Not including kids‘ races, a total of 74 women and 227 men ran in 14 heats of 5000 m, with a packed-in crowd of fans lining the track beating on metal sponsor boards with batons. It’s a pretty awesome meet, and memorable performances included:
- National champion Kamimura Gakuen H.S. standout Caroline Kariba continued to kill it in the second month of her corporate league career, winning the 5000 m A-heat in 15:00.95 in a race where 3 out of the top 4 including her ran PBs.
- National champion Meijo University seemed flat at this point in the season, with none of its people under 16 minutes and star Nanase Tanimoto leading them in only 16:19.51.
- Josai University grad Takuma Sunaoka unexpectedly shone after quitting the Konica Minolta corporate team in March, winning the men’s A-heat in a PB 13:27.55 over disgraced former Rikkyo University head coach Yuichiro Ueno, 2nd in 13:34.54 at age 38. Sunaoka’s time ended up being the fastest Japanese time of the day.
- Asahi Kasei’s Emmanuel Kiprop Kipruto won the B-heat, the real A-heat, in 13:15.17, surprisingly slow for this meet and only 4 seconds faster than C-heat winner Edwin Kisalsak’s 13:19.29. Asahi Kasei runners took four of the 11 men’s heats, making the home crowd of local supporters happy.
35th Golden Games in Nobeoka
Nobeoka, Miyazaki, 4 May 2024
Women’s 5000 m A-Heat
1. Caroline Kariba (Japan Post) – 15:00.95 – PB
2. Janet Nyiva (Panasonic) – 15:01.25 – PB
3. Esther Muthoni (Nitori) – 15:01.51
4. Diana Cherotich (Higo Ginko) – 15:01.80 – PB
5. Agnes Mwikali (Kyocera) – 15:04.36
6. Pauline Kamulu (Route Inn Hotels) – 15:08.08
7. Susan Kamotho (Yamada Holdings) – 15:25.87
8. Yuna Takahashi (Shimamura) – 15:51.16
9. Azusa Mihara (Route Inn Hotels) – 15:52.89
10. Hikaru Kitagawa (Universal Ent.) – 15:53.80
11. Haruko Hosaka (Panasonic) – 15:54.82
12. Shiori Nagumo (Higo Ginko) – 15:56.03
13. Miki Hirai (Uniqlo) – 15:58.32
14. Yuri Tasaki (Sysmex) – 16:00.64
15. Yuki Hidaka (Canon) – 16:03.62
16. Yuma Yamamoto (Sekisui Kagaku) – 16:04.59
17. Nanase Tanimoto (Meijo Univ.) – 16:19.51
18. Nanaka Yonezawa (Meijo Univ.) – 16:22.76
19. Yuri Karasawa (Kyudenko) – 16:24.28
20. Kasumi Nishihara (Sysmex) – 16:29.20
21. Riko Iijima (SID Group) – 16:35.36
22. Ayano Ikemitsu (Kagoshima Ginko) – 16:35.77
23. Kae Gyu (Japan Post) – 16:36.31
24. Martha Mokaya (Canon) – 16:48.56
25. Io Akashi (18 Ginko) – 16:52.53
Women’s 5000 m B-Heat
1. Kaho Onishi (Route Inn Hotels) – 15:46.92 – PB
2. Rino Maeda (Iwatani Sangyo) – 15:51.68
3. Kaho Horio (Route Inn Hotels) – 16:00.02
4. Akino Asahina (Senko) – 16:01.14 – PB
5. Karen Suzuki (Hitachi) – 16:02.81
6. Yui Kawabe (Shimamura) – 16:05.78
7. Chiho Sakamoto (Route Inn Hotels) – 16:09.00
8. Azumi Nagira (Meijo Univ.) – 16:12.03
9. Sumika Tsutsumi (Higo Ginko) – 16:12.74
10. Kotone Hoshina (Route Inn Hotels) – 16:14.31
—–
DNF – Saho Okumura (Universal Ent.)
