Skip to main content

WC Silver Medalist Yoshimi Ozaki 2:23:56 Yokohama Win

by Brett Larner
photos by Mika Tokairin


Running in near-perfect conditions on a flatter new course, 2009 World Championships marathon silver medalist Yoshimi Ozaki (Team Daiichi Seimei) ran a race record 2:23:56 to win the 2011 Yokohama International Women's Marathon and become the first Japanese woman to secure a guaranteed spot on the team for this summer's World Championships. Ozaki said before the race that her goal was only to win, not to run a fast time, but her mark was the fastest by a Japanese woman in over 2 years and close to her PB.

Top two Nakazato and Ozaki.

Pacemaker Shoko Mori (Team Otsuka Seiyaku) took the race out faster than planned with a 3:19 first km, but things soon settled down to 16:59 for the first 5 km. Despite being right on target pace the pack began to fracture, with debutante Yuka Izumi (Team Tenmaya) then 2:29 women Mayumi Fujita (Team Juhachi Ginko) and Kaori Yoshida (Amino Vital AC) losing touch. The pack continued to splinter as the pace accelerated again, 2009 New York City Marathon winner Derartu Tulu (Ethiopia) falling off after only 9 km. Halfway passed in 1:11:36.

Barros and Ozaki head to head.

Following the last pacemaker's departure at 30 km Ozaki ran on the shoulder of Marisa Barros (Portugal), with 22 year old Remi Nakazato (Team Daihatsu) and 21 year old first-timer Kaoru Nagao (Team Univ. Ent.) close behind. Barros pressed the pace, whittling the pack down to three as Nagao dropped behind. With exactly 10 km to go Ozaki stepped to the front for the first time, but both Barros and Nakazato remained in contention as they took turns surging into the lead. Ozaki then abruptly hit the gas, splitting 9:52 for the final 3 km as she unleashed the same finishing speed that gave her the win at the 2008 Tokyo International Women's Marathon and her World Championships medal. It was a dominant victory that confirmed Ozaki's position as Japan's current #1 woman.

Nakazato with 1 km to go in custom handmade Adidas.

Runner-up Nakazato was almost a bigger story, staying with Ozaki until late in the race and taking 10 minutes off her PB to finish in a strong 2:24:29 in just her second marathon. Her run also marked the 100th sub-2:26:30 by a Japanese woman. Like Ozaki having cleared the federation's sub-2:26 World Championships standard, Nakazato now stands ahead of Osaka International Women's Marathon runner-up Mai Ito (Team Otsuka Seiyaku) in line for a national team spot but must wait until the outcome of next month's Nagoya International Women's Marathon to find out her fate.

Jarzynska looking strong on the way to London.

Third placer Barros finished in a PB of 2:25:04 after having also PB'd at last year's Osaka. Her time made her the all-time 2nd-fastest Portuguese marathoner. Fourth placer Nagao had a strong debut in 2:26:58, with Poland's Karolina Jarzynska, who set a national record at the Marugame Half Marathon two weeks ago, running a PB of 2:27:16 for 5th to earn a spot at the London Olympics.

2011 Yokohama International Women's Marathon
click here for complete results
1. Yoshimi Ozaki (Team Daiichi Seimei) - 2:23:56 - CR
2. Remi Nakazato (Team Daihatsu) - 2:24:29 - PB
3. Marisa Barros (Portugal) - 2:25:04 - PB
4. Kaoru Nagao (Team Univ. Ent.) - 2:26:58 - debut
5. Karolina Jarzynska (Poland) - 2:27:16 - PB
6. Alevtina Ivanova (Russia) - 2:29:00
7. Mayumi Fujita (Team Juhachi Ginko) - 2:30:42
8. Yuka Izumi (Team Tenmaya) - 2:33:05 - debut
9. Kaori Yoshida (Amino Vital AC) - 2:33:57
10. Naoko Sakamoto (Team Tenmaya) - 2:35:17
-----
11. Derartu Tulu (Ethiopia) - 2:35:58
14. Azalech Masresha (Ethiopia) - 2:37:00

