapash (JR Higashi Nihon) - 13:24.30

2. Anthony Maina (Toyota Kyushu) - 13:24.78

3. Kiprono Sitonik (Kurosaki Harima) - 13:26.56

4. Dennis Mutuku (JR Higashi Nihon) - 13:44.76

5. Muiru Muthoni (Press Kogyo) - 13:49.43

6. Kyosuke Hanao (Toyota Kyushu) - 13:49.71

7. Shunta Uchida (Toyota) - 13:53.28

8. Mahiro Yoshimoto (Tokyo T&F Assoc.) - 14:00.59

9. Reishi Yoshida (Honda) - 14:01.96

10. Hiroto Kuniyasu (Rikkyo Univ.) - 14:02.72

-----

17. Akira Akasaki (Kyudenko) - 14:15.67

Men's 5000 m B-Heat

1. Victor Kipkirui (Chudenko) - 13:35.64

2. Simon Musio Saidimu (Chuo Hatsujo) - 13:39.39

3. Shota Nishiwaki (JR Higashi Nihon) - 13:44.05

4. Nickson Lesiyia (Nishitetsu) - 13:53.35

5. Rinto Nakayama (Nishitetsu) - 13:56.58

Women's 10000 m

1. Nanaka Izawa (Starts) - 32:01.87

2. Miu Yagi (Iwatani Sangyo) - 32:49.76

3. Kaede Kawamura (Iwatani Sangyo) - 33:29.02

4. Mayuka Fujita (Route Inn Hotels) - 33:32.73

5. Misaki Ichida (Uniqlo) - 33:35.79

6. Fuka Fukunaga (Edion) - 33:36.00

7. Momoko Hanano (Hitachi) - 33:58.54

8. Anna Suzuki (Shimamura) - 34:24.01

9. Shiori Takase (Tokyo Nogyo Univ.) - 34:47.98

10. Ayami Hirano (Noritz) - 34:54.08

Men's 10000 m

1. Taiju Nakashima (Chugoku Denryoku) - 28:38.67

2. Itsuki Koizumi (Kurosaki Harima) - 28:43.36

3. Masashi Nonaka (Toyota) - 28:46.25

4. Yuki Suzuki (Kao) - 29:11.23

5. Toshiya Sato (Toyota) - 29:11.48

6. Kaisei Sugiyama (Kay) - 29:12.94

7. Hitoshi Okahara (Chudenko) - 29:13.54

8. Kosei Matsunami (Kurosaki Harima) - 29:14.50

9. Yudai Katakawa (Asahi Kasei) - 29:25.25

10. Fumiya Oshima (Hosei Univ.) - 29:26.76

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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