Mizuki Noguchi at last year's edition of the Berlin Marathon. © Victor Sailer
Olympic Marathon champion Mizuki Noguchi showed herself to be in top shape on Sunday. The 27-year-old Japanese, who is preparing for the real,- Berlin Marathon on September 24 as the defending champion, won the Sapporo Half Marathon despite windy weather conditions in a new course record of 68:14 minutes. She bettered the old record set by Olympic marathon runner-up Catherine Ndereba by nine seconds. Ndereba, who won the race last year ahead of Noguchi, also ran in the strong half marathon field, but it wasn’t a good race for the Kenyan. She was only eighth in 71:50.
Mizuki Noguchi set the pace almost from the start. Momentarily, the eventual runner-up Hiromi Ominami (Japan/1:09:19 hours) led the group. But when Noguchi, the Asian marathon record holder (2:19:12 in Berlin last year), got away from the group at 14 kilometers, Ominami had no chance. “As she increased the pace, she didn’t even breathe hard,” said Ominami. Ongori Philes (Kenya) came in third in 1:10:00.
“It was windy and therefore I didn’t expect to better the course record. But I felt very good and that’s why I was running fast. I want to improve my personal best at the Berlin Marathon,” said Noguchi. The Japanese will now prepare for the real,- Berlin Marathon in St. Moritz, Switzerland, as in the year before. In the men’s race, Kenyan Cyrus Njui won in 61:16, ahead of Ethiopians Girma Assefa (61:21) and Tesfaye Girma (61:24).
Gete Wami Wins Utica Boilermaker
At the Utica Boilermaker in upstate New York, there was a Kenyan triple triumph. Sammy Rongo won the traditional 15K race, which was held for the 29th time, in 43:16 ahead of countrymen Wilson Kiprotich (43:30) and William Chebor (43:39). In the women’s race, another runner of the upcoming real,- Berlin Marathon showed good shape: Gete Wami of Ethiopia, the 10,000-meter world champion of 1999 and 2000 Olympic runner-up, clocked 49:31. In a duel of two world-class marathoners, she prevailed against Susan Chepkemei. The Kenyan finished two seconds later. Third was Jemima Jelegat (Kenya/49:39).
Bekele Wins Again
On Saturday, Kenenisa Bekele won the 5,000m at the IAAF Golden League meeting in Paris in a new world-leading time for 2006. The Ethiopian ran 12:51.32. After Bekele took the lead 500 meters before the finish, there was no stopping him. The next five runners behind the world record holder broke their personal bests in this high-quality race. Soi Edwin Cheruiyot (Kenya) finished second in 12:52.40; his countryman Moses Mosop took third (12:54.46).
Therefore, Bekele is still in the race for a part of the IAAF Golden League Jackpot after his surprising defeat at the season’s first Golden League Meeting in Oslo. If the Ethiopian wins the next four meetings of the series, he’ll get a share of the $500,000 jackpot. There was drama in the women’s 5,000m race in Paris. After World champion Tirunesh Dibaba ran from fourth to second position in the last lap, the Ethiopian attacked her countrywoman Meseret Defar on the home straight. First it looked as if Defar would hold on until the finish, but Dibaba caught her in the last meter. Dibaba, who already won in Oslo, ran 14:54.24, while Defar clocked 14:54.30.