Women’s 5000 m C-Heat
1. Miu Yagi (Iwatani Sangyo) – 16:16.02
2. Mayuka Fujita (Route Inn Hotels) – 16:17.65
3. Yuri Mitsune (18 Ginko) – 16:18.93
4. Yui Fujimaru (18 Ginko) – 16:21.37
5. Rin Kamiyanagi (Miyazaki Nichidai H.S.) – 16:22.44
Men’s 5000 m A-Heat
1. Takuma Sunaoka (Tokyo T&F Assoc.) – 13:27.55 – PB
2. Yuichiro Ueno (Hiramatsu Byoin) – 13:34.54
3. Riki Koike (Soka Univ.) – 13:37.54
4. Haruki Minatoya (NTT Nishi Nihon) – 13:37.77
5. Hiroshi Ichida (Asahi Kasei) – 13:40.39
6. Daiki Hattori (Toyota Boshoku) – 13:42.07
7. Kyuma Yokota (Toyota Kyushu) – 13:44.84
8. Ryuya Kajitani (Subaru) – 13:46.41
9. Shingo Moriyama (YKK) – 13:48.37
10. Yuki Ishii (NTT Nishi Nihon) – 13:53.79
—–
DNF – Samuel Kibathi (Toyota)
DNF – Yuhei Urano (Fujitsu)
Men’s 5000 m B-Heat
1. Emmanuel Kiprop Kipruto (Asahi Kasei) – 13:15.17
2. Antipas Kibet (Komori Corp.) – 13:15.38
3. Emmanuel Kipchirchir (SG Holdings) – 13:15.52
4. Kiprono Sitonik (Kurosaki Harima) – 13:15.85 – PB
5. Emmanuel Kiplagat (Mitsubishi Juko) – 13:17.61
6. Gideon Ronoh (Logisteed) – 13:17.65
7. Daniel Ndiritu (NTT Nishi Nihon) – 13:17.73 – PB
8. Anthony Maina (Toyota Kyushu) – 13:18.08
9. Benard Koech (Kyudenko) – 13:18.19
10. Joseph Razini Lemeteki (Yasukawa Denki) – 13:19.98
11. Richard Kimunyan (Logisteed) – 13:24.22
12. Yeneblo Biyazen (Ethiopia/Hiramatsu Byoin) – 13:25.54
13. Vincent Yegon (Honda) – 13:26.05
14. Daniel Kosen (Fujitsu) – 13:29.17
15. Rogers Kibet (Uganda/Konica Minolta) – 13:29.33
16. Amos Bett (Tokyo Kokusai Univ.) – 13:30.20
17. Jonathan Ndiku (YKK) – 13:30.56
18. Cosmas Mwangi (Chugoku Denryoku) – 13:35.88
19. Yuta Bando (Fujitsu) – 13:46.37
Men’s 5000 m C-Heat
1. Edwin Kisalsak (Fujisan no Meisui) – 13:19.29
2. Benuel Mogeni Magoma (Yasukawa Denki) – 13:22.10 – PB
3. Shadrack Rono (Subaru) – 13:22.98 – PB
4. Victor Kimutai (Josai Univ.) – 13:23.60 – PB
5. Nickson Lesiyia (Nishitetsu) – 13:24.96 – PB
6. Felix Korir (Toyota) – 13:26.45
7. Jonson Mugeni (Asia Univ.) – 13:27.21 – PB
8. Simon Saidimu (Chuo Hatsujo) – 13:28.37
9. Zach Facioni (Australia) – 13:29.52
10. Waweru Nganga (Chugoku Denryoku) – 13:30.72
11. Shu Hasegawa (Kao) – 13:32.69
12. Dennis Kipkurui (Makes) – 13:37.22
13. James Muoki (Konica Minolta) – 13:38.19
14. Shotaro Ishihara (SG Holdings) – 13:38.85
