Kenya’s Caroline Nyaga moved to joint third on the world 5km all-time list with a 14:19 win at the ASICS Tokyo : Speed : Race on Saturday (3).
Fast times were the target as athletes raced on a flat loop course that featured pacing lights and ended beside the iconic Japan National Stadium, venue for the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25 in September.
Uganda’s Harbert Kibet won the men’s 5km, while the 10km titles were claimed by Ethiopia’s Jemal Yimer and Uganda’s Joy Cheptoyek.
Nyaga was racing in Tokyo just one week on from finishing eighth in the 5000m at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Xiamen.
That proved to be a winning warm up as she improved her 5km PB by 16 seconds to triumph in 14:19 – a time that only her compatriots world record-holder Beatrice Chebet (13:54 and 14:13) and Agnes Ngetich (14:13) have ever beaten on the roads.
Nyaga won by 13 seconds ahead of Italy’s Nadia Battocletti, whose 14:32 improved the European record.
Kenya’s Maurine Jepkoech was third in 14:40, while Sarah Lahti matched the Swedish record with 15:04 and finished seventh.
“I’m so grateful, I’m happy,” said Nyaga. “I don’t know what to say – I was not expecting to run such a time because last Saturday I competed in Xiamen, so I was a bit tired.
“I am so happy. I have even cried because of this achievement.”
Kibet won the men’s 5km in 13:00. The 19-year-old had a clear lead as he started the final loop and he maintained that through to the finish, winning by 10 seconds ahead of Djibouti’s Mohamed Ismail, whose 13:10 improved his own national record.
Kenya’s Samwel Nyamai Mailu was third in 13:11, while Maxime Chaumeton set a South African record of 13:13 in fourth and Tomoki Ota a Japanese record of 13:30 in 10th.
World half marathon fourth-place finisher Yimer won the men’s 10km in 27:10. The race ended in dramatic fashion after Vincent Kibet Langat continued on rather than taking the final bend while holding a narrow lead. Yimer sprinted to victory, holding off Victor Kipruto and his Kenyan compatriot Langat, who both clocked 27:11.
Kenya’s Amos Langat was fourth in 27:25, USA’s Abbabiya Simbassa ran a North American record of 27:32 in fifth and Australia’s Sam Clifford a national record of 27:34 in sixth.
Cheptoyek’s 10km win was secured in 30:22 as she finished comfortably ahead of Djibouti’s Samiyah Hassan Nour, who ran a national record of 30:40.
Australia’s Isobel Batt-Doyle improved her Oceanian record to 30:44 and finished third, while Mekdes Woldu set a French record of 31:01 in sixth place.
Results
AloJapan.com