Kenya's Rotich wins Lake Biwa Marathon, Uganda's Mutai 11th

Mutai and Kiprotich at Beijing 2015. FILE PHOTO

#LakeBiwaMarathon (Japan) results via @JRNLive 

1. Lucas Rotich (Kenya) - 2:09:11

2. Hisanori Kitajima (Japan) - 2:09:16 - PB

3. Alphonce Felix Simbu (Tanzania) - 2:09:19 - PB

4. Suehiro Ishikawa (Japan) - 2:09:25

5. Takuya Fukatsu (Japan) - 2:09:31 - PB

6. Fumihiro Maruyama (Japan) - 2:09:39 - debut

7. Yuki Kawauchi (Japan) - 2:11:53

8. Kentaro Nakamoto (Japan) - 2:12:06

9. Hiroto Inoue (Japan) - 2:12:56 - debut

10. Soji Ikeda (Japan) - 2:13:27

11. Munyo Solomon Mutai (Uganda) - 2:14:57

12. Takayuki Matsumiya (Japan) - 2:14:58

13. Hideaki Tamura (Japan) - 2:15:00

14. Kiyokatsu Hasegawa (Japan) - 2:15:42

15. Dishon Karukuwa Maina (Kenya) - 2:15:42

Kenya's Lucas Rotich has won the 71st Lake Biwa Mainichi Marathon in Japan in 2:09:10, beating a strong entry of Japanese runners seeking Olympic places.

Uganda's Munyo Solomon Mutai, seeking to cement his place on the Team-Uganda Olympic team, managed 11th in 2:14:57, four minutes outside his best time. Bronze medalist at the World Championships last year, Mutai's best time is 2:10:42.

The Lake Biwa Mainichi Marathon held in Otsu, Shiga, is one of the prominent Japanese marathon races of the year. It is a male only competition and has IAAF Gold Label status. It is the final qualifying race for Japanese men hoping to make the Olympic team.

Mutai at last year's World Championships

Background

Uganda will enter a strong team of four runners in the Rio Olympics Marathon event due to the consistently good performance of the country’s long distance runners led by Stephen Kiprotich. Up to six  runners are in contention, and only those with the best times will join Kiprotich.

With a slot for defending Olympic champion Kiprotich guaranteed, four other Ugandans have already in the past year beaten the qualifying mark of 2:19:00, leaving the Uganda Athletics Federation with a headache to pick the best three. Moses Kipsiro is also reportedly seeking one of the places.

The other Ugandan track and field athletes who have so far hit the qualifying mark for the Olympics are Adero Nyakesi in the women’s marathon, Joshua Cheptegei and Tim Toroitich in the 10,000m, Phillip Kipyeko in the 5,000m and Ronald Musagala in the 1500.

Uganda's track and field team at the last Olympics in London was the biggest (11 out of 15), and Etuchet said it is likely to be bigger this time due to the stiff competition in long distance races.

Kiprotich's gold in London 2012, was the first Olympic medal since Davis Kamoga’s bronze in 1992 and one of only two gold Uganda has won at the games. The first gold was by Akii Bua in 1972, one of only 7 medals Uganda has won at Olympics track and field.

The elite field in Japan today had:
Tadese Tola (ETH) 2:04:49
Shumi Dechasa (BRN) 2:06:43
Lucas Rotich (KEN) 2:07:17
Henryk Szost (POL) 2:07:39
Kazuhiro Maeda (JPN) 2:08:00
Yuki Kawauchi (JPN) 2:08:14
Kentaro Nakamoto (JPN) 2:08:35
Ryo Yamamoto (JPN) 2:08:44
Ser-Od Bat-Ochir (MGL) 2:08:50
Shura Kitata (ETH) 2:08:53
Masanori Sakai (JPN) 2:09:10
Suehiro Ishikawa (JPN) 2:09:10
Tomoya Adachi (JPN) 2:09:59
Munyo Solomon Mutai (UGA) 2:10:42
Alphonce Felix Simbu (TAN) 2:12:01

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*Kiprotich 4th, Kenyans beaten in Tokyo Marathon