Skip to main content

Neko Runs PB for 5th at SE Asian Games; Olympic Status Unclear

http://www.nikkansports.com/entertainment/news/f-et-tp0-20111116-864133.html
http://www.nikkansports.com/entertainment/news/p-et-tp0-20111112-862322.html

translated and edited by Brett Larner

Newly minted Cambodian citizen, professional comedian and former Japanese national Hiroshi Neko ran the Nov. 16 Southeast Asian Games marathon in Indonesia in a bid to make Cambodia's Olympic team for next summer's London Olympics.  Neko ran a ten-second PB of 2:37:39 for 5th place.  Five days before the race his top rival for the Cambodian Olympic team, national record holder Hem Bunting (25), withdrew from competition and Cambodia's other two marathon entrants switched events to the 800 m.  As the only Cambodian entrant in the marathon Neko cleared the Cambodian Olympic Committee's criterion of being the top Cambodian finisher, but he was informed before the race that the Committe would be looking for a time close to Bunting's SB of 2:31, set in Australia in August, to consider him.  Whether he is now offered an Olympic ticket remains the Committee's decision.

With high temperatures and humidity despite the early morning start, Neko lost touch with the lead pack.  Throughout the second half of the race he slapped and swatted both of his legs.  "I couldn't reach my target of a 2:32 because of the limits of my ability," he told reporters.  "I'm in shape and felt good.  It's disappointing."  But although his fate with regard to the Olympics remains unclear, Neko has not given up hope.  "I'm still aiming for it," he said.

The 147 cm Neko finished 3rd at an international half marathon in Cambodia last December and was contacted by the Cambodian Olympic Committee with an offer of becoming a