Three area records, ten national records and 48 personal bests were broken at the ASICS Tokyo Speed Race
The Tokyo World Championships may still be four months away but athletes have already set a myriad of records in the Japanese capital this season.
Almost a dozen national records were set at this past weekend’s ASICS Tokyo Speed Race (May 3), staged adjacent to the Olympic stadium to mark the launch of ASICS’ latest METASPEED series of running shoes, which includes the METASPEED RAY, METASPEED SKY TOKYO, and METASPEED EDGE TOKYO shoes.
New ASICS super shoes represent the peak of speed innovation
ASICS athletes from around the world joined the event to either run or help launch the new shoes, as well as support their fellow athletes.
Italy’s Nadia Battocletti set a European women’s 5km record of 14:32, Isobel Batt-Doyle secured an Oceanic women’s 10km record with 30:44 and Simbassa Abbabiya shaved an incredible 16 seconds off Mark Nenow’s US men’s 10km record of 27:48 from 1985.
Kenya’s Caroline Nyaga set a personal best of 14:19 to win the women’s 5km race, while Uganda’s Harbert Kibet secured victory in the men’s event with 13:00. Kibet’s compatriot Joy Cheptoyek took first place in the women’s 10km with 30:22 and Ethiopia’s Jemal Yimer topped the podium in the men’s 10km with 27:10.
Jon Ridgeon, CEO of World Athletics, said: “The Tokyo Speed Race was an exciting event where athletes of all levels came together to push their speed limits. Our ongoing partnership with ASICS has once again created an event that highlights the power of running and the shared commitment to growing the sport. Looking ahead to the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25, the momentum from this event will help build even more excitement and anticipation for what’s sure to be a monumental year in Tokyo.”
Olivier Mignon, Director of Sports Marketing at ASICS, said: “The Tokyo Speed Race was a true celebration of what speed can unlock, not just in performance, but in confidence. From elite records to personal breakthroughs, the event truly embodied the spirit of ‘Feel Speed, Find Confidence,’ highlighted by the standout performances of so many athletes who broke personal, National and Area records. We are proud of every runner who made this a memorable and uplifting celebration of what running can achieve.”
Britain’s Eilish McColgan was at the event and spoke to AW about her recent London Marathon run and her plans for the coming months. Watch the full interview here
Full event results can be found here
You can watch the races here
