Suzuki and Hironaka Win 10000 m National Titles

Former Komazawa University captain Mebuki Suzuki (Toyota) and 3-time 10000 m national champion Ririka Hironaka (Japan Post) ran through rain that started just before the day’s last two events to win the 10000 m national titles Saturday in Kumamoto at the Kanakuri Memorial meet. With Kenyan pacers and Wavelight in action both races were steady time trials that ground the fields down to a few legit contenders.

In the men’s race that was Suzuki, 2024 national champ Jun Kasai (Asahi Kasei) and Suzuki’s teammate Yamato Yoshii. Yoshii made an early move to break away, but Suzuki and Kasai reeled him back in by 7200. At 9000 m the pace had slowed to 24:56, on track for 27:42, but Suzuki attacked with a 61-second lap from 9000 to 9400, a pace he held to drop a 2:32 last 1000 m for the win in 27:28.82. Kasai was next in 27:33.52 and Yoshii 3rd in 27:36.33 with the top 8 all breaking 28 minutes.

The women’s race was down to just 2021, 2022 and 2023 national champion Hironaka and surprise challenger Mikuni Yada (Edion), whose 31:34.39 best from 2020 was a full 55 seconds slower than Hironaka’s, by 4000 m with the pace ticking off steadily at 31:20. When the pacer stopped at 8000 m Hironaka went to the front, but Yada responded and passed her. Making a return from her latest injury setbacks, Hironaka answered that with another move at 9200 m that was too much for Yada to handle. With a 2:57 last 1000 m Hironaka took title #4 in 31:13.78, Yada rewarded for her big run with a 31:20.09 PB for 2nd. 3rd-placer Kazuna Kanetomo (Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo) escaped getting lapped, finishing in 32:18.25.

The men’s 5000 m fast heat was a 3-way battle over the last lap between Nagiya Mori (Honda), Keita Sato (Komazawa Univ.) and Masaya Tsurukawa (GMO). Sato, running his first track race and only second race of any kind in 13 months, did all the work in the race, burning it down to just the final three. With 200 m to go Tsurukawa made a move to kick past him, but Sato responded and dropped him. Mori went with him and had the faster kick in the home straight, cutting just over a second off his PB to win in 13:15.07. Sato was 2nd in 13:16.29, the fastest outdoor time of his career by 6 seconds, with Tsurukawa also cutting a second off his best in 13:17.64.

Emmanuel Kiprop Kipruto (Asahi Kasei) won the B-heat in 13:15.87 just off his best, with Victor Kimutai (Josai Univ.) winning the C-heat in a 13:20.07 PB. Along with the top 2 in other events, Mori and Sato earned places on Japan’s team for next month’s Asian Championships in Gumi, South Korea.

2023 Asian Championships gold medalist Yuma Yamamoto (Sekisui Kagaku) cut 4 seconds off her PB to win the women’s 5000 m A-heat in 15:23.82, putting loads of ground on Sora Shinozakura (Yokohama T&F Assoc.), 2nd in 15:23.82, and Nagisa Shimotabira (Senko), 3rd in 15:38.77. The B-heat was way faster, with the top 3 all breaking the meet record. It was a photo finish between Janet Jepkoech (Kurashiki H.S.) and Janet Nyiva (Panasonic), Jepkoech getting the win in 15:00.92 and Nyiva 2nd in 15:00.98. Both were PBs, with Jepkoech’s time also a new high school national record. Tabitha Njeri Kamau (Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo) was a step behind in 3rd in 15:01.17.

One of the favorites in the men’s 3000 mSC, Yutaro Niinae (Aisan Kogyo) dropped Waseda University 1st-year Tetsu Sasaki and 2023 Asian champion Ryoma Aoki (Honda) for the win in 8:26.69. The 18-year-old Sasaki ran an excellent 8:29.05 PB for 2nd, the 2nd-fastest Japanese U20 mark ever, with Seiya Sunada (Subaru) getting Aoki just before the line for 3rd in 8:29.11. Miu Saito (Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo) moved up from #6 to #5 on the all-time Japanese women’s 3000 mSC list with a 9:39.46 PB for the win, with #4 Manami Nishiyama (Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo) 2nd in 9:45.34 and #3 Yuzu Nishide (Daihatsu) 3rd in 9:57.51.

The top 5 in the men’s 1500 m A-heat went under 3:40, Keisuke Morita (Subaru) getting the win in 3:38.35 over Hinata Maeda (Kantaiheiyo Univ.), 2nd in 3:38.61. NR holder Kazuki Kawamura (Toenec) was 4th in 3:39.70, 800 m NR holder Ko Ochiai landing 17th in 3:44.18 in his debut in the Komazawa University uniform after trying to lead the first half of the race. Teresiah Muthoni (Daiso) led the women’s 1500 m start-to-finish, holding off NR holder Nozomi Tanaka (New Balance) over the last lap after Tanaka tried to move up and re-opening almost 3 seconds over the last 200 m to win in 4:08.96.

Junki Ishimoto (Arcyell) got Sota Okamura (Kanoya Taiiku Univ.) just before the line to win the men’s 800 m A-heat 1:48.81 to 1:48.92, both beating the meet record. Women’s NR holder Rin Kubo (Higashi Osaka Keiai H.S.) took the 800 m A-heat in 2:02.58 ahead of Ayano Shiomi (Iwatani Sangyo), 2nd in 2:04.75.