Skip to main content

Noguchi to Lead Japanese Team of 10 at Rio World Half Marathon Championships

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/sports/news/20080616-OYT1T00581.htm

translated and edited by Brett Larner

On June 16, Rikuren announced the members of the Japanese team for the World Half Marathon Championships to be held October 12 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Leading the team of five men and five women will be two-time Olympic marathoner Mizuki Noguchi (Team Sysmex).
The complete lineup of each team, with qualification data:

Men
Yusei Nakao (Team Toyota Boshoku): 1:02:00 (2nd, Sendai, 5/11/08)
Kazuo Ietani (Team Sanyo Tokushu Seiko): 1:02:05 (3rd, Sendai, 5/11/08)
Masato Kihara (Chuo Gakuin Univ.): 1:02:07 (5th, Sapporo, 6/15/08)
Tetsuo Nishimura (Team YKK): 1:02:35 (3rd, Jitsugyodan, 3/16/08)
Yukihiro Kitaoka (Team NTN): 1:02:40 (4th, Jitsugyodan, 3/16/08)

Women
Yukiko Akaba (Team Hokuren): 1:08:11 (1st, Jitsugyodan, 3/16/08)
Mizuki Noguchi (Team Sysmex): 1:08:25 (1st, Sendai, 5/11/08)
Chisato Osaki (Team Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo): 1:09:16 (2nd, Sapporo, 6/15/08)
Miki Ohira (Team Mistui Sumitomo Kaijo): 1:10:52 (4th, Sapporo, 6/15/08)
Yuko Machida (Team Nihon ChemiCon): 1:11:44 (3rd, Sendai, 5/11/08)

Translator`s note: While some Japanese runners recorded faster times in other half marathons this spring, Rikuren used March`s Jitsugyodan Half Marathon, May`s Sendai International Half Marathon, and June`s Sapporo International Half Marathon to select the teams for the World Half Marathon Championships. In each case, the top two Japanese finishers were given consideration. The men`s team holds no surprises, as the second Japanese finisher in Sapporo, Tsuyoshi Ogata of Team Chugoku Denryoku, had a time of 1:02:46 and was thus not selected for the team.

The women`s team, on the other hand, has a few unexpected turns. Most notable is the absence of Sapporo winner Yuri Kano (Second Wind AC), who recorded a PB of 1:08:57. This may be an indication that Kano intends to run either the Berlin Marathon or Chicago Marathon, the latter along with her teammate Kiyoko Shimahara. Also notable is the absence of Jitsugyodan Half Marathon second Japanese finisher Yoko Shibui (Team Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo). Shibui`s 1:10:27 4th place finish was superior to both Ohira and Machida`s results. Their selection, particularly that of Sapporo third Japanese finisher Ohira, suggests something is afoot in the Shibui camp.

Comments

Most-Read This Week

Japan's Olympic Marathon Team Meets the Press

With renewed confidence, Japan's Olympic marathon team will face the total 438 m elevation difference hills of Paris this summer. The members of the women's and men's marathon teams for August's Paris Olympics appeared at a press conference in Tokyo on Mar. 25 in conjunction with the Japan Marathon Championship Series III (JMC) awards gala. Women's Olympic trials winner Yuka Suzuki (Daiichi Seimei) said she was riding a wave of motivation in the wake of the new women's national record. When she watched Honami Maeda (Tenmaya) set the record at January's Osaka International Women's Marathon on TV, Suzuki said she was, "absolutely stunned." Her coach Sachiko Yamashita told her afterward, "When someone breaks the NR, things change," and Suzuki found herself saying, "I want to take my shot." After training for a great run in Paris, she said, "I definitely want to break the NR in one of my marathons after that." Mao

Weekend Racing Roundup

  China saw a new men's national record of 2:06:57 from  Jie He  at the Wuxi Marathon Sunday, but in Japan it was a relatively quiet weekend with mostly cold and rainy amateur-level marathons across the country. At the Tokushima Marathon , club runner Yuhi Yamashita  won the men's race by almost 4 1/2 minutes in 2:17:02, the fastest Japanese men's time of the weekend, but oddly took 22 seconds to get across the starting line. The women's race saw a close finish between the top two, with Shiho Iwane  winning in 2:49:33 over Ayaka Furukawa , 2nd in 2:49:46.  At the 41st edition of the Sakura Marathon in Chiba, Yukie Matsumura  (Comodi Iida) ran the fastest Japanese women's time of the weekend, 2:42:45, to take the win. Club runner Yuki Kuroda  won the men's race in 2:20:08.  Chika Yokota  won the Saga Sakura Marathon women's race in 2:49:33.  Yuki Yamada  won the men's race in 2:21:47 after taking the lead in the final 2 km.  Naoki Inoue  won the 16th r

Sprinter Shoji Tomihisa Retires From Athletics at 105

A retirement ceremony for local masters track and field legend Shoji Tomihisa , 105, was held May 13 at his usual training ground at Miyoshi Sports Park Field in Miyoshi, Hiroshima. Tomihisa began competing in athletics at age 97, setting a Japanese national record 16.98 for 60 m in the men's 100~104 age group at the 2017 Chugoku Masters Track and Field meet. Last year Tomihisa was the oldest person in Hiroshima selected to run as a torchbearer in the Tokyo Olympics torch relay. Due to the coronavirus pandemic the relay on public roads was canceled, and while he did take part in related ceremonies his run was ultimately canceled. Tomihisa recently took up the shot put, but in light of his fading physical strength he made the decision to retire from competition. Around 30 members of the Shoji Tomihisa Booster Club attended the retirement ceremony. After receiving a bouquet of flowers from them Tomihisa in turn gave them a colored paper placard on which he had written the characters