Chisato Fukushima set a new national record at women’s 200m in Shizuoka Japan, 3 May 2009 (© PHOTO KISHIMOTO/Koji YAMAZAKI)
Since late April, the Japanese track season has been in full swing and there have been a number of outstanding performances highlighted by a 26:57.36 world season lead in the 10,000m by Kenyan Josphat Muchiri Ndambiri and a national women’s 200m record by Chisato Fukushima in the Shizuoka International on 3 May.
First Japanese women’s Olympic 100m sprinter since 1952
The national highlight of the season so far has been the form of Chisato Fukushima who set a national women’s 200m record of 23.14 sec thus eclipsing the previous record of 23.33 set by Sakie Nobuoka in 2004.
“I did not expect the record, but my coach told me I can ran the national record,” said Fukushima after the race. She also said, “Many male sprinters ran 200m faster than double 100m time. I would like to do the same.”
Fukushima was a sprint sensation last year when she tied the national 100m record of 11.36 and ran 100m in the Olympic Games, becoming the first Japanese woman to that event in the Olympics since 1952.
Everyone knew that she was in form, for Fukushima recorded slightly wind-assisted (2.2m/s) 11.23 at 100m in the Oda meet in Hiroshima on 29 April.
In Fukuroi in Shizuoka prefecture, where Shizuoka International meet was held, Fukushima took a commanding lead before coming into the home-straight.
At the start of the home-straight, Fukushima was 2m ahead of Momoko Takahashi, who finished second to Fukushima with 11.24, one-hundredth of the second behind Fukushima, in Hiroshima. Although Takahashi closed fast in the final 50m, Fukushima held on to the lead and finished in 23.14, while Takahashi was again second with 23.15, one-hundredth behind Fukushima. They are both 20 years old and thus considered as the best up and coming sprinters in Japan. Fukushima improved her personal best from 23.52 to 23.51 (in heat) to 23.14 while Takahashi improved from 23.48 to 23.44 (in heat) to 23.15.
Tsukahara and Takahira – superb sprint form
The Japanese men’s quartet of Naoki Tsukahara, Shinji Takahira, Shingo Suetsugu and Nobuharu Asahara who won a bronze medal at 4x100m relay in the Beijing Olympic Games have undergone some changes since Beijing. Asahara has since retired, and Suetsugu, 2003 World Championships 200m bronze medallist, is taking a year off, but the remaining pair Tsukahara and Takahira have been superb in the spring track season.
In Oda meet (29 April), Tsukahara won the 100m in 10.17, two hundredth of a second short of his personal best, while Takahira was second with the personal best of 10.20, improving his best from 10.29. In the Shizuoka meet four days later (3 May), Takahira won the 200m, his specialty, with 20.46, while Tsukahara was third in 20.61. 20-year-old Mitsuhiro Abiko was second in 20.50, a personal best.
Abiko’s specialty is 400m, for he was a lead off runner of 4x400m relay team in Beijing. In Izumo meet on 19 April, Abiko was second at 300m with 32.63 to Yuzo Kanemaru, who set a national record of 32.29 at 300m. Kanemaru won the 400m in Shizuoka International in 45.27, six-hundredth seconds short of his personal best. Also in the Izumo meet, Satomi Kubokura won the 300m with the new Asian record of 37.80. In Shizuoka International, Kubokura, a national record holder at 400m Hurdles, was second at 400m in 53.58. The race was won by the 400m national record holder Asami Tanno in 53.21.
World lead for Ndambiri
The men’s 10,000m is always the race to watch for in the spring track season in Japan, for Kenyans in Japan usually ran superb races. First, in Hyogo Relays in Kobe (25-26 April), Yacob Jarso of Ethiopia and Honda won the 10,000m in 27:38.67, ahead of Josphat Muchiri Ndambiri of Kenya and Komori Corporation.
Another 10,000m race was held in the Shizuoka meet (3 May) in which Ndambiri, who was fifth in the 2007 World Championships in Osaka, won from Martin Mathathi of Kenya and Suzuki. Ndambiri, who held Japanese all comers record of 27:04.79, improved his personal best and all comers record to 26:57.36. It was the first sub 27 minutes 10,000m on the Japanese soil. Mathathi, bronze medallist at 2007 World Championships as well as at the 2006 World Cross Country Championships, also improved his personal best to 26:59.88, his first sub 27 minutes 10,000m.
Mekubo Mogusu is considered as the best collegiate runner in the last four years. He was involved is the near fatal (his coach is still hospitalised) accident in February in Kenya, and finally seemed to be recovering from psychological trauma from an accident. He was fifth at 10,000m in Hyogo relay and second at 5000m in Hiroshima.
Other good performances were recorded in women’s 10,000m in Kobe, 110mH and women’s 5000m in Hiroshima, and women’s 3000m in Fukuroi.
Flomena Cheyech of Kenya and Uniqlo won the 10,000m in Hyogo Relays with 32:03.76. In Oda meet, Ying Jing of China won 110mH in 13.40, and Hitomi Niiya, protégée of Yoshio Koide, won 5000m in 15:23.27, approximately five seconds personal best. Ann Karindi of Kenya and Suzuki won the Shizuoka 3000m in 8:43.54, more than 20 seconds ahead of Grace Kimazi of Kenya and Staats.
