Skip to main content

Ryoko Kizaki 31:38 to Win Abashiri 10000 m; Baek Sets Apparent Korean National Record (updated)

by Brett Larner

After being named to this year's World Half Marathon team on the strength of her runner-up finish at last month's National Track and Field Championships, Ryoko Kizaki (Team Daihatsu) closed off this year's Hokuren Distance Challenge with a bang. Kizaki won the HDC's Abashiri meet 10000 m in 31:38.71, a PB by over 45 seconds and a time which missed putting her in the top 10 worldwide so far this year by only 1 second. Second place finisher Kayo Sugihara (Team Denso) was nearly a minute behind in 32:33.37. Sugihara was the only runner in the top 5 not to run a PB.

Kizaki is now ranked 3rd among Japanese women for 10000 m in 2010. Combined with her rankings of 6th for 5000 m, 7th for half marathon and 5th for marathon she is the frontrunner to be named Japanese women's distance runner of the year.

Kenyan ace Edward Waweru (Team NTN) took the men's 5000 m in a quick 13:18.54, while 5th-placer Seung-Ho Baek (S. Korea), a university student and this year's Korean 5000 m national champion, ran what is apparently a South Korean national record of 13:42.98. Masato Kihara (Team Kanebo) was the top Japanese finisher, 4th in 13:40.14.

In other events, first-year corporate runners Kazue Kojima (Team Toyota Jidoshoki) and Yuta Takahashi (Team S&B) won the women's and men's 3000 m. Other distances in the meet included 800 m, 1500 m and 10000 m race walk.

2010 Hokuren Distance Challenge Abashiri Meet - Top Finishers
click here for complete results
Women's 10000 m A-heat
1. Ryoko Kizaki (Team Daihatsu) - 31:38.71 - PB
2. Kayo Sugihara (Team Denso) - 32:33.37
3. Hiroko Shoi (Team Nihon ChemiCon) - 32:36.36 - PB
4. Yuko Machida (Team Nihon ChemiCon) - 32:43.04 - PB
5. Saori Nejo (Team Hokuren) - 32:45.54 - PB
6. Yoko Miyauchi (Team Wacoal) - 32:53.78
7. Shino Saito (Team Shimamura) - 33:04.33
8. Eri Sato (Team Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo) - 33:07.97
9. Noriko Higuchi (Team Wacoal) - 33:11.42
10. Yuka Takashima (Team Denso) - 33:12.28

Men's 5000 m A-heat
1. Edward Waweru (Kenya/Team NTN) - 13:18.54
2. Muwaka Muendo (Kenya/Team Aisan Kogyo) - 13:21.45
3. Titus Waroru (Kenya/Chinzai H.S.) - 13:39.45
4. Masato Kihara (Team Kanebo) - 13:40.14
5. Seung-Ho Baek (S. Korea) - 13:42.98 - NR
6. Shota Yamaguchi (Team Fujitsu) - 13:44.21
7. Shota Hiraga (Waseda Univ.) - 13:45.83
8. Daisuke Shimizu (Team Kanebo) - 13:46.87
9. Wataru Ueno (Komazawa Univ.) - 13:47.10
10. Kenta Sato (Team Tokyo Denryoku) - 13:47.23

Women's 3000 m A-heat
1. Kazue Kojima (Team Toyota Jidoshoki) - 9:08.85
2. Ayaka Mori (Team Toyota Jidoshoki) - 9:12.51
3. Saori Yamashita (Team Hokuren) - 9:13.10

Men's 3000 m
1. Yuta Takahashi (Team S&B) - 8:10.45
2. Noriaki Takahashi (Team S&B) - 8:11.76
3. Akira Kiniwa (Team S&B) - 8:43.97

(c) 2010 Brett Larner
all rights reserved

Comments

Brett Larner said…
When I put up the quick report on Kizaki earlier today there were no men listed among the finishers, but now that I have had time to go through the results in more detail I see that Daihatsu, Wacoal, Hokuren and Panasonic each had a male assistant coach who ran part of the race but did not finish. I assume Daihatsu's coach Atsushi Sawayanagi paced Kizaki partway but do not know how far or whether he actually ran with her or another Daihatsu runner, of whichh there were three in the race.

Most-Read This Week

World Championships Medalist Racewalking Coach Mizuho Sakai Recognized With Highest Coaching Honor

The 2023 Mizuno Sports Mentor Awards recognizing excellence in coaching were held Apr. 23 in Tokyo. Toyo University assistant coach and race walking coach Mizuho Sakai was given a gold award, the program's highest honor, and expressed her thanks and joy in a speech at the award ceremony. The coach of 2023 Budapest World Championships men's 35 km race walk bronze medalist Masatora Kawano , Sakai said, "This is an incredible honor and I'm truly grateful. As a child I wanted to be in the sporting world and I've spent my life in that world. My end goal was always to play a supporting role for other athletes, so I'm honored to be recognized in this way." Sakai's husband Toshiyuki Sakai , head coach of Toyo's three-time Hakone Ekiden champion team, attended the awards gala with her and was also introduced to the audience. After bowing he took a seat in front of her and watched with warmth as she received recognition for her outstanding work. The Mizun

Hirabayashi Runs PB at Shanghai Half, WR Holder Nakata Dominates Fuji Five Lakes - Weekend Road Roundup

Returning to the roads after his 2:06:18 win at February's Osaka Marathon, Kiyoto Hirabayashi (Koku Gakuin University) took 5th at Sunday's Shanghai Half Marathon in a PB 1:01:23, just under a minute behind winner Roncer Kipkorir Konga (Kenya) who clocked a CR 1:00:29. After inexplicably running the equivalent of a sub-59 half marathon to win the Hakone Ekiden's Third Stage, Aoi Ota (Aoyama Gakuin Univ.) was back to running performances consistent with his other PBs with a 1:02:30 for 8th. His AGU teammate Kyosuke Hiramatsu was 10th in 1:04:00. Women's winner Magdalena Shauri (Tanzania) also set a new CR in 1:09:57. Aoyama Gakuin runners took the top four spots in the men's half marathon at the Aomori Sakura Marathon , with Hakone alternate Kosei Shiraishi getting the win in 1:04:32 and B-team members Shunto Hamakawa and Kei Kitamura 2nd and 3rd in 1:04:45 and 1:04:48. Club runners took the other division titles, Hina Shinozaki winning the women's half

Okumoto and Kondo Score Silver and Bronze - U20 Asian Championships Day One

The U20 Asian Athletics Championships started Wednesday in Dubai, U.A.E. Narumi Okumoto (Hitachi) and Nozomi Kondo (Meijo Univ.) scored Japan's first two medals in the women's 3000 m, running behind leader Yaxuan Li of China over the first 1000 m. Kondo lost touch after the first 1000 m, while Okumoto lasted another 1000 m with Li. Li took gold in 9:12.79, Okumoto silver in 9:25.19 and Kondo bronze in 9:38.91. In qualifying rounds: Both Yuri Nishida (Ritsumeikan Univ.) and Sari Kameda (Kyoto Kyoiku Univ.) won their women's 800 m heats and advanced to the next round, Nishida in a PB 2:07.36 and Kamei in 2:10.87, also a PB. Shota Fuchigami (Waseda Univ.) won his 400 mH heat in a PB 50.19 to make the final. Hiroto Shogomori (Chuo Univ.) was 2nd in his 400 m heat in 47.37, yet another athlete to run a PB, moving on to the semifinals. The lone female sprinter on the Japanese team, Misaki Morimoto (Sonoda Joshi Gakuen Univ.) won her 100 m heat in 12.20 (-1.4) and advance