Beneath the grey skies of Sejong, South Korea, the athletes competing in the Asia Cup splashed brushes of colour across the city. With the course set over the Sprint distance event, a number of those racing took the opportunity to set a hard pace throughout.
Men’s report
With the water over 27 degrees (Celsius) balmy conditions awaited the men in the swim. Enjoying the warmth of the water, Koki Yamamoto of Japan made the most of the non-wetsuit swim to lead the way in a time of 9:01. A small group of men formed on the heels of Yamamoto. Among them was Ren Sato.
On of Japan’s leading lights on the world stage, Sato had recently recorded a solid 13th place at the Huatulco World Cup and taken a bronze medal at the Asia Cup in Subic Bay. Once onto the bike, he quickly assumed leadership of the race.
Gradually, a ten man pack formed at the head of the field.
Fresh off his win in Samarkand, Ayan Beisebayev was among them. Aoba Yasumatsu was also in the mix while Kurt Wesley pulled a number of big turns. Faced with the firepower of the front group, the chase pack were powerless to stop the front group from riding off into the distance.
By the time the chase made it into T2, the deficit was a steep 80 seconds.
Within the opening half kilometre of the run, Yasumatsu, Sato, Beisenbayev and Satoshi Iwamoto forged ahead. A small mistake in T2 cost Wesley a few seconds but he soon set after the leaders.
While Sato and Beisenbayev were in good form, Yasumatsu had to be watched. He, too, raced in Huatulco and finished 6th after logging one of the best run splits of the day. As Yasumatsu turned the screw, Iwamoto slipped behind to leave a lead trio in control. Sato and Beisenbayev continued to battle but Yasumatsu’s speed proved too much.
In the end he clocked 15:12 over the 5km to claim both the fastest run split and the win. Sato was the next to finish, 13 seconds behind. Shortly after, Beisenbayev croeed the line in 3rd place. In doing so he earned more valuable points towards a potential New Flag slot for Kazakhstan at next year’s Olympic Games.
Women’s report
A similar pattern unfolded in the women’s race.
Miyu Sakai of Japan led the swim and looked in exceptional form. The young Japanese athlete had won a bronze medal at the Asia Cup in Osaka in her last appearance and seemed to have carried her form. Her compatriot, Niina Kishimoto was close by, though, while the experienced Juri Ide was next.
As the season wears on, Ide is proving a worthy opponent for plenty of athletes, particularly on the Continental Cup stage. More importantly she is fighting Father Time himself. Born in 1983, the fact Ide is still able to compete at the sharp end of such races is phenomenal. Indeed, she raced at WTCS Yokohama earlier this year.
Along with Ji Yeon Kim of South Korea, the three Japanese women looked to have manufactured a small break on the bike.
However, several of their rivals were determined to not let them have it their own way.
From further afield, a chase pack gathered momentum. Gayeon Park, Tallulah Wright and Cade Wright played pivotal roles as the chase hollowed out the lead until the front group was caught. As a result, a lead pack of fourteen women duly came together.
Despite the good work of the chase, the race was soon settled on the run as Kishimoto reigned supreme. At first Ide was the only athlete really able to keep close, but then Kishimoto surged ahead. The only woman to clock a sub-18 minute 5km with her split of 17:35, she was peerless in Sejong.
Her gold was therefore another to add to her recent win at the Asia Cup in Osaka.
Although they could not live with Kishimoto, Ide, Sakai and Park settled at the head of the chase pack to decide the silver and bronze. Over the years, Ide has seen a lot of close finishes and was wise to any bursts from Sakai and Park. Her younger rivals tried to get the better of her but she simply brushed them aside. With an expertly timed finish, Ide took the silver medal.
To complete an all-Japan podium, Sakai finished next to win bronze.
View the full results here.
