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Nakamura and Tosa's Supporters Gathered Across Japan to Watch Women's Marathon

http://mainichi.jp/area/ehime/news/20080818ddlk38050331000c.html
http://mainichi.jp/area/okayama/news/20080818ddlk33050341000c.html
http://www.sponichi.co.jp/osaka/soci/200808/18/soci214186.html

translated and edited by Brett Larner

500 students gathered at Beijing Olympics women's marathon competitor Yurika Nakamura's former high school, Nishinomiya H.S. in Hyogo Prefecture, to watch the broadcast of the women's marathon on Aug. 17 and cheer her on. Almost all members of the school's track and field team had gone to Beijing to cheer Nakamura on live, but there was no shortage of supporters from the rest of the student body. The climax came when Nakamura passed world record holder Paula Radcliffe shortly before finishing 13th. The scene brought on cheers such as, "Yurika is so cool!" and "Unbelievable!" Yusuke Nakai, 23, who belonged to Nishinomiya High's track and field team at the same time as Nakamura, said, "She's going to become stronger and faster than now. In four years it'll be gold!" Megumi Negita, 22, who went to elementary school for five years with Nakamura before the two went to high school together, added, "Back then I never thought of her legs as fast. She's really turned it up since then."

Nakamura's corporate team sponsor Tenmaya organized a public viewing of the Olympic marathon at Okayama's Momotaro Stadium. Over 1000 supporters turned up, both company employees and individual marathon fans. Tenmaya employees carried megaphones and dressed in the same colors as the national team uniform, chanting, "Let's go Nakamura!"* Other supporters watched the race on a 42-inch television specially set up within the Tenmaya main store in Okayama.

In Reiko Tosa's hometown of Matsuyama, supporters gathered at the Kawano Civic Center and at Tosa's alma mater Matsuyama University to watch her compete in the Beijing Olympics women's marathon. Students and senior citizens alike lent their voices to cheer on their local girl while watching the television broadcast. 150 fans watched the race on four 2m-wide screens at the Kawano Civic Center. Civic Center director Masato Watabe, 72, greeted the crowds and led them in a good luck chant for Tosa as the race began. Cheers, chanting, and rhythmic clapping continued throughout the race until the injured Tosa dropped out of the race at the 25 km point, eliciting a shocked gasp from the assembled viewers. Watabe commented afterwards, "We in Tosa's hometown want to send our proudest 'Well Done!' to our two-time Olympic marathoner."

At Matsuyama University, 400 students wearing t-shirts bearing an illustration of Tosa gathered in the main lecture hall with noisemakers to watch a broadcast of the race. Stunned silence and held breath greeted the scene of Tosa being carried from the course at 25 km, but the silence quickly evaporated as the university's students sent cheers of support and sympathy to the fallen marathoner.

*Translator's note: They apparently chanted this in English.

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