Skip to main content

Akaba to Make Marathon Debut in Osaka

http://www.sponichi.co.jp/sports/news/2008/11/04/04.html

translated and edited by Brett Larner

Beijing Olympics 5000 m and 10000 m runner Yukiko Akaba (29, Team Hokuren) has confirmed that she will make her marathon debut in the Jan. 25 Osaka International Women's Marathon, a selection race for the 2009 Berlin World Track and Field Championships. "I'm going to run Osaka," Akaba told reporters after the Nov. 3 East Japan Jitsugyodan Women's Ekiden. Explaining her reasoning for choosing Osaka for her debut, Akaba said, "All four years that I was in university I won my stage in the National University Women's Ekiden in Osaka, so there are a lot of good memories for me there."

The first mother in the history of Japanese track and field to forge a successful career, Akaba has followed a 2-year marathon development plan since giving birth to her daughter Una. "I thought it would be best to start from polishing my speed on the track," she explained. She is satisfied with this phase of her plan after having made both the 5000 m and 10000 m in Beijing and now looks toward bigger goals, saying, "I want to run the marathon in the London Olympics and will be going for a medal."

In the East Japan Ekiden she passed 6 competitors on the 3rd stage, a feat Akaba said demonstrated that her speed has developed sufficiently for the transition to the marathon. She will now head to Tokunoshima near Okinawa to focus on marathon training. Akaba seeks not only to have a strong debut in Osaka but to win the race and to qualify for the Berlin World Championships. She affirmed with conviction, "I'm not afraid to take on the distance and I will be on the Berlin team."

Translator's note: JRN previously published detailed profiles of Akaba before her run at last month's World Half Marathon Championships and in the spring after her course-record victory at the Corporate Half Marathon Championships.

Comments

Most-Read This Week

Goshima and Kasai Win 10000 m National Titles, Maeda Breaks U20 Asian Record

Rino Goshima and Jun Kasai stepped up with PBs to win the 2024 National Championships 10000 m titles Friday at Shizuoka's Ecopa Stadium. In the women's race, Goshima, 4th in last December's 2023 National Championships 10000 m, went out front from the start with Kenyan teammate Judy Jepngetich pacing and 2023 3rd-placer Haruka Kokai in tow. Things were never on track to hit the 30:40.00 Paris Olympics standard, but except for a brief dip to 3:08 at 7000 m Goshima held steady at 3:05 to 3:06/km even as Kokai and Jepngetich fell off. With blood dripping from her left knee after getting spiked by Jepngetich, Goshima closed in 3:03 to take 5 seconds off her best from December's Nationals and win in 30:53.31, moving up to all-time Japanese #6. Jepngetich also PBd at 31:09.42 without counting in the standings, with Kokai 2nd in 31:10.53 and Kazuna Kanetomo 3rd in a PB 31:59.29. The runner-up last time, Yuka Takashima was last in 33:33.27. The men's race went out in a

Ichiyama 8th at Copenhagen Marathon

Currently the #10-ranked Japanese man in the marathon with the fastest-ever domestic time at the elite Beppu-Oita Mainichi Marathon, Tsubasa Ichiyama (Sunbelx) made his international debut at Sunday's Copenhagen Marathon , literally an international debut as it was his first time outside the country. Ichiyama hoped to be in contention to break the 2:08:23 CR and go for the win, and with cool and breezy conditions ran easy in the lead group through 30 km. But something ate away at almost everyone as time went by, several people in the lead men's and women's groups saying humidity, and past 30 km Ichiyama fell off. Falling as low as 9th, he rallied after 40 km to finish 8th in 2:13:07. "It was different than in Japanese races," he said. "I'm used to bigger packs and more even pacing, but this was a kind of racing I hadn't done before. There's a lot to think about. I didn't feel like I was sweating a lot, but I got really thirsty and started sk

Golden Games in Nobeoka Top Results

  For everyone not running yesterday's 10000 m National Championships , where the Asahi Kasei corporate team dominated the men's race with four out of four men sub-28 including winner Jun Kasai , 27:17.46, the grand dame of Japan's long distance time trial circuit was happening on AK's home ground in Miyazaki at the Golden Games in Nobeoka . Not including kids' races, a total of 74 women and 227 men ran in 14 heats of 5000 m, with a packed-in crowd of fans lining the track beating on metal sponsor boards with batons. It's a pretty awesome meet, and memorable performances included: National champion Kamimura Gakuen H.S. standout Caroline Kariba continued to kill it in the second month of her corporate league career, winning the 5000 m A-heat in 15:00.95 in a race where 3 out of the top 4 including her ran PBs. National champion Meijo University seemed flat at this point in the season, with none of its people under 16 minutes and star Nanase Tanimoto leading