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Takaoka 16th in Paris Marathon (updated)

by Brett Larner

update: Quotes translated from http://www.jiji.com/jc/c?g=spo_30&k=2008040600195.

Running in less than ideal conditions of wind and rain, Japanese national marathon record holder Toshinari Takaoka finished 16th in the Paris Marathon on Apr. 6. His time of 2:11:21 was far from his national record of 2:06:16 set at the 2003 Chicago Marathon but marked an improvement over his other recent marathons. Takaoka was injured during 2006 and spent much of 2007 in recovery. "I thought I could break 2:10," said Takaoka, "but it was still a good race. The headwinds after 35 km were just too much. I'm glad I did it, and this isn't the end for me. I still have other things I want to do. Next year there are the World Championships."

The Paris Marathon was won by Ethiopian Tsegaye Kebede in an excellent time of 2:06:40, only 7 seconds off the course record. Kenyan Moses Arusei also broke 2:07, running 2:06:50 for 2nd place. Two more runners broke 2:08, and a further two broke 2:09.

Kenya came out on top in the women's race, as Martha Komu beat Ethiopia's Worknech Tola by four seconds to win in 2:25:33. Three more women broke 2:27.

Complete results for the 2008 Paris Marathon are available here.

(c) 2008 Brett Larner
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