News01 Mar 2008


Kuira, Konovalova prevail at Fukuoka Cross Country

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Maria Konovalova in Toro (2007) (© Getty Images/AFP)

Paul Kuira and Maria Konovalova prevailed at the 22nd Fukuoka Cross Country races today, held on the course which hosted the 2006 IAAF World Cross Country Championships.

These races, along with Chiba Cross Country races, were selection races to determine the Japanese team for the upcoming World Cross Country championships in Edinburgh, and thus the competitions among Japanese were fierce. 

Women’s 6Km -

The race lost much of the luster when two Japanese stars – Megumi Kinukawa and Yuriko Kobayashi – were forced to pull out of the race the day before.  That left Maria Konovalova, who recorded the stage best in the last week’s Yokohama Women’s Ekiden, in the favorite role. As expected, Konovalova led from the start to finish and won by whopping 24 seconds.

Although two Kenyans – Gladys Wairim and Felista Wanjuku – broke away from the chase pack at 3Km to chase Konovalova, they never really threatened her dominance.  Wairim, who attends high school in Japan, finished second, while Wanjuku fell at the triple bumps in the final lap.  Aya Manome, who was sixth in Chiba Cross Country, finished third, the first Japanese. “I was happy with my kick,” said Manome. “These are my first cross country races since my high school days,” continued Manome, who said her goal is to make the World Cross Country team.  She is likely to be selected. Yuko Nohara finished fourth, while Kazuki Wakatsuki, who was the first Japanese in Chiba, finished disappointing ninth place.

Men’s 10Km -

The large pack led by three Kenyans living in Japan passed the first kilometre in 2:55.  By 4Km the lead pack was reduced to nine runners.  A kilometre later it was further reduced to four runners – three Kenyans and Yuki Sato.  Another kilometre later, Paul Kuria and Bitan Karoki, two Kenyan high school students broke away. Kuira and Koroki ran together for the next three kilometre before Kuira broke away and won comfortably by seven seconds.

“It was little on the warm side,” said Kuira. Karoki finished second, while Harun Njoroge, who won the Chiba Cross Country, finished third. 

Yuki Sato was caught by the chase pack from behind at 8Km, and was only seventh at the end. It was Makoko Tobimatsu, who was third in the Chiba Cross Country, who came out of the pack to finish fourth.

“It was windy today, so my plan was to stay in the pack during the early stage of the race and then make my move at the end. I executed my plan well,” said Tobimatsu. 

As in Chiba Cross Country Tobimatsu was the first Japanese.

“I am good in Cross Country, so I felt confident. Call me a prince of Cross Country,” he continued.

Tobimatsu was followed by Yuki Nakamura, Satoru Kitamura and Yuki Sato.  Nakamura, who was eighth in Chiba, finished fifth in Fukuoka, while Kitamura, who was third Japanese in the race, was second Japanese in Chiba. Like Tobimatsu, Kitamura has a good chance to be selected for the World Cross Country team.  

Junior races -

Akinobu Murasawa, who won the Chiba Cross Country, broke away from the lead pack in the final lap to win the junior men’s 8Km race by two seconds. He is virtually assured of the team spot for Edinburgh. The junior women’s 6Km was decided by the final sprint to the finish. The defending Fukuoka Cross Country champion, Atsuko Matsumura barely held off Risa Takenaka at the finish line. They were credited with the same finishing times. Takenaka also finished second in Chiba Cross Country. 

Ken Nakamura assisted by Akihiro Onishi for the IAAF

Leading Results -
Weather:  sunny;  temperature 10.5C, humidity: 38%

Men’s 10Km -
1. Paul Kuira (KEN)  28:18
2. Bitan Karoki (KEN)  28:25
3. Harun Njoroge (KEN)  28:46
4. Makoto Tobimatsu  28:54
5. Yuki Nakamura  28:55
6. Satoru Kitamura  28:56
7. Yuki Sato  28:57
8. Yoshinori Oda  29:04
9. Hidekazu Sato  29:06

Women’s 6Km -
1. Maria Konovalova (RUS)  18:54
2. Gladys Wairim  (KEN)  19:18
3. Aya Manome  19:19
4. Yuko Nohara  19:24
5. Kazue Kojima  19:28
6. Mizuho Nasukawa  19:28
7. Aimi Horikoshi 19:31
8. Megumi Seike  19:33
9. Kazuka Wakatsuki 19:34
10. Mika Okunaga 19:39

Junior men’s 8Km -
1. Akinobu Murasawa  23:18
2. Hirotaka Tamura  23:20
3. Kenta Chiba  23:20

Junior Women’s 6Km -
1. Atsuko Matsumura  19:37
2. Risa Takenaka  19:37
3. Yukino Ninomura  19:39 

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