Kimutai Does the Double at Tokorozawa Games

A key part of Josai University‘s school record 3rd-place finish at the Hakone Ekiden in January, 2nd-year Victor Kimutai did a quality double at Saturday’s Tokorozawa Games at Waseda University. Running in the 3000 m fast heat at 10:20 a.m., Kimutai led a quartet most of the way on sub-8 minute pace before pulling away over the last two laps to win in a PB of 7:53.75. Teammate Itsuki Hirabayashi looked set for 2nd but was run down in the last 50 m by Waseda’s Taishi Ito, who set a PB of 7:58.64 just two weeks after running the United Airlines NYC Half. Hirabayashi held on for 3rd in 7:59.18, his first time under 8 minutes.

95 minutes later Kimutai lined up again in the 1500 m fast heat, and again he scored the win with a 3:45.78 PB. Another one of his Josai teammates Tatsuki Yamanaka was right with him with a 3:46.02 PB for 2nd, with high schooler Yanab Naoki Yoshikura of Waseda Jitsugyo H.S. 3rd in 3:49.08.

Tokorozawa Games

Waseda University Field, Tokorozawa, 30 March 2024

Men’s 1500 m Heat 1 

1. Yu Shibata (Josai Univ.) 3:48.41 

2. Shuto Iguchi (Keiho H.S.) 3:49.94 

3. Sora Matsuoka (Kyoto Gaikokudai Nishi H.S.) 3:52.78 

4. Toma Hino (Waseda Univ.) 3:53.76 

5. Kenta Mizuno (Josai Univ.) 3:59.13

Men’s 1500 m Heat 2

1. Victor Kimutai (KEN/Josai Univ.) 3:45.78

2. Tatsuki Yamanaka (Josai Univ.) 3:46.02

3. Nayabu Naoki Yoshikura (Waseda Jitsugyo H.S.) 3:49.08

4. Kazumi Nakajima (Kwansei Gakuin Univ.) 3:49.30

5. Umi Fukuda (Chinen Gakuen Nara H.S.) 3:49.47

6. Naoto Hamaguchi (Soka Univ.) 3:50.35

7. Shun Miyake (Kagawa Nishi H.S.) 3:50.81

8. Yuto Masaoka (Kumamoto Kogyo H.S.) 3:51.68

9. Manato Ozawa (Kamiina Nogyo H.S.) 3:52.12

10. Nagi Miyamoto (Josai Univ.) 3:53.58

Men’s 3000 m SC

1. Kai Ogata (Kwansei Gakuin Univ.) 8:50.66

2. Hikaru Kitamura (Waseda Univ.) 9:03.89

3. Takuma Nakayama (Tokyo Kokusai Univ.) 9:11.68

4. Kosei Kusano (Waseda Univ.) 9:17.70

5. Yusei Kojima (Tokyo Kokusai Univ.) 9:22.78

Men’s 3000 m Heat 3

1. Hinata Kuroki (Soka Univ.) 8:09.69

2. Sora Saito (Soka Univ.) 8:14.11

3. Jo Fujinoki (Soka Univ.) 8:15.70

4. Yuto Wada (Waseda Univ.) 8:17.82

5. Haruyoshi Takeda (Waseda Univ.) 8:22.17

Men’s 3000 m Heat 4

1. Hibiki Yoshida (Soka Univ.) 8:03.00

2. Joseph Githae (KEN/Yugakkan H.S.) 8:09.21

3. Shinjiro Fujimoto (Waseda Univ.) 8:11.59

4. Ryo Yoshida (Soka Univ.) 8:15.56

5. Ikuya Masuda (Tokyo Kokusai Univ.) 8:19.20

Men’s 3000 m Heat 5

1. Victor Kimutai (KEN/Josai Univ.) 7:53.75

2. Taishi Ito (Waseda Univ.) 7:58.64

3. Itsuki Hirabayashi (Josai Univ.) 7:59.18

4. Riki Koike (Soka Univ.) 8:01.42

5. Shunpei Yamaguchi (Saku Chosei H.S.) 8:03.80

6. Haruto Ishizuka (Waseda Univ.) 8:04.67

7. Junpei Maseda (Waseda Univ.) 8:06.07

8. Eiki Kogure (Soka Univ.) 8:08.67

9. Takumi Orihashi (Soka Univ.) 8:10.34

10. Yuta Kubode (Josai Univ.) 8:11.06