Russia dominate Yokohama International Women’s
Ekiden
K. Ken Nakamura
On February 25, in Yokohama the Russian team dominated the 19th annual Yokohama International Women’s Ekiden. Seventeen teams from ten countries competed in the six-stage 42.195Km ekiden race, which starts and finishes at the Yokohama stadium.
The Russian team fielded an impressive line up including two sub 15 minute 5000m runners - Tatyana Tomoshova and Olga Yegorova. In addition, Lidia Grigoryeva who finished 9th at the 10,000m in the Sydney Olympic Games, and Yelena Zadorozhnaya who recently recorded 8:41.44 for the 3000m were on the team. They were the strong favourites. As Tatsuo Terada, one of Japan’s premier track & field writers analysed, "Perhaps Japan’s dream team (Yuko Kawakami, Masako Chiba, Hiromi Suzuki, Harumi Hiroyama, Chiemi Takahashi and Michiko Shimuzu) if they were all in top shape may have been able to handle them. However, it is almost impossible for all six runners to be in top shape simultaneously."
The Japanese, who finished second to Kenya last year after five straight victories also a fielded a strong team, in their attempt to regain victory. The team included two Olympians, Yuko Kawakami and Chiemi Takahashi, 10th and 15th at the 10,000m in the Sydney Olympic Games respectively. Other member included Kayoko Fukushi who was 4th at the 5000m in the World Junior Championships and Rie Ueno who is the 1999 World University Games champion at 5000m. The final two members of the team were Yoko Shibui who recorded the fastest debut marathon (2:23.11) in the 2001 Osaka Ladies marathon and Kaori Yoshida, an up and coming star who recorded 1:10.18 for the half marathon in January.
In the 5Km first stage Rie Ueno of the Japan national team led with 15:46, while Lyubov Kremleva of Russia was sixth with 15:58. But in the 10Km second stage, Lyudmila Petrova of Russia passed all the runners in font of her moving the Russian team into the lead. And what’s more, not only did the Russians not not not relinquish their lead after stage two, they increased the lead at every stage as Zadorozhnaya, Tomashova, Grigoryeva, and Yegorova each recorded the fastest stages from three to six. They completely dominated the ekiden, and won easily in the new meet record of 2:12:50, breaking the old record by a minute and 25 seconds. The Japanese national team was second, more than three minutes back in 2:16:13.
Weather at the start: Sunny, 8.3C, 37% humidity
1) Russia ( Lyubov Kremleva, Lyudmila Petrova, Yelena
Zadorozhnaya, Tatyana Tomashova, Lidia Grigoryeva, Olga Yegorova ) 2:12:50 New Meet Record
2) Japan (Rie Ueno, Chiemi Takahashi, Kaori Yoshida, Yuko Kawakami, Yoko Shibui, Kayoko
Fukushi) 2:16:13
3) Romania 2:16:39
4) China 2:19:00
5) Kyushu district team 2:19:34
6) Tokai-Hokuriku district team 2:20:43
7) Kinki district team 2:21:18
8) Ukraine 2:22:32
9) Kanto district team 2:22:53
10) Great Britain 2:23:05
11) Kenya 2:23:14
12) Australia 2:23:55
Best Stages
Stage Distance Name Time
1 5Km Rie Ueno (JPN) 15:46
2 10Km Lyudmila Petrova (RUS) 31:41
3 6Km Yelena Zadorozhnaya (RUS) 18:24 New stage record
4 6.195Km Tatyana Tomashova (RUS) 19:17
5 10Km Lidia Grigoryeva (RUS) 32:26
6 5Km Olga Yegorova (RUS) 15:04 New stage record