15. Joel Mwaura (Kurosaki Harima) – 13:43.35
16. Hiroto Yoshioka (Juntendo Univ.) – 13:44.04
17. Evans Kipkemei (JFE Steel) – 13:45.50
18. Akihito Kawada (SID Group) – 13:58.15
19. Philip Mulwa (GMO) – 14:00.01
20. Yamato Yoshii (Toyota) – 14:07.74
21. Macharia Ndirangu (Aichi Seiko) – 14:13.82
—–
DNF – Saleh Ahnida (Morocco/HRC)
Men’s 5000 m D-Heat
1. Ryo Saito (Asahi Kasei) – 13:33.99 – PB
2. Noah Kiplimo (Togami Denki) – 13:36.12 – PB
3. Hiroto Hayashida (Mitsubishi Juko) – 13:38.16 – PB
4. Shoya Yonei (JR Higashi Nihon) – 13:38.84 – PB
5. Kiyoshi Koga (Yasukawa Denki) – 13:39.43
6. Shunpei Tomita (Logisteed) – 13:39.46
7. Torazo Kai (Suzuki) – 13:41.96
8. Kyohei Hosoya (Kurosaki Harima) – 13:42.49
9. Hiroto Fujimagari (Toyota Kyushu) – 13:43.85
10. Shunta Uchida (Toyota) – 13:51.20
—–
DNF – Cleophas Kandie (Mitsubishi Juko)
Men’s 5000 m E-Heat
1. Itsuki Hirabayashi (Josai Univ.) – 13:39.77 – PB
2. Tomoki Ichimura (Sunbelx) – 13:42.01
3. Ryota Kondo (Mitsubishi Juko) – 13:43.35 – PB
4. Kiyoto Suzuki (Asahi Kasei) – 13:44.19
5. Junna Ishimaru (Soka Univ.) – 13:45.04
Men’s 5000 m F-Heat
1. Yamato Otsuka (NTT Nishi Nihon) – 13:46.56 – PB
2. Kira Migita (Toyota Kyushu) – 13:48.09
3. Hidekazu Hijikata (Asahi Kasei) – 13:48.46 – PB
4. Shohei Otsuka (Kyudenko) – 13:48.68 – PB
5. Keigo Yuhara (Komori Corp.) – 13:56.04
Men’s 5000 m G-Heat
1. Kosei Matsunami (Kurosaki Harima) – 13:53.56 – PB
2. Tatsuya Tsunashima (YKK) – 13:58.40
3. Kaito Ojima (Yakult) – 13:58.88
4. Akihiro Kaneko (Comodi Iida) – 14:00.58
5. Ryota Ejima (Mitsubishi Juko) – 14:02.19
Men’s 5000 m H-Heat
1. Sota Fukutani (Kurosaki Harima) – 13:57.48
2. Ginga Takahashi (Komori Corp.) – 13:57.73
3. Rin Kitsuki (Kyudenko) – 13:58.10
4. Yusuke Yoshiyama (Togami Denki) – 13:59.49
5. Tatsuya Kobayashi (Fujisan no Meisui) – 14:02.02
Men’s 5000 m I-Heat
1. Taiga Nakanishi (Asahi Kasei) – 13:59.52
2. Sakito Matsuzaki (NTT Nishi Nihon) – 14:00.33 – PB
3. Kazuki Moriya (Mitsubishi Juko) – 14:05.14 – PB
4. Kazuma Kubo (Nishitetsu) – 14:07.24
5. Hayate Kudo (Comodi Iida) – 14:07.67
Men’s 5000 m J-Heat
1. Keijiro Mogi (Asahi Kasei) – 14:05.32
2. Jinichiro Kameda (Asahi Kasei) – 14:14.88
3. Maki Yamada (Asahi Kasei) – 14:14.98
© 2024 Brett Larner, all rights reserved#
Brett Larner – Japan Running News