Thomas struggling; Lewis wins hurdles
Established national stars also started the season auspiciously. At the Oda meet in Hiroshima, Yuka Murofushi won both Discus Throw (54.20m) and Hammer Throw (61.50m), while in the Shizuoka meet Kenji Narisako won 400m Hurdles in 48.99 sec, and Kumiko Imura (formerly Ikeda) won women’s Long Jump in 6.48m.
Some big names from overseas competed in the spring track circuit in Japan. In the Shizuoka meet Donald Thomas, 2007 World champion, was fifth in the High Jump with 2.16m, while Tamsyn Lewis, 2008 World Indoor champion at 800m, won the women’s 400m Hurdles in 57.10 sec
Ken Nakamura for the IAAF
RESULTS
Hyogo Relays in Kobe on 25 -26 April
800m
1) Takeshi Kuchino 1:49.15
Asics Challenge 10000m
race 1
1) Harun Njoroge (KEN) 28:20.13
2) Ryuji Kashiwabara 28:20.99
3) Tsuyoshi Ugachi 28:23.62
race 2
1) Martin Mukule (KEN) 28:33.00
2) Cyrus Njui (KEN) 28:33.66
GP 10000m
1) Yacob Jarso (ETH) 27:38.67
2) Josphat Muchiri Ndambiri (KEN) 27:40.32
3) John Thuo (KEN) 27:44.03
4) Gedion Ngatuny (KEN) 27:45.03
5) Mekubo Mogusu (KEN) 28:08.00
6) Naoki Okamoto 28:28.37
3000mSC
1) Nahom Mesfin (ETH) 8:42.85
2) Hiroyoshi Umegae 8:42.95
LJ
1) Yohei Sugai 7.87m 0.0m/s
2) Naohiro Shinada 7.70m -0.6m/s
DT
1) Shigeo Hatakeyama 57.02m
Women
200m
race 1 -0.5m/s
1) Satomi Kubokura 24.29
3000m
1) Mika Yoshikawa 9:10.70
2) Christine Muyanga (KEN) 9:12.61
5000m
1) Jelliah Kerubo Tinega (KEN) 15:41.56
GP 10,000m on Apr 26
1) Flomena Cheyech (KEN) 32:03.76
2) Yurika Nakamura 32:13.89
3) Mari Ozaki 32:20.92
4) Ryoko Kizaki 32:24.00
5) Remi Nakazato 32:29.45
6) Madoka Ogi 32:32.43
7) Yoshiko Fujinaga 32:58.78
8) Aya Nagata 33:00.80
SP
1) Yukiko Shirai 14.89
JT
1) Yuki Ebihara 53.69m
2) Emika Yoshida 52.28m
Oda in Hiroshima on 29 April
100m
heat 1 1.6m/s
1) Naoki Tsukahara 10.28
heat 2 1.8m/s
1) Shinji Takahira 10.28
2) Shintaro Kimura 10.33
heat 3 2.2m/s
1) Masahi Eriguchi 10.20
2) Hitoshi Saito 10.35
Final 1.3m/s
1) Naoki Tsukahara 10.17
2) Shinji Takahira 10.20
3) Shintaro Kimura 10.33
1500m
1) Yasunori Murakami 3:43:30
2) Yasuhiro Tago 3:46.62
5000m
1) Nicholas Makau (KEN) 13:27.49
2) Mekubo Mogusu (KEN) 13:29.34
3) Bitan Karoki (KEN)) 13:32.79
4) Jonathan Ndiku (KEN) 13:34.51
5) Yusei Nakao 13:34.67
6) Samuel Ndungu (KEN) 13:36.69
7) Micah Njeru (KEN) 13:40.09
8) Naoki Okamoto 13:44.00
110mH
heat 1 0.6m/s
1) Pak Tae-Kyong (KOR) 13.87
2) Hideki Nomoto 13.95
heat 2 1.2m/s
1) Tasuku Tanonaka 13.83
2) Kenji Yahata 13.91
heat 3 0.9m/s
1) Yin Jing (CHN) 13.51
2) Yuji Ohashi 13.87
Final 1.9m/s
1) Yin Jing (CHN) 13.40
2) Tasuku Tanonaka 13.65
3) Yuji Ohashi 13.76
4) Pak tae-Kyong (KOR) 13.77
5) Kenji Yahata 13.77
6) Yukito Irie 13.79
TJ
1) Li Yanxi (CHN) 16.80m (2.9m/s)
2) Nobuaki Fujibayashi 16.45m (1.0m/s)
SP
1) Sotaro Yamada 18.13m
2) Yohei Murakawa 17.83m
HT
1) Hiroaki Doi 69.12m
Women
100m
heat 1 2.2m/s
1) Chisato Fukushima 11.23
2) Nao Okabe 11.75
heat 2 2.8m/s
1) Mayumi Watanabe 11.31
2) Saori Kitakaze 11.52
heat 3 3.4m/s
