7th Place and New PB for Yurika Nakamura in IAAF 10,000m Championships!!!
Becomes Third-Fastest in Japanese History with 31:14.39
August 15, 2009
In this evening's 10,000m women's final on the opening day of the IAAF Berlin World Championships, Japan's Yurika Nakamura continued the hot streak of running she has displayed over the past 18 months. Jumping to the lead only 100m into the race, Yurika shared much of the opening pace setting with Russian Mariya Konovalova, as the leaders came through 5,000m in a comfortable 15:45. The African contingent out of Ethiopia and Kenya took firm control of the race after 6,400m, with Kenya's Linet Masai dueling world-leader Ethiopian Meselech Melkamu to the wire, taking Melkamu by a mere tenth of a second at the line at 30:51.24, with Ethiopia's Wude Ayalew only another six-tenths back for the bronze. In the final two laps, Nakamura battled America's Amy Yoder Begley. Nakamura came home a stride behind Begley in 31:14.39 for 7th. The time makes Yurika Japan's third fastest 10,000m woman in history, trailing only legends Yoko Shibui and Kayoko Fukushi.
Coach Yutaka Taketomi will have Yurika take a few easy days now as she rests and preps for Wednesday, when she will double back in the opening round of the 5,000m in Berlin.
