japan running news

Jeilan outkicks Tanui and Ndambiri for the Shizuoka 5000 m win. Click here for more photos. by Brett Larner 2006 World Jr. 10000 m and 2008 World XC Jr. champion Ibrahim Jeilan (Ethiopia/Team Honda) outkicked 2011 World XC runner-up Paul Tanui and 10000 m Japanese all-comers record holder Josephat Ndambiri (Kenya/Team Komori Corp.) for the win in the 2011 Shizuoka International Track and Field Meet 5000 m on May 3 at Shizuoka's Ecopa Stadium. Jeilan sat back in the all-Kenyan lead pack until late the race, responding to a charge from Tanui over the last lap and kicking hard in the last 100 m to take the win a week after a disappointing 10000 m performance at the Hyogo Relay Carnival. Jeilan's time was less than 1 second off his 5-year-old PB and is the second-fastest in the world so far this year, putting him in contention for the Ethiopian team for August's World Championships. Despite losing out in the last sprint, Tanui set a new PB. 4th placer Edward Waweru (Ke...

by Brett Larner On day one of the first Nittai Univ. Time Trials meet of the season, marathoner Satoshi Osaki (Team NTT Nishi Nihon) continued the comeback from the injury that knocked him out of the Beijing Olympics, finishing 3rd in 29:19.31. The biggest results of the day, however came in the women's 800 m and 3000 m. Running against a field of pro, university and high school competitors, unior high school student Ayaka Nakagawa (Asaka Daisan J.H.S.) started the day off with a win in the 800 m A-heat in 2:10.61, nearly 1 1/2 seconds ahead of her closest rival. 2 1/2 hours later Nakagawa returned to take 6th in the 3000 m A-heat, clocking 9:31.18. Nittai Univ. Time Trials Top Results Nittai Univ., Yokohama, 4/16/11 click here for complete results Men's 10000 m Heat 5 1. Yuki Takamiya (Team Yakult) - 29:17.67 2. Yuta Shitara (Toyo Univ.) - 29:19.00 3. Satoshi Osaki (Team NTT Nishi Nihon) - 29:19.31 4. Sho Matsueda (Yamanashi Gakuin Univ.) - 29:23.77 5. Tomohiro Hayakawa (...

by Brett Larner 2009 World University Games 10000 m gold medalist and 5000 m silver medalist and 2010 National University 5000 m champion Kasumi Nishihara (Bukkyo Univ.) took another step toward the top with a 15:27.94 PB to finish 1st in the final women's 5000 m at the 2010 Nighter Time Trials in Marugame on Oct. 9. With runner-up Rei Ohara (Team Tenmaya) over 15 seconds behind, Nishihara's solo effort makes her the third-fastest Japanese woman of the year over 5000 m behind national record holder Kayoko Fukushi (Team Wacoal) and Nishihara's younger teammate Hikari Yoshimoto (Bukkyo Univ.). Nishihara's progression since high school has been impressively consistent: 2006: 15:47.52 2007: 15:41.54 2008: 15:36.72 2009: 15:32.89 2010: 15:27.94 Yoshimoto was also scheduled to run but was a DNS, raising concerns about her condition after several weak performances earlier this fall season. With Bukkyo runners Mai Ishibashi and Rika Kawashima also under 16 minutes in heat...