Summary
The Chiba International Cross Country is an annual cross country running competition which takes place in Chiba, Japan in mid-February. It is one of the IAAF permit meetings which serve as qualifying events for the IAAF World Cross Country Championships.[1]
| Chiba International Cross Country | |
|---|---|
 The races are held in the Showa Forest near Chiba | |
| Date | Mid-February |
| Location | Chiba, Japan  |
| Event type | Cross country |
| Distance | 12 km and 4 km for men 6 km for women 8 km junior men 5 km junior women |
| Established | 1966 |
Initiated in 1966,[2] the Chiba Cross Country is held in Showa-No-Mori Park and features a competition schedule of eight races.[3] These include a senior men's long course (12 km), a senior women's course (6 km), and a senior men's short course (4 km). Furthermore, there are three races for junior athletes which are of shorter distances, as well as two 3 km races for high school runners.[4]
Four of the races act as qualifiers for the World Cross Country Championship: the men's 12 km and the women's 6 km allow athletes to enter the senior world competition while the junior men's 8 km and junior women's 5 km enable runners to qualify for the junior section of the championships.[5] The competition is one of three in which Japanese athletes can qualify for the World Championships; the others being the annual Fukuoka International Cross Country and the biennial Asian Cross Country Championships.[6]
Over a thousand runners compete at the meeting each year, although the attendance record set in 1991 featured nearly twice as many participants.[2] A select number of international athletes are invited to compete each year, although the majority of the field typically comprise a mix of Japanese runners and Japan-based Kenyan athletes.[4] Previous winners include Olympic gold medallists Samuel Wanjiru and Derartu Tulu, eight-time European cross country champion Serhiy Lebid, and Tegla Loroupe – twice winner of the New York City Marathon.[2]
The competition is televised on the NHK BS-1 channel by the Japan Broadcasting Corporation, the country's public broadcaster.[7] After the International Chiba Ekiden, the Chiba International Cross Country is the prefecture's premier athletics event.[8]
The Chiba International Cross Country has also hosted the Asian Cross Country Championship race on two occasions (1995, 1997).[2]
Past senior race winners edit
- Note: Race data unavailable prior to 1987.[2]
Key: Asian Championship race 8 km course (All other men's races 12 km and women's races 6 km)
| Edition | Year | Men's winner | Time (m:s) | Women's winner | Time (m:s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 1966 | Not available | — | Not available | — |
| 22nd | 1987 | Shuichi Yoneshige (JPN)
|
35:17 |  Jacqueline Perkins (AUS)
|
19:45 |
| 23rd | 1988 | Andrew Lloyd (AUS)
|
35:03 | Carolyn Schuwalow (AUS)
|
21:19 |
| 24th | 1989 |  Arturo Barrios (MEX)
|
34:28 | Carolyn Schuwalow (AUS)
|
19:33 |
| 25th | 1990 |  Brahim Boutayeb (MAR)
|
34:04 | Carolyn Schuwalow (AUS)
|
19:01 |
| 26th | 1991 |  Addis Abebe (ETH)
|
34:39 | Derartu Tulu (ETH)
|
19:36 |
| 27th | 1992 |  Thomas Osano (KEN)
|
35:03 | Delilah Asiago (KEN)
|
19:24 |
| 28th | 1993 |  Mathias Ntawulikura (RWA)
|
36:01 |  Viktoriya Nenasheva (RUS)
|
20:04 |
