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Mar-3-2008
Focus to Be on Japanese Women at Nagoya Next Sunday
by David Monti
(c) Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved
Next Sunday's 28th Nagoya International Women's Marathon will be the last of six qualifying marathons for the Japanese Olympic team, and the last of three for women. Competition for the one remaining team slot will be intense.
Reiko Tosa locked up the first team spot with her gutsy bronze medal finish at last summer's IAAF World Championships, while reigning Olympic champion, Mizuki Noguchi, is almost assured a spot on the team by winning last November's Tokyo International Women's Marathon in 2:21:37. The third spot will go to either to Tomo Morimoto, who clocked 2:25:34 in second place (first Japanese) at the Osaka International Women's Marathon last January, OR the top Japanese finisher in Nagoya who should top Morimoto's mark.
To be honest, Morimoto's chances of being named to the team are small, given the top-notch group of Japanese women who will be lining up in Nagoya.
Yumiko Hara, the 2007 Osaka champion with a 2:23:48 personal best has a good chance of making the team, as does Naoko Sakamoto, who has a 2:21:51 personal best, and Takami Ominami, with a career best of 2:23:43.
The sentimental favorites are 2000 Olympic marathon gold medalist, Naoko Takahashi, 35, and Harumi Hiroyama, 39, who finished fourth in the 10,000m at the 1999 World Championships.
Five international women --Joyce Kirui (KEN), Lidia Vasilevskaya (RUS), Lioudmila Kortchaguina (CAN), Margaret Toroitich (KEN) and Natalia Kulesh
(BLR)-- are also entered, but none has a realistic chance of winning.
Here is the complete list of top athletes for the March 9 race:
International Invited:
Joyce Kirui (KEN) 2:53:15
Lidia Vasilevskaya (RUS) 2:29:24
Lioudmila Kortchaguina (CAN) 2:29:42
Margaret Toroitich (KEN) 2:31:23
Natalia Kulesh (BLR) 2:34:50
Japanese Invited:
Naoko Takahashi 2:19:46
Naoko Sakamoto 2:21:51
Harumi Hiroyama 2:22:56
Takami Ominami 2:23:43
Yumiko Hara 2:23:48
Yuri Kano 2:24:43
Yasuko Hashimoto 2:25:21
Kiyomi Ogawa 2:26:02
Chika Horie 2:26:11
Kiyoko Shimahara 2:26:14
Yuko Machida 2:29:48
Ayumi Hayashi 2:29:59
Yuko Manabe 2:30:34
Akane Taira 1:09:17 half
Yurika Nakamura 1:10:03 half
Other Top Runners:
Megumi Oshima 2:24:25
Mikie Takanaka 2:42:52 (1:08:32 half)
Kaori Yoshida 2:32:53
Maya Nishio 2:30:16
Kaori Tanabe 2:31:31
Ikumi Wakamatsu 1:11:55 half
Yoko Yagi 1:10:06 half
Fujiko Takahashi 1:10:17 half
Yoshimi Ozaki 1:09:26 half
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