Skip to main content

Shibui and Tosa to Run All Japan Jitsugyodan Women's Ekiden (updated)

http://www.sanspo.com/sports/news/081201/spg0812011808001-n1.htm
http://mainichi.jp/enta/sports/news/20081202k0000m050106000c.html

translated and edited by Brett Larner

The entry lists for the 27 teams competing in the 6-stage, 42.195 km All Japan Jitsugyodan Women's Ekiden, to be held Dec. 14 in Gifu Prefecture, were announced on Dec. 1. Leading 7-time champion Team Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo are Beijing Olympians Yoko Shibui (10000 m) and Reiko Tosa (marathon).

2007 runner-up Team Daiichi Seimei will field Yoshimi Ozaki, winner of November's Tokyo International Women's Marathon and the first woman to secure a place on the Japanese national team for the 2009 Berlin World Championships marathon.

Two-time 2nd place and three-time 3rd place finisher Team Tenmaya's squad will include Beijing Olympics marathoner Yurika Nakamura, Beijing Olympic marathon team alternate Tomo Morimoto, and Athens Olympics marathon 7th place finisher Naoko Sakamoto.

Other Beijing Olympians on the entry list include 5000 m and 10000 m team members Kayoko Fukushi (Team Wacoal) and Yukiko Akaba (Team Hokuren). Sakura A.C., the training camp run by coach Yoshio Koide, will send two teams, Toyota Jidoshoki and Aruze. 2007 Tokyo Marathon winner Hitomi Niiya will lead Team Toyota Jidoshoki, while her training partner and 2008 Hokkaido Marathon winner Yukari Sahaku will be the top Japanese member of Team Aruze.

Start lists for the ekiden will be announced Dec. 13.

Comments

Most-Read This Week

Arao Becomes 1st Man in 40 Years to Score Back-to-Back Ome Road Race Wins

30 km is an under-appreciated distance, and both of Japan's big races at that distance happened Sunday. At the Ome Road Race in western Tokyo's mountains, Sydney Marathon 6th-placer Masato Arao (ND Software) became the first man since the great Kunimitsu Ito in 1985-1986 to win back-to-back years. Arao, who finished 39th of 40 on his leg at the New Year Ekiden last month, stayed in the pack through 20 km before going on the attack, putting over a minute on New Year Ekiden Sixth Stage CR breaker Yudai Shimazu (GMO). Sub-1:31 winning times are rare on the tough and hilly Ome course, but Arao's 1:30:54 almost equaled his 1:30:50 from last year, making him the first Japanese man ever to do it twice and second only to CR holder Ezekiel Cheboitibin . Next up Arao races the Tokyo Marathon, where he is targeting sub-2:06. Shimazu was 2nd in 1:31:58 and Yuta Nakayama (JR Higashi Nihon) 3rd in 1:32:07. Cheboitibin was only 9th, running almost 8 minutes off his CR in 1:36:42. Shi...

Nagoya Women's Marathon Elite Field

Last year's top 3 Sheila Chepkirui , Sayaka Sato and Eunice Chebichii Chumba are back for this year's Nagoya Women's Marathon on Mar. 8, but things are being set up more for it to be a race between Chepkirui, 2:17:49 in Berlin 2023, Aynalem Desta , 2:17:37 in Amsterdam last fall, and Japanese NR holder Honami Maeda , 2:18:59 at the Osaka International Women's Marathon in 2024. Aynalem has the freshest sub-2:20 of the 3, with neither Chepkirui nor Maeda having done it in 2 years. Maeda's only recent result is a 1:10:07 from Houston last month, but when she ran her NR she didn't have any kind of tuneup race to indicate her fitness so it's probably best not to read too much into that. If it goes out as a 2:18 race those are the only 3 who can probably hang with it. If it turns out to be more of a 2:20 race like when Chepkirui won in 2:20:40 last year then there's a group of 7 at the 2:20-2:22 level who will be in the picture, including Chumba, Selly Chep...

'Kobe 2024: Aitchison, Athmani Lead Record-Breaking Thursday'

  https://www.paralympic.org/news/kobe-2024-para-athletics-world-championships-aitchison-athmani-lead-record-breaking-thursday Complete results and daily schedule from the Kobe World Para Athletics Championships are here .