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Nittai University Time Trials - Top Results

by Brett Larner

The 2013 Nittai University Time Trials series, Japan's premier long-distance track series and a factory for mass-producing precision-made track results with Saturdays dedicated to distances from 800 to 10000 m and Sundays focused exclusively on 5000 m, kicked off this weekend.  Although far from the highest-quality performance of the weekend, the 16:00.54 win by 10000 m national record holder Yoko Shibui (Team Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo) in the women's 5000 m A-heat was the most noteworthy, coming just a week before her planned shot at the Moscow World Championships marathon team at next weekend's London Marathon.  A solo run with a margin of over 20 seconds over 2nd place, her run spoke well of her fitness despite the unimpressive time.

Japan-based Africans won the other three major races of the weekend, with high schooler Rosemary Wanjiru (Kenya/Aomori Yamada H.S.) taking the women's 3000 m A-heat in a quality 9:01.36, Ethiopian pros Bikila Demma Daba (Team Kanebo) and Asmerow Mengistu (Team Honda) going 1-2 in 13:27.14 and 13:31.81 in the men's 5000 m A-heat, and Duncan Muthee (Kenya/Takushoku Univ.) winning the all-collegiate men's 10000 m A-heat in 28:43.42.  Daito Bunka University ace Takashi Ichida came close to breaking up the African domination, a stride behind Muthee in 28:43.93, while Hosei University and Kanagawa University showed continued improvement from last year's solid season, two runners from each school going sub-29.  Recent Komazawa University and Meiji University grads Hiromitsu Kakuage and Masato Kikuchi got off to a good start at 2013 New Year Ekiden champion Team Konica Minolta, both breaking 13:50 to take the top two Japanese positions in the men's 5000 m A-heat.

229th Nittai University Time Trials
Yokohama, 4/13-14/13
click here for complete results

Men's 10000 m Heat 4
1. Duncan Muthee (Kenya/Takushoku Univ.) - 28:43.42
2. Takashi Ichida (Daito Bunka Univ.) - 28:43.93
3. Hiroto Inoue (Yamanashi Gakuin Univ.) - 28:45.11
4. Shogo Sekiguchi (Hosei Univ.) - 28:49.23
5. Kazuma Ganaha (Kanagawa Univ.) - 28:51.47
6. Masaya Kakihara (Kanagawa Univ.) - 28:54.28
7. Shinichiro Tai (Hosei Univ.) - 28:55.77
8. Ikki Takeuchi (Aoyama Gakuin Univ.) - 28:59.82
9. Daichi Kamino (Aoyama Gakuin Univ.) - 29:01.18
10. Masato Endo (Aoyama Gakuin Univ.) - 29:02.17

Men's 5000 m Heat 27
1. Bikila Demma Daba (Ethiopia/Team Kanebo) - 13:27.14
2. Asmerow Mengistu (Ethiopia/Team Honda) - 13:31.81
3. Jacob Wanjuki (Kenya/Team Aichi Seiko) - 13:34.95
4. Hiromitsu Kakuage (Team Konica Minolta) - 13:48.20
5. Masato Kikuchi (Team Konica Minolta) - 13:48.54
6. Johnson Kiumbani (Kenya/Team Konica Minolta) - 13:53.73
7. Yuta Takahashi (DeNA RC) - 13:54.58
8. Hiroyuki Ono (Team Nissin Shokuhin) - 13:55.05
9. Ryotaro Nitta (Team Konica Minolta) - 13:57.41
10. Tomoya Shirayanagi (Team Toyota Boshoku) - 13:58.15

Women's 5000 m Heat 2
1. Yoko Shibui (Team Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo) - 16:00.54
2. Reia Iwade (Team Noritz) - 16:23.52
3. Ai Inoue (Team Noritz) - 16:26.66
4. Yuki Hidaka (Team Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo) - 16:29.67
5. Yuka Yamazaki (Team Kojima Press) - 16:31.90

Women's 3000 m Heat 6
1. Rosemary Wanjiru (Kenya/Aomori Yamada H.S.) - 9:01.36
2. Mai Shoji (Chuo Univ.) - 9:11.15
3. Doricah Obare (Kenya/Team Hitachi) - 9:13.60
4. Kaho Nishizawa (Aomori Yamada H.S.) - 9:22.26
5. Nanako Kajiya (Toyokawa H.S.) - 9:23.08

(c) 2013 Brett Larner
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