Josphat Muchiri Ndambiri in Osaka (© Victah Sailer)
In a solo performance, Kenyan Josphat Muchiri Ndambiri lowered his own world lead in the 10,000m to highlight the 24th annual Shizuoka International meeting held in Ecopa stadium in Fukuroi on Saturday (3).
Six days after his 27:15.82 performance at the Hyogo Relays Carnival in Kobe, the 23-year-old Kenyan cruised to a 27:14.03 performance, winning by more than a minute. Muchiri, who was fifth at last summer’s World championships in Osaka, has a career best of 27:04.79 from 2006.
For the locals, it was the sprints that produced the most interest.
Finishing a close second behind American Latasha Wallace (51.73) in the 400m, Asami Tanno lowered her own Japanese national record to 51.75
“I was shooting for the Olympic ‘A’ standard (51.55), so I am little disappointed,” said Tanno, whose previous mark of 51.80 was set in 2005. “However, I am happy to set a national record. I was able to train without an injury during the winter, which I feel improved my speed. I think that is why I was able to set the national record. I hope to crack the ‘A’ standard in the Osaka Grand Prix.”
“This (Ecopa) was the stadium where I cracked 54 seconds for the first time when I was in high school,” Tanno recalled.
Yuzo Kanemaru won the men’s 400m with 45.21, under the Olympic “A” standard. It was also a personal best for Kanemaru, improving his previous best of 45.41 from 2006. He is now the fifth fastest Japanese at 400m.
Chisato Fukushima, who tied the national record at 100m at the Oda Memorial meet in Hiroshima, ran the 200m in Shizuoka. She recorded a personal best of 23.68 in her heat and then ran 23.13 in the final. Unfortunately, the final was wind assisted (2.7m/s) and thus, although the time was faster than the current national record, 23.33 by Sakie Nobuoka from 2004, Fukushima will have to wait for another opportunity for the record. Incidentally, it was the second fastest time under any condition. The men’s 200m was won by Shinji Takahira in 20.65 against a slight head wind.
Kumiko Ikeda won the women’s Long Jump with a 6.51m.
“I still need to work on a few technical matters, but this is a good indication,” Ikeda said. “I hope to approach the national record (6.86m) by summer time.”.
As expected, Kenji Narisako won the men’s 400mH with 49.44, national record holder Satomi Kubokura won the women’s (56.83), and Naoyuki Daigo won the men’s High Jump with 2.27m.
Elsewhere, Kenyans Pauline Wanguru won the women’s 10,000m in 32:07.31 and Ann Karindi won the women’s 3000m in 9:01.37. Chinese athletes won all the throwing events. Qin Qiang won the men’s Javelin Throw with 78.98m, while Liu Xiangrong won the women’s Shot Put with 18.69m, and Chang Chufeng won the women’s Javelin Throw with 60.30m.
After failing his first attempt at the opening height, Daichi Sawano, the national record holder in the Pole Vault, decided to pull out of the competition.
“It was not an injury,” Sawano wrote on his website. “I just felt that my leg muscles were not responding smoothly to the movement. I felt that if I push it, I might injure myself.”
Ken Nakamura assisted by Tatsuo Terada for the IAAF
Leading Results:
200m -0.3m/s
1) Shinji Takahira 20.65
2) Hitoshi Saito 20.69
3) Patrick Johnson (AUS) 20.84
400m
race 2
1) Yuzo Kanemaru 45.21
2) Yoshihiro Horigome 46.63
3) Yusuke Ishizuka 46.83
10000m
1) Josphat Ndambiri (KEN) 27:14.03
2) Makoko Fukui 28:55.00
400mH
race 2
1) Kenji Narisako 49.44
2) Mahau Sugimachi 50.32
3) Yosuke Tsushima 50.43
HJ
1) Naoyuki Daigo 2.27m
2) Hikaru Tsuchiya 2.24 m
PV
1) Takafumi Suzuki 5.45m
2) Takaya Shibata 5.35m
JT
1) Qin Qiang (CHN) 78.98m
2) Yukifumi Murakami 75.51m
3) Chen Qi (CHN) 75.40m
Women
200m 2.7m/s
1) Chisato Fukushima 23.13
2) Takarako Nakamura 23.35
3) Mayumi Watanabe 23.95
heat 3 0.7m/s
1) Chisato Fukushima 23.68
400m
race 2
1) Latasha Wallace (USA) 51.73
2) Asami Tanno 51.75 National Record
3) Mayu Kida 53.05
4) Mayu Horie 53.10
3000m
1) Ann Karindi (KEN) 9:01.37
2) Nanako Hayashi 9:14.15
10000m
1) Pauline Kiragu Wanguru (KEN) 32:07.31
2) Evelyne Wambui (KEN) 32:18.77
3) Aya Manome 32:23.72
4) Madoka Ogi 32:37.20
5) Ryoko Kizaki 32:42.11
6) Yoshimi Ozaki 32:53.46
400mH
race 2
1) Satomi Kubokura 56.83
2) Sayaka Aoki 57.33
3) Lauren Boden (AUS) 58.07
LJ
1) Kumiko Ikeda 6.51m (1.3m/s)
2) Sachiko Masumi 6.46m (0.4m/s)
3) Saeko Okayama 6.39m (0.0m/s)
SP
1) Liu Xiangrong (CHN) 18.69m
2) Gong Lijiao (CHN) 18.60m
3) Yoko Toyonaga 15.55m
JT
1) Chang Chufeng (CHN) 60.30m
2) Yuki Ebihara 56.26m
3) Zhang Li (CHN) 54.86 m
