Tanui’s training shifts from Japan to Kericho home
Paul Tanui trains at the Moi International Sports Centre ahead of last year’s World Championships in Daegu where he finished ninth in the 10,000 metres. Japan-based Tanui will shift his training to Kericho from this weekend as he plans to use the cross country season to prepare for this year’s London Olympics. PHOTO/ FILE/ MOHAMMED AMIN | NATION
What you need to know:
- Former national cross country champion returns home to start Olympic preparations
After helping his employers Kyudenko Company to a fifth place finish in the New Year’s Day Ekiden (relay marathon), Kenya’s former national cross country champion, Paul Tanui, returns home this weekend to focus on his build-up to the London Olympics.
Sunday’s prestigious seven-stage, 100-kilometre relay race was won by Nissin Foods that has on its roster another former Kenya national cross country champion, Gedion Ngatuny.
The winners clocked a course record four hours, 49 minutes and 32 seconds to win the race that determines the best men’s corporate sponsored team in Japan.
Six-time champions
The race, which this year celebrated its 56th edition, starts and finishes at the Gunma prefectural building in Maebashi. It was the second victory in three years for Nissin Foods who also won in 2010 but finished third a year ago.
Six-time champions Konica Minolta were second after finishing ninth a year ago, and this was hardly a disappointment for them.
The 21-time champions, Asahi Kasei, finished third, while defending champions Toyota were fourth.
Tanui, who spoke to the Daily Nation from Tokyo yesterday, said he will now return to Kenya this weekend and focus on cross country training.
“The cross country is part of my getting into shape for the track season,” said Tanui, silver medallist at last year’s World Cross Country Championships after coming in as a late replacement.
“I will train in Kericho until March and I will run at least one cross country race in Europe, in Sevilla, on January 15, maybe two.”
Japan-based Ethiopian
Disappointed by his ninth-place finish in the 10,000m at last year’s World Athletics Championships in Daegu, a race won by fellow Japan-based Ethiopian, Ibrahim Jeylan, Tanui wants to start his Olympic preparations quite early.
Yoshihiro Wakamatsu from the winning team was the best runner in the first 12.3km stage of Sunday’s Ekiden with 35 minutes and 55 seconds.
Kenyans dominated the second stage with Edward Waweru (NTN) being the best in 22:29 at 8.3km ahead of Tanui (22:31) and Ngatuny 22:34.
The third stage winner, Chihiro Miyawaki, clocked 37:52 at 13.6km while Yuki Sato, representing the winners, clocked 62:51 in the longest fourth part over 22 kilometres. Muryo Takase, also from Nissin, was the best in stage five at 15.8km (46:16).
In the sixth part of the race run over 12.5 kilometres, the fastest time was 36:35 for Kazuharu Takai while the last part over 15.5 kilometres had Yusuke Takabayashi as the best (45:16).
