Kenyans Sweep National Corporate T&F Championships 1500 m and 5000 m

by Brett Larner

Along with the men's 10000 m on the first day of competition, Japan-resident Kenyans swept the men's and women's 5000 m and 1500 m at the 2011 National Jitsugyodan Track & Field Championships, Sept. 24-25 in Tokushima. Daniel Gitau (Team Fujitsu), best known for his quadruple win in the 800 m, 1500 m, 5000 m and 10000 m at the 2009 Kanto Regional Track & Field Championships, doubled here with wins in the 1500 m and 5000 m, outkicking two-time world junior 3000 mSC champion Jonathan Ndiku (Team Hitachi Cable) in both races. The top collegiate 10000 m runner of 2010, Yusuke Hasegawa (Team S&B) had the best run of his pro career as he finished 4th in the 5000 m in 13:34.70. Along with Yuichiro Ueno and Kensuke Takezawa, S&B runners now hold three of the ten fastest 5000 m times of the year by Japanese men.

Sally Chepyego (Team Kyudenko), a teammate of men's 10000 m winner Paul Tanui (Team Kyudenko), had a comfortable frontrunning win in the 5000 m in 15:23.09 ahead of a four-way battle which included 1500 m specialists Mika Yoshikawa (Team Panasonic) and Yuriko Kobayashi (Team Toyota Jidoshokki). Yoshikawa emerged from the pack to take 2nd in 15:31.78, the 3rd-best time of the year by a Japanese woman. With both Yoshikawa and Kobayashi having opted for the longer distance the field was open for Kobayashi's teammate Ann Karindi (Team Toyota Jidoshokki) to take the 1500 m, winning in 4:13.03. Grace Kimanzi (Team Starts) narrowly beat yet another Toyota Jidoshokki runner, Ayaka Mori, for 2nd in 4:20.04.

2011 National Jitsugyodan Track & Field Championships
Pocari Sweat Stadium, Tokushima, 9/24-25/11
click here for complete results

Men's 5000 m Final
1. Daniel Gitau (Kenya/Team Fujitsu) - 13:32.25
2. Jonathan Ndiku (Kenya/Team Hitachi Cable) - 13:34.06
3. Patrick Mwaka (Kenya/Team Aisan Kogyo) - 13:34.28
4. Yusuke Hasegawa (Team S&B) - 13:34.70
5. Josephat Ndambiri (Kenya/Team Komori Corp.) - 13:37.14
6. Yuki Matsuoka (Team Otsuka Seiyaku) - 13:37.52
7. Samuel Ndungu (Kenya/Team Aichi Seiko) - 13:39.29
8. Gideon Ngatuny (Kenya/Team Nissin Shokuhin) - 13:41.21
9. Nicholas Makau (Kenya/Team Yachiyo Kogyo) - 13:41.33
10. Yuya Konishi (Team Toyota Kyushu) - 13:47.28

Women's 5000 m Final
1. Sally Chepyego (Kenya/Team Kyudenko) - 15:23.09
2. Mika Yoshikawa (Team Panasonic) - 15:31.78
3. Yuriko Kobayashi (Team Toyota Jidoshokki) - 15:33.36
4. Yuko Shimizu (Team Sekisui Kagaku) - 15:33.89
5. Misaki Onishi (Team Sekisui Kagaku) - 15:34.47
6. Chihiro Takato (Team Wacoal) - 15:40.72
7. Yoshie Kurisu (Team Tenmaya) - 15:41.01
8. Yurie Doi (Team Starts) - 15:41.38
9. Mariko Nakao (Team Shiseido) - 15:44.61
10. Risa Kikuchi (Team Hitachi) - 15:45.38

Men's 1500 m Final
1. Daniel Gitau (Kenya/Team Fujitsu) - 3:46.01
2. Jonathan Ndiku (Kenya/Team Hitachi Cable) - 3:47.24
3. Yasuhiro Tago (Team Chugoku Denryoku) - 3:47.52
4. Fumikazu Kobayashi (Team NTN) - 3:48.90
5. Hikaru Miyazaki (SDF Academy) - 3:49.31

Women's 1500 m Final
1. Ann Karindi (Kenya/Team Toyota Jidoshokki) - 4:13.03
2. Grace Kimanzi (Kenya/Team Starts) - 4:20.04
3. Ayaka Mori (Team Toyota Jidoshokki) - 4:20.99
4. Satomi Ueda (Team Toto) - 4:24.40
5. Sayuri Sendo (Team Toyota Jidoshokki) - 4:24.41

(c) 2011 Brett Larner
all rights reserved

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