News06 May 2004

Japanese track season so far…

Noguchi running in the 2002 Nagoya Marathon (© Rikujyo Kyogi Magazine)

Ahead of this weekend’s Osaka IAAF Grand Prix, Ken Nakamura brings us all the latest action from the Japanese track season….

Every year from the end of April to the beginning of May, four annual track meets – Hyogo Relays, Oda Memorial, Shizuoka Internationals and Mito International - are held in Japan, and particularly for athletes who have yet to crack the Olympic “A” standard, the series of four meets offers the perfect opportunity.

Hyogo (25 April)

The first major track meet of the season is Hyogo Relays (25 April), was held in the Universiade stadium in Kobe, the site of 1985 World University Games. Historically, the Hyogo Relays is known for its fine distance races, and this year was no an exception.

As expected, the women’s 10,000m was the highlight of the meet. The pace was quite fast and thus by 2500m only four runners – Jane Wanjiku of Kenya, Kayoko Fukushi, Tomoko Hatori and Mizuki Noguchi – were left in the lead pack. The quartet stayed together until 8200m where Hatori surged, at which point Noguchi was the first to lose contact with the leaders.

Hatori did not last too long in the front. Wanjiku took over the lead 200m later but she too lost her lead to Fukushi at 8700m. After Hatori lost contact at 8900m, Fukushi tried to shake off Wanjiku, which was unsuccessful. Finally at 9700m Wanjiku surged away from Fukushi.

“I am very happy with my new personal best. I would like to thank Fukushi for pushing the pace hard,” said Wanjiku, who won in 31:04.15, new meet record.

In the fourth place with 31:21.03 was Mizuki Noguchi, marathon silver medalist in Paris. “I am happy to have improved my personal best by 30 seconds. I really wanted to improve my 10,000m personal best before the Olympic. So I can now start concentrating on my marathon training,” said Noguchi who is already selected for the Olympic marathon team.

In the men’s 10,000m, Martin Mathathi, a Kenyan who lives in Japan and runs for Suzuki, turned in the fastest time of the season, 27:22.46.

Oda (29 April)

The second meet of the series was the Oda memorial meet on April 29. The meet which is named after Mikio Oda, 1928 Olympic triple jump champion, takes place annually in Hiroshima, the hometown of the first Asian Olympic champion.

The highlight of the meet was the men’s 100m where former national record holder Nobuharu Asahara recorded 10.16 to crack the Olympic “A” standard; it was quite respectable early season time.

In the men’s 110mH, Satoru Tanigawa, the reigning national champion, relegated the national record holder Masato Naito into third place. Dai Tamesue, a World bronze medalist at 400mH in Edmonton 2001, who is from Hiroshima, ran the 400m and finished seventh in 47.34. However, Tamesue was quite content with his performance, for he ran faster than his 2003 season best.

Shizuoka (3 May)

The third meet of the series is Shizuoka International on May 3. After finishing 7th at the 10,000m, the national record holder at 5000m, 10,000m and marathon Toshinari Takaoka, who has been selected as reserve on the Olympic marathon team, announced that he will try for the 10,000m team.

Yusuke Omae, who made a sensational breakthrough in 2001 when he recorded a 20.29, national junior record, won 200m with 20.52. Omae already has a lot of international experience, including World Youth, World Junior (5th), Asian Junior (3rd) and World University Games. He can add the Olympics to his list of international championships this year.

The biggest upset of the meet was at the women’s 400mH, where Makiko Yoshida, four-time national champion at 400mH usually reigns supreme. However, in Shizuoka, the national collegiate record (57.30) holder Satomi Kubokura handed her a rare defeat, in a domestic meet, to the national record holder Makiko Yoshida.

Considered to be the most promising pole vaulter in Japan, the national junior, collegiate and national outdoor record (5.75m) holder Daichi Sawano already recorded a national indoor record (5.70m) in January. He won the Pole Vault with 5.60m in Shizuoka.

Mito (5 May)

The final track meet before this weekend’s Osaka IAAF GP, took place on May 5 in Mito.

Mami Nakano, who has set seven national Pole Vault records in 1996 and 1997, set another national record of 4.30m on May 1 in Marugame. Four days later in Mito, Nakano improved her record by 1cm. However, she missed all her attempts at 4.40m, the next logical goal.

Two world class athletes won their specialty as expected. Obadele Thompson, the 2000 Olympic bronze medallist, won the 100m in 10.14, while the 2003 Worlds bronze medallist Liu Xiang won the 110mH in 13.23. They will both be competing in Osaka.

Nadine Faustin of Haiti, who won the 100mH with 13.27 in Hiroshima, also won the same event in Mito with 13.18. Behind Faustin, Kumiko Ikeda was second in Hiroshima, while in Mito Yvonne Kanazawa finished second in 13.39. Kanazawa won the 100mH in the Cardinal Invitational at Stanford last Friday (30 April). She then flew to Japan on Saturday, arriving on Sunday afternoon, competed in Mito on Wednesday and flew back to California after the meet. “I will try to run in Modesto Relays,” said eight-time national champion in the 100mH.

Ken Nakamura for the IAAF

Selected Results:

Hyogo Relays (Kobe) - April 25

10,000m
Martin Mathathi (KEN) 27:22.46
Davis Kabiru (KEN) 27:46.38
Julius Gitahi (KEN) 27:47.92

W10,000m
Jane Wanjiku (KEN) 31:04.34
Kayoko Fukushi 31:05.68
Tomoko Hatori 31:15.34
Mizuki Noguchi 31:21.03

Oda (Hiroshima) - April 29

100m (1.2m/s)
1) Nobuharu Asahara 10.16
2) Kareem Streete-Thompson 10.17

5000m
Josphat Muchiri Ndambiri (KEN) 13:27.53
Davis Kabiru (KEN) 13:28.71

110mH
Satoru Tanigawa 13.59
Kyle vander Kurp (AUS) 13.77
Masato Naito 13.79

W5000m
Mary Wangari 15:32.04
Chiaki Iwamoto 15:33.66

W100mH
1) Nadine Faustin 13.27
2) Kumiko Ikeda 13.34

Shizuoka - May 3

200m 2.2m/s
1) Yusuke Omae 20.52
2) Ryo Matsuda 20.73