| 29th | 1994 |  Gert Thys (RSA)
|
35:35 | Nadezhda Galliamova (RUS)
|
19:25 |
| 30th | 1995 | Daniel Njenga (KEN)
|
35:32 |  Tudorita Chidu (ROU)
|
19:17 |
| 31st | 1996 |  Brad Barquist (USA)
|
36:37 | Iulia Olteanu (ROU)
|
20:05 |
| 32nd | 1997 | Mathias Ntawulikura (RWA)
|
35:50 | Tegla Loroupe (KEN)
|
19:55 |
| 33rd | 1998 | Julius Gitahi (KEN)
|
36:32 | Sally Barsosio (KEN)
|
20:37 |
| 34th | 1999 | Julius Kiptoo (KEN)
|
35:14 | Tegla Loroupe (KEN)
|
26:00 |
| 35th | 2000 |  Serhiy Lebid (UKR)
|
35:38 | Yoshiko Ichikawa (JPN)
|
26:53 |
| 36th | 2001 | Samuel Kabiru (KEN)
|
23:33 | Iulia Olteanu (ROU)
|
19:26 |
| 37th | 2002 | Craig Mottram (AUS)
|
35:29 | Benita Johnson (AUS)
|
25:43 |
| 38th | 2003 |  Ricardo Ribas (POR)
|
36:27 | Benita Johnson (AUS)
|
26:09 |
| 39th | 2004 | Samuel Wanjiru (KEN)
|
35:04 | Benita Johnson (AUS)
|
18:38 |
| 40th | 2005 | Samuel Wanjiru (KEN)
|
34:54 | Miwako Yamanaka (JPN)
|
20:01 |
| 41st | 2006 | Ryan Hall (USA)
|
35:22 | Sara Hall (USA)
|
19:12 |
| 42nd | 2007 | Joseph Gitau (KEN)
|
35:05 | Anália Rosa (POR)
|
19:15 |
| 43rd | 2008 | Harun Mbugua (KEN)
|
35:27 | Lucy Wangui (KEN)
|
19:50 |
| 44th | 2009 | Bedan Karoki (KEN)
|
34:40 | Yuko Shimizu (JPN)
|
19:38 |
| 45th | 2010 | Bedan Karoki (KEN)
|
34:52 | Misaki Katsumata (JPN)
|
19:39 |
| 46th | 2011[9] | Bedan Karoki (KEN)
|
33:58 | Hitomi Niiya (JPN)
|
25:53 |
| 47th | 2012[10] | Charles Ndirangu (KEN)
|
34:59 | Susan Wairimu (KEN)
|
26:41 |
| 48th | 2013[11] | Charles Ndirangu (KEN)
|
35:01 | Rosemary Wanjiru (KEN)
|
26:08 |
| 49th | 2014 | cancelled due to snow storms | |||
| 50th | 2015[12] | Charles Ndirangu (KEN)
|
36:14 | Zoe Buckman (AUS)
|
28:37 |
| 51st | 2016 | Rodgers Kwemoi (KEN)
|
25:05 | Yuki Kanehira (JPN)
|
29:04 |
References edit
- General
- Chiba International Crosscountry. Association of Road Racing Statisticians (2009-02-15). Retrieved on 2010-02-12.
- Specific
- ^ IAAF Cross Country Permits. IAAF (2010). Retrieved on 2010-02-12.
- ^ a b c d e Chiba International Crosscountry. Association of Road Racing Statisticians (2009-02-15). Retrieved on 2010-02-12.
- ^ Nakamura, Ken (2001-02-18). Chiba International Cross Country. IAAF. Retrieved on 2010-02-12.
- ^ a b Nakamura, Ken (2010-02-12). Chiba Cross Country to determine Japanese World Cross teams – Preview. IAAF. Retrieved on 2010-02-12.
- ^ Nakamura, Ken (2008-02-08). Chiba International Cross Country - PREVIEW. IAAF. Retrieved on 2010-02-12.
- ^ Tulu versus Johnson in Chiba - Preview. IAAF (2004-02-13). Retrieved on 2010-02-12.
- ^ 大会情報 Archived 2010-02-07 at the Wayback Machine (in Japanese). JAAF. Retrieved on 2010-02-12.
- ^ Nakamura, Ken (2009-02-15). Karoki and Shimizu the winners at Chiba Cross Country. IAAF. Retrieved on 2010-02-12.
- ^ Nakamura, Ken (2011-02-13). Karoki and Niiya win at Chiba Cross Country. IAAF. Retrieved on 2011-02-13.
- ^ Nakamura, Ken (2012-02-12). Kenyan high schoolers dominate at Chiba Cross Country. IAAF. Retrieved on 2012-02-12.
- ^ Nakamura, Ken (2013-02-10). Kenyans Ndirangu and Wanjiru win Chiba cross country races. IAAF. Retrieved on 2013-02-28.
- ^ Nakamura, Ken (2015-02-09). Ndirangu and Buckman win at the Chiba Cross Country. IAAF. Retrieved on 2015-02-09.
External links edit
- Japanese Athletics Association website
- Showa-no-mori park website (in Japanese)