by Brett Larner Four of Japan's brightest young talents ran the 2011 Palio della Quercia 5000 m Sept. 13 in Rovereto, Italy, their stated goal to clear the Olympic A-standard of 13:20. Although all four fell short, each of the Japanese athletes had positive results. 2009 double 1500 m and 5000 m national champion Yuichiro Ueno (Team S&B) had his first good run of the year after injuries last fall, 4th overall in 13:27.14. Top-ranked university men Tetsuya Yoroizaka (Meiji Univ.) and Akinobu Murasawa (Tokai Univ.) both scored new PBs, Yoroizaka cracking 13:30, a rarity among Japanese university men. In both talent and propensity for injury Japan's answer to Dathan Ritzenhein , Kensuke Takezawa (Team S&B) also showed himself on the rebound from injuries sustained in Europe late last summer, at 13:32.98 far off his Rovereto best of 13:22.36 from 2006 but one second ahead of his best time from his abbreviated 2010 season. Mur...
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