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Mar-9-2008
Nakamura Wins Nagoya Marathon, But Olympic Selection Uncertain
by David Monti
(c) Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved
Off of an inexplicably slow first half, Yurika Nakamura of Japan's Tenmaya team won today's Nagoya International Ladies Marathon in her debut at the distance, clocking 2:25:51. However, the 21 year-old athlete must now wait to see if her performance was judged good enough by the Japanese federation to be awarded the third and final slot on their Olympic team for Beijing. It is ironic that the choice now comes down to two Tenmaya teammates: Nakamura or 24 year-old Tomo Morimoto who was the first Japanese finisher at the Osaka International Women's Marathon last January in a faster time: 2:25:34.
"JAAF women's marathon head coach Shogo Nakamura said in the immediate aftermath of the race that the other coaches jokingly suggested the decision be left to Tenmaya's head coach, Yutaka Taketomi," said Brendan Reilly of Boulder Wave, Inc., an athlete management firm in Boulder, Colo., which works with both Nakamura and Morimoto.
How Nakamura got into this predicament is hard to explain on two fronts. First, since the absolute minimum finish time for team consideration was 2:26:00, one may well ask why the pack of 17 lead women went strolling through the first half in 1:14:43, putting all of them at a collective disadvantage. Second, it was highly unlikely that Nakamura, a marathon debutante, would prevail over such a strong field, which included the likes of Yumiko Hara, Yuri Kano, Chika Horie, Harumi Hiroyama, Naoko Sakamoto and Naoko Takahashi, the 2000 Olympic gold medalist.
Nakamura opened a 15 to 20 second gap on Yuri Kano at 35 km, and ultimately ran the second half of the race in a sparkling 1:11:08, not only good enough to win but to get her under the all-important 2:26 barrier. Yoshimi Ozaki passed Kano to finish second in 2:26:19; Kano was third in 2:26:39.
In Osaka, Morimoto ran slightly faster (2:25:34) and she has a faster personal best (2:24:33 from Vienna in 2006). On the other hand, Nakamura was impressive in her debut, getting the win over such a good field (Morimoto finished second to Briton Mara Yamauchi). The suspense will be broken at what will surely be a packed press conference on Monday when the Japan Amateur Athletics Federation announces the team. Reiko Tosa, the bronze medalist from Osaka last year, and Mizuki Noguchi, the reigning Olympic gold medalist and the winner of last November's Tokyo Marathon, have already locked up team berths.
Whether it is Morimoto or Nakamura who is chosen for the team, the big winner is Tenmaya Department Stores, which sponsors the club to which both athletes belong. This will be the third consecutive Olympic Games to which a Tenmaya athlete will be sent. Eri Yamaguchi competed in Sydney in 2000, and Naoko Sakamoto competed in Athens in 2004; both women finishing seventh.
For 35 year-old Naoko Takahashi, Nagoya may very well have been her last marathon. She finished a dismal 27th in 2:44:18.
Top Results:
1. Yurika Nakamura, 2:25:51
2. Yoshimi Ozaki, 2:26:19
3. Yuri Kano, 2:26:39
4. Yumiko Hara, 2:27:14
5. Chika Horie, 2:27:16
6. Megumi Oshima, 2:29:03
7. Yumi Hirata, 2:29:23
8. Maya Nishio, 2:29:34
9. Harumi Hiroyama, 2:29:50
10. Naoko Sakamoto, 2:30:21
11. Kiyoko Shimahara, 2:30:30
12. Kaori Yoshida, 2:30:58
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