Statue of Naoko Takahashi, the 2000 Olympic Marathon champion outside Nagaragawa stadium, Gifu, Japan (© Ken Nakamura)
The Japan Corporate Team Track & Field Championships were held from September 21 to 23 in Gifu, Japan, the home town of Naoko Takahashi, the 2000 Olympic Marathon champion. As visitors approach the Nagaragawa stadium, the venue of the championships, the statue of the Olympic champion welcomes them.
The main protagonists of the championships were Kenyans athletes running for corporate sponsored track teams in Japan. Josephat Ndambiri, who finished fifth at 10,000m in the World Championships in Osaka, won both the 10,000m (27:31.61) and 5000m (13:20.30) here in Gifu. In order to accomplish the feat, he had to run the 10,000m on Friday night (21), a heat of 5000m on Saturday morning and then the final of 5000m in Saturday night (22). Despite the demanding schedule and sweltering heat, with temperatures above 30C, Ndambiri won them all.
Martin Mathathi, who was the bronze medallist at the World Championships 10,000m, was also aiming for a double - in his case, 1500m and 5000m. On Saturday’s 5000m, Mathathi took over the lead before 2000m and pushed the pace in his attempt to shake off Ndambiri. However, Ndambiri easily outkicked Mathathi in the final lap. Mathathi easily won the 1500m on Sunday afternoon (23) leading from gun to tape.
Philes Ongori, who was eighth in the women’s 10,000m in the World Championships in Osaka, won both 5000m and 1500m in Gifu. After easily winning the 5000m in 15:21.65, Ongori said, “I was aiming for 15:15 in 5000m. Tomorrow I will try to run 1500m in 4:15.”
Ongori also went through a demanding schedule. She had to run a heat and the final of 5000m in Saturday and heat and the final of 1500m on Sunday. In Sunday’s 1500m, like Saturday’s 5000m, Ongori led almost from the start. In the 5000m, Ongori shook off all her competitions early but in 1500m, Mika Yoshikawa stayed with Ongori almost all the way. “I knew she (Yoshikawa) was with me, but with 300m to go, I was confident I can win the race,” said Ongori just before the award ceremony. At the end Ongori slowly drew away from Yoshikawa and won in 4:17.99. Ongori covered the last lap in 67.5 seconds.
Many of the top Japanese were missing from the championships. For example, Kumiko Ikeda and Koji Murofushi were in Stuttgart to compete in the World Athletics Final, while some other athletes, Nobuharu Asahra, for example, ran the heat but then pulled of the final.
Kenji Narisako, who missed the 400m Hurdles final of the World Championships by 1/100th of seconds, perhaps, was the biggest Japanese name in the championships. He won his specialty, 400mH, in 48.99. “I kept on training after the World Championships, so I was fit and confident,” said Narisako.
Satomi Kubokura won the women’s 400m Hurdles on Saturday and then came back on Sunday to win the 400m as well. Many of the races were marred with head wind. Shinji Takahira, who ran the 200m in Osaka, won the 200m in 20.86 into the 1.5m/s wind here in Gifu. “It felt lot stronger than 1.5m/s,” said Takahira after the race.
Yoshitaka Iwamizu won the 3000m Steeplechase in the Corporate Team Track & Field Championships for the first time. Hiroyoshi Umegae took off with little less than two laps go. “I knew Iwamizu was going to take off with little more than a lap to go. So I had to go first to run away from him,” said Umegae after the race.
Although he opened the gap on the chase pack, Iwamizue came out of the chase pack to chased Umegae in the back-straight. With one lap to go, Iwamizu took the lead and the race was over. “Because of the timing of the championships, I always ran 5000m or 10,000m in the late season meets. I never ran the 3000mSC in the corporate team Track & Field Championships because I am (usually) done with 3000mSC after the big championships,” said Iwamizu after the competition.
Yuki Yamazaki, whose race (50Km Race Walk) was abruptly disrupted by the officials in Osaka, won the 10,000m track walk in Gifu. He is now coached by Tsugumichi Suzuki, famed marathon coach, who guided Junko Asari to the 1993 World Championships in the marathon. “Except for the technical aspects like walking form, coaching marathon runners and coaching 50Km walker is very similar. His training volume has nearly tripled since I started coaching him,” confirmed Tsugumichi Suzuki. Yamazaki’s future is bright.
