Masumi Fuchise (JPN) - 20km Race Walk (© Getty Images)
Masumi Fuchise, who finished 27th in the 20km Race Walk in the 2007 World Championships, won the national 20Km walk championships in Kobe on Sunday 25 January.
Fuchise’s winning time established a new national record of 1:28:03, eclipsing the previous record of 1:28:56 set by Mayumi Kawasaki in 2007.
On Sunday it was Kawasaki, eleventh at 20Km Walk in the Beijing Olympics, who set a blazing pace. Kawasaki passed the 5km checkpoint in 22:03, at which point she was 13 seconds ahead of Fuchise. The gap between Kawasaki (43:55) and Fuchise (44:34) grew to 39 seconds by 10km. But then the gap started to narrow and by 15km Fuchise was only 20 seconds behind Kawasaki. Fuchise passed Kawasaki around 17km and then went on to win unchallenged in the last 3km.
It was the second national record for Fuchise, who set her previous record of 1:29:36 in 2007. Kawasaki was second in 1:28:49, also under the previous national record. As the national champion, Fuchise clinched a spot on the 2009 World Championships team.
Koichiro Morioka, 16th at 20km Race Walk in the 2008 Olympics, won the men’s 20km in 1:21:16. It was a personal best for Morioka.
In the early going Yuki Yamazaki led from Morioka and Yusuke Yachi. They passed 5km in 20:21 but by 10km (40:31) the leaders was reduced to the pair, Morikok and Yamazaki, 7th at the 50Km Walk in the Beijing Olympics. They were still together at 15km (1:01:15), but at the end Morioka proved to be stronger and won in 1:21:16, as Yamazaki faded to fourth.
“Since it was a World Championships qualifying race, I wanted to win the race,” wrote Morioka in his team’s website. Like Fuchise, Morioka also clinched a spot on the team for the World Championships. “I hope to finish in the top eight in Berlin,” wrote Morioka.
Ken Nakamura for the IAAF
RESULTS
Men
1) Koichiro Morioka 1:21:16 (20:21, 40:31, 1:01:15)
2) Yusuke Suzuki 1:22:08 (20:39, 41:09, 1:01:36)
3) Isamu Fujisawa 1:22:10 (20:39, 41:09, 1:01:36)
4) Yuki Yamazaki 1:22:16 (20:21, 40:31, 1:01:15)
5) Yusuke Yachi 1:23:46 (20:21, 40:50, 1:01:57)
Women
1) Masumi Fuchise 1:28:03 (22:16, 44:34, 1:06:32)
2) Mayumi Kawasaki 1:28:49 (22:03, 43:55, 1:06:12)
3) Sachiko Konishi 1:29:49 (22:07, 44:32, 1:06:55)
4) Kumi Otoshi 1:32:17 (22:36, 45:32, 1:08:46)