1) Momoko Takahashi 11.24
2) Saeko Okayama 11.69
Final 2.2m/s
1) Chisato Fukushima 11.23
2) Momoko Takahashi 11.24
3) Mayumi Watanabe 11.34
800m
1) Ruriko Kubo 2:07:76
2) Tomomi Kimura 2:08:40
5000m
1) Hitomi Niiya 15:23.27
2) Yurika Nakamura 15:23.99
3) Felista Wanjugu (KEN) 15:24.48
4) Obare Doricah Kerubo (KEN) 15:25.60
5) Yuko Shimizu 15:31.82
6) Mari Ozaki 15:33.95
7) Ryoko Kizaki 15:35.12
8) Shoko Mori 15:38.27
100mH
heat 1 1.9m/s
1) Mami Ishino 13.53
2) Sayuri Kawakami 13.86
heat 2 1.9m/s
1) Manami Kawafune 13.84
2) Yukari Yamasaki 13.84
heat 3 2.1m/s
1) Reina Joshita 13.49
2) Suzuka Akai 13.72
Final 2.1m/s
1) Mami Ishino 13.45
2) Reina Joshita 13.48
3) Risa Shiba 13.64
3000mSC
1) Yoshika Tatsumi 10:03.23
2) Minori Hayakari 10:04.99
PV
1) Ikuko Nishikori 4.20m
2) Tomomi Abiko 4.00m
3) Takayo Kondo 4.00m
TJ
1) Limei Xie (CHN) 14.48m (2.6m/s)
DT
1) Yuka Murofushi 54.20m
HT
1) Yuka Murofushi 61.50m
2) Masumi Aya 61.37m
Shizuoka International meet in Fukuroi on 3 May
200m
heat 1 1.2m/s
1) Mitsuhiro Abiko 20.50
2 ) Naoki Tsukahara 20.62
heat 2 0.3m/s
1) Chris Berrian (USA) 20.52
2) Shinji Takahira 20.56
Final 0.2m/s
1) Shinji Takahira 20.46
2) Mitsuhiro Abiko 20.54
3) Naoki Tsukahara 20.61
400m
race 1
1) Hideyuki Hirose 45.98
race 2
1) Yuzo Kanemaru 45.27
2) Yusuke Ishizuka 46.02
10,000m
1) Josphat Muchiri Ndambiri (KEN) 26:57.36
2) Martin Irungu Mathathi (KEN) 26:59.88
3) Nicholas Makau (KEN) 28:07.39
4) Samuel Ndungu (KEN) 28:08.15
5) Micah Njeru (KEN) 28:21.59
6) Daisuke Shimizu 28:44.75
400mH
race 1
1) Masahira Yoshikata 49.95
race 2
1) Naoki Ihara 49.97
2) Hideki Yano 50.27
race 3
1) Kenji Narisako 48.99
2) Mahau Sugimachi 49.67
3) Naohiro Kawakita 50.11
4) Brendan Cole (AUS) 50.22
HJ
1) Hiromi Takahari 2.22m
2) Hikaru Tsuchiya 2.22m
3) Hup Wei Lee (MAS) 2.22m
4) Tora Harris (USA) 2.19m
5) Satoru Kubota 2.16m
5) Wang Chen (CHN) 2.16m
5) Donald Thomas (BAH) 2.16m
5) Naoyuki Daigo 2.16m
PV
1) Takafumi Suzuki 5.55m
2) Hiroki Sasase 5.45m
3) Jeremy Scott (USA) 5.35m
DT
1) Shigeo Hatakeyama 57.26m
2) Shiro Kobayashi 54.08m
Women
200m
heat 1 0.9m/s
1) Momoko Takahashi 23.44
2) Mayumi Watanabe 23.63
heat 2 1.1m/s
1) Chisato Fukushima 23.51
Final 1.5m/s
1) Chisato Fukushima 23.14 national record
2) Momoko Takahashi 23.15
3) Mayumi Watanabe 23.66
400m
race 1
1) Tomomi Sai 55.75
race 2
1) Asami Tanno 53.21
2) Satomi Kubokura 53.58
3) Miho Shingu 53.81
3000m
1) Ann Karindi Mwangi (KEN) 8:43.54
2) Grace Mbuthye Kimazi (KEN) 9:04.96
3) Chisa Nishio 9:05.24
10,000m
1) Kazumi Nishihara 32:29.59
2) Seika Nishikawa 32:38.94
3) Yuika Mori 32:44.31
4) Yoshika Fujinaga 32:46.68
5) Sayo Nomura 32:47.41
6) Michi Numata 32:47.41
400mH
race 1
1) Asuka Mizumura 60.53
race 2
1) Tomomi Yoneda 58.79
race 3
1) Tamsyn Lewis (AUS) 57.10
2) Latosha Wallace (USA) 57.45
3) Kana Tsuru 57.74
LJ
1) Kumiko Imura (formerly Ikeda) 6.48m 1.8m/s
2) Chen Yaling (CHN) 6.42m 1.2m/s
3) Sachiko Masumi 6.32m 0.6m/s
SP
1) Yukiko Shirai 15.07m
JT
1) Emika Yoshida 55.32m
2) Yuki Enmi 53.70m