Ken Nakamura for the IAAF
RESULTS
Friday 21 September
Men
10,000m race 1
Hidekazu Sato 29:08.28
Yuki Abe 29:10.11
race 2
Noriaki Takahashi 29:09.33
Masahiko Takeyasu 29:13.80
race 3
Josphat Ndambiri (KEN) 27:31.61
Ngatany Gideon (KEN) 27:35.34
Girma Asefa (ETH) 28:11.25
Silas Njui (KEN) 28:12.70
Daniel Mwangi (KEN) 28:12.79
Atsushi Sato 28:13.12
Joseph Gitau (KEN) 28:14.60
Willy Kimtai (KEN) 28:17.84
Women
10,000m race 1
Maya Nishio 33:08.30
Yukari Sahaku 33:12.85
Remi Nakazato 33:19.72
Ayumi Hayashi 33:25.78
Naoko Hashimoto 33:29.87
Race 2
Evelyne Kimwei (KEN) 31:36.20
Lucy Wangui (KEN) 31:50.41
Yukiko Akaba 31:51.58
Yoshimi Ozaki 32:13.95
Akane Wakita 32:14.44
Yoko Miyauchi 32:15.75
Yurika Nakamura 32:24.65
Yoshiko Fujinaga 32:53.11
Mai Endo 32:59.09
Mika Okunaga 33:12.61
Kazue Ogoshi 33:16.19
Hiroko Miyauchi 33:18.63
Kiyomi Ogawa 33:19.55
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Saturday 22 September
Men
200m -1.5m/s
Shinji Takahira 20.86
800m
Hiroshi Sasano 1:50.36
5000m heat 1
Martin Mathathi (KEN) 14:20.59
Heat 2
Josphat Ndambiri (KEN) 14:12.54
Masatoshi Ibata 14:13.57
Heat 3
Bekele Gebrsadick (ETH) 14:05.06
John Kariuki (KEN) 14:05.74
Final
Josphat Ndambiri (KEN) 13:20.30
Martin Mathathi (KEN) 13:22.13
John Kariuki (KEN) 13:22.49
Wanjuki Jacob (KEN) 13:48.96
Hidekazu Sato 13:51.19
Junior 5000m
Kazuki Gouda 14:34.96
400mH
Kenji Narisako 48.99
Takayuki Koike 49.78
Naoko Ihara 50.30
Mahau Sugimachi (BRA) 50.34
10,000mWalk
Yuki Yamazaki 41:09.19
Akihiro Sugimoto 43:00.51
HJ
Naoyuki Daigo 2.18m
LJ
Rikiya Saruyama 7.72m (0.7m/s)
Daisuke Arakawa 7.62m (0.0m/s) (7.59m)
Hiroyuki Oishi 7.62m (1.1m/s) (7.55m)
DT
Shigeo Hatakeyama 57.15m
HT
Hiroaki Doi 67.31m
Women
200m -1.8m/s
Miki Naruse 24.42
800m
Mayu Kida 2:08.26
Junior 3000m
Chiaki Takagi 9:16.67
5000m heat 1
Kiragu Pauline Wanguru (KEN) 16:01.31
Mizuho Nasukawa 16:05.28
Heat 2
Ongori Philes (KEN) 15:46.64
Hiroko Shoi 16:05.90
Final
Ongori Philes 15:21.65
Kiragu Pauline Wanguru (KEN) 15:39.92
Yuka Kakimi 15:51.50
Chika Horie 15:56.74
Megumi Seike 15:58.31
400mH
Satomi Kubokura 56.71
Makiko Yoshida 58.54
5000mWalk
Mayumi Kawasaki 21:56.63
PV
Takayo Kondo 4.30m
Mami Nakano 4.20m
Ikuko Nishikori 4.20m
LJ
Saeko Okayama 6.38m (1.1m/s)
Sachiko Masumi 6.33m (0.9m/s)
SP
Yukiko Shirai 14.52m
JT
Yuko Kojima 53.20m
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Sunday 23 September
Men
100m -1.4m/s
Masahide Ueno 10.50
400m
Yoshihioro Horigome 46.39
Mitsuhiro Sato 46.40
Junior 1500m
Yoshiaki Shiota 3:53.13
1500m
Martin Mathathi (KEN) 3:44.99
Kazuya Watanabe 3:46.75
110mH -1.3m/s
Tasuku Tanonaka 13.79
Yuji Ohashi 14.01
3000mSC
Yoshitaka Iwamizu 8:51.97
Hiroyoshi Umegae 8:54.30
PV
Takehito Ariki 5.40m
Takuro Mori 5.30m
TJ
Kazyoshi Ishikawa 16.71m (2.8m/s)
JT
Yukifumi Murakami 76.09m
Ken Arai 73.05m
Women
100m -0.9m/s
Tomoko Ishida 11.82
400m
Satomi Kubokura 54.10
Mayu Kida 54.80
1500m
Ongori Philes (KEN) 4:17.99
Mika Yoshikawa 4:18.57
100mH heat 2
Mami Ishino 13.32
100mH -1.6m/s
Mami Ishino 13.45
Yukari Yamazaki 13.93
3000mSC
Masako Hirata 10:52.47
HJ
Miyuki Aoyama 1.84m
TJ
Yuka Sato 12.79m (-0.5m/s)
Ryoko Misawa 12.78m (-0.8m/s)
DT
Yuka Murofushi 52.82m
HT
Masumi Aya 62.44m
Yuka Murofushi 58.28m
