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Fukushima and Takahashi Break 200 m National Record (updated)

http://www.nikkei.co.jp/news/main/20090503STXKA014403052009.html
http://www.sanspo.com/sports/news/090504/spg0905040015002-n1.htm

translated and edited by Brett Larner

At the May 3rd Shizuoka International Track and Field Meet, a selection race for this summer's World Championships in Berlin, Chisato Fukushima (Hokkaido Hi-Tec AC) set a new Japanese national record of 23.14 in the women's 200 m with a legal tailwind of 1.5 m/sec. 2nd place finisher Momoko Takahashi (Heisei Kokusai Univ.) ran 23.15, also under the previous national record of 23.33 set at the 2004 National Track and Field Championships by Sakie Nobuoka (Team Mizuno). "If we'd been running 202 m....." commented Takahashi afterwards.

The 20 year old Fukushima tied the women's 100 m national record of 11.36 in April, 2008 at the Oda Memorial Track and Field Meet and went on to represent Japan at the Beijing Olympics, becoming Japan's first female Olympic 100 m sprinter in 56 years. At this year's Oda Memorial on Apr. 29 Fukushima ran 11.23 and Takahashi 11.24 in the semi-final and again in the final of the women's 100 m, both times with winds of 2.1 or 2.2 m/sec slightly over the legal limit of 2 m/sec.

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