(c) 2011 Brett Larner
all rights reserved
photos (c) and (p) 2011 Mika Tokairin
all rights reserved
Labels:

Comments

Brett Larner said…
The new course gets a thumbs up from some friends who ran and some others who watched. Being seaside a lot will depend on the wind for it to be fast in the future, but they lucked out with the weather today.
February 20, 2011 at 8:01 PM
Brett Larner said…
Sorry to hear Keyhole wasn't working for some people. With Japan switching over to complete digital broadcast in a few months I'm not sure what Keyhole's future will be.
February 20, 2011 at 8:34 PM
Post a Comment

Most-Read This Week

Japan Post Holds Off Sekisui Kagaku to Win Queens Ekiden National Title

  Japan Post  was back on top at the Queens Ekiden corporate women's national championships Sunday in Sendai, holding off last year's winner Sekisui Kagaku  over the second half of a race that came as close as 1 second to take 1st with a final margin of victory of 27 seconds. Sekisui Kagaku was out fast with a win on the 7.0 km opening leg by Erika Tanoura  and a new CR for the 12:56 second leg by Yuma Yamamoto , 17 seconds better than her own CR from last year. Last year's 4th-placer Shiseido  briefly led on the 10.6 km third leg with an excellent 33:17 stage win from Rino Goshima , but behind her Japan Post's Ririka Hironaka  returned from her latest injury problems to pass Sekisui Kagaku's Sayaka Sato  and hand off 6 seconds ahead. New recruit Caroline Kariba  ran Shiseido down on the 3.6 km fourth leg and put Japan Post 22 seconds ahead of Sekisui Kagaku, but a duel of marathoners between JP's  Ayuko Suzuki  and Sekisui's Hitomi Niiy...
Post a Comment
Read more

Olympian Hagitani Takes 10 Minutes Off Yodogawa Kanpei Half Marathon CR

At the Yodogawa Kanpei Half Marathon in Hirakata, Osaka on Dec. 15, Kaede Hagitani , 24, took over 10 minutes off the women's course record to win in 1:10:37. Hagitani ran the 5000 m at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics and is targeting the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Men's winner Koki Hosokawa , 31, broke his own CR with a 1:08:03 to win for the 2nd year in a row. In 5˚ temperatures the race set off along the Yodogawa river. Competing as a first step in her comeback after having left the sport post-Olympics, Hagitani had a spectacular record-breaking run that earned her a permanent invitation. "I usually train alone, so I never feel like I'm really on except in a race like this," she said. "The male runners in the race helped me have a good one." When asked why she ran a local race like the Kanpei Half when everyone else there was just a regular amateur Hagitani laughed and said, "My parents live near here." At the Tokyo Olympics Hagitani broke her 5000...
Post a Comment
Read more

2023 Champion Kamimura Gakuen Girls Ready for Sunday's National High School Ekiden

Ahead of the Dec. 22 National High School Ekiden in Kyoto, the 2023 national champion Kamimura Gakuen H.S. girls held an open practice session for the media. 2023 was Kamimura Gakuen's only 2nd national title ever. Can it make it two in a row? The Kamimura Gakuen girls won the Nov. 2 Kagoshima Prefecture High School Ekiden, its 9th-straight win and 31st victory overall in the prefectural qualifying race for Nationals. 3rd on her stage at Nationals last year as part of the winning team, Hina Ogura summed up this year's lineup. "There's no really dominant star runner this year, but each person is aware of their position on the team and working together to share in everyone playing leading roles." Sakine Noguchi ran the Second Stage at Nationals last year. "I think we've improved our stamina," she said, "so I hope that we can get the best possible results and all finish with a smile." Handling the First Stage last year, Rin Setoguchi said,...
Post a Comment
Read more