Skip to main content

Quotes From the Fukuoka International Marathon Pre-Race Press Conference

Video interviews with Samuel Wanjiru, Toshinari Takaoka, Atsushi Fujita, Shigeru Aburaya and Atsushi Fujita are available at:

http://www.kbc.co.jp/sports/f-marathon2007/

Click on each line of text in the central box to the right of the five pictures to see the videos. Japanese language only. A separate text article:

http://www.jiji.com/jc/c?g=spo_30&k=2007113000760

translated by Mika Tokairin and Brett Larner

The invited elite runners for Sunday`s Olympic qualifying Fukuoka International Marathon gathered on Nov. 30 for the event`s pre-race press conference. Some quotes from the conference:

"I am going for a 2:06. I am quite confident about it." -Samuel Wanjiru, 1/2 marathon world record holder and marathon debutant

"When I lost four years ago at the selection race for Athens I thought I wouldn`t have another one. I am happy to be here to have a chance to compete." -Toshinari Takaoka, Japanese national marathon record holder

"I have good karma in Fukuoka [having marked a Japanese record here seven years ago]. I will try not to get too nervous and just race as usual." -Atsushi Fujita, course record holder

"I haven`t scored a good result since Athens. I want a good result this time." -Shigeru Aburaya, fifth place finisher in Athens Olympics, 2001 and 2003 World Championships

"I want to know what I can do among these strong runners. I am looking forward to it." -Atsushi Sato, Japanese national 1/2 marathon record holder

IAAF preview of Fukuoka

Comments

Most-Read This Week

Ninja Runner Yuka Ando Leads Japanese Women's Marathon Team in London: "I Want to Go For It"

Her form has been dubbed "ninja running." Both arms held straight down with almost no movement. That idiosyncratic style carried Yuka Ando , 23, to the fastest-ever marathon debut by a Japanese woman, 2:21:36, at March's Nagoya Women's Marathon to land at #4 on the all-time Japanese lists. All at once Ando found herself catapulted to the top level of women's marathoning, a candidate for Japan's next great marathoner. When she was younger Ando ran moving her arms like other runners, but she had a bad habit of moving robotically, her upper body and lower body not working in sync. The turning point came in 2014 when she joined Suzuki Hamamatsu AC . Working there with coach Masayuki Satouchi to eliminate the faults in her form, the pair arrived at the ninja running style that let her run relaxed. "Other people keep asking me, "Isn't it hard to run like that?" but for me it's comfortable," she said. The efficient form helped her mai

Yamaguchi 10th at United Airlines NYC Half - Weekend Overseas Results

2024 national cross-country champion Tomonori Yamaguchi was the top Japanese finisher in the men's race at the United Airlines NYC Half , taking 10th in 1:04:36. A 2nd-year at Waseda University , Yamaguchi was one of three collegiate runners running New York in the 11th year of JRN's development program collaboration between the Ageo City Half Marathon and the New York Road Runners, a program that has seen people like future half marathon and marathon NR breaker Yuta Shitara and Paris Olympic team member Akira Akasaki make their international debuts. Yamaguchi's Waseda teammate Taishi Ito started fast, going with the leaders through 5 km in 14:29 before losing touch. Hosei University senior Rei Matsunaga went through in 14:42 in his last race before joining the JR Higashi Nihon corporate team in April. Yamaguchi, who caught COVID after winning last month's National Cross-Country Championships, started more conservatively with a 15:11 first 5km. But where both Ito

Rui Aoki Wins National University Men's Half Marathon - Weekend Results

Yuka Ando 's win at the Nagoya Women's Marathon was the big news of the weekend, but there were other high-level races happening, even in Nagoya. Held in parallel with the marathon, the Nagoya City Half Marathon saw Australians Natalie Rule and Ed Goddard take easy wins by about 2.5 minutes each, Rule in 1:13:57 and Goddard in 1:04:01. The new Biwako Marathon also had a non-Japanese winner, China's Yousheng Guan scoring 1st in 2:14:58 with Japan's Hirohito Sugai next in 2:16:40. Mikiko Ota won the women's race in 2:50:44. The Shizuoka Marathon returned for its first running in five years, with club runner Shumpei Oda leading the top 7 men under 2:20 in 2:15:36. Women's winner Remi Tanaka ran 2:41:23, beating runner-up Ayumi Sano by exactly 7 minutes. And in Tokyo, Rui Aoki continued what has been a great season so far for Koku Gakuin University with a win at the National University Men's Half Marathon . Aoki and Hiro Konda of Chuo Gakuin Unive