Weekend Track Roundup

by Brett Larner

Four significant men's track meets took place around Tokyo over the weekend.

At the Apr. 9 Setagaya Time Trials meet, Team Kanebo's new Ethiopian ringer Asefa Fekele had a good debut with an 8:05.37 win in the 3000 m just steps ahead of Komazawa University's Wataru Ueno who clocked 8:05.96. 3rd placer Daisuke Shimizu (Team Kanebo) was far back of the pair in 8:09.67.

Nihon University's Shuto Kojima likewise had a narrow win over distance specialist Takehiro Deki (Aoyama Gakuin Univ.) in the Setagaya Time Trials 5000 m, 14:05.28 to Deki's 14:05.56.

At the largest of the four meets, the Five University Meet held Apr. 10 at Heisei Kokusai University, the performance of the day came in the open Premium 3000 m, where Kenyan Bitan Karoki (Team S&B) ran 7:49.43 for the win over teammate Yusuke Hasegawa (Team S&B), who ran 8:05.36 in his pro debut. Senior Takamitsu Hashimoto (Josai Univ.) was the top university runner, 3rd in 8:09.62. Racing again just a day after making his university debut at the Kanaguri Memorial meet, first-year Takashi Ichida (Daito Bunka Univ.) was 4th in 8:12.32.

Sophomore Yuta Shitara (Toyo Univ.) won the 5000 m in 14:18.32 in a close match over senior Hayato Sonoda (Jobu Univ.).

At the Nittai-Chuo Dual Meet at Nittai University on Apr. 10, Nittai athletes won the men's 5000 m and the 3000 mSC. Junior Yutaro Fukushi took the men's 5000 m in 14:15.98 and Shunsuke Numai the steeple in 9:10.85. Mai Shinozuka (Chuo Univ.) won the women's 5000 m in 16:33.60.

The Waseda Invitational. Click here for more photos courtesy of WESC.

The 3000 mSC was the main distance event at the Apr. 10 Waseda Invitational. Takashi Sasazaki (Meiji Univ.) battled Takaaki Osako (Teikyo Univ.) for the win in 9:11.45, Osako winding up 2nd in 9:12.89. The top runner from the hosts was Masahito Aihara, 3rd in 9:15.77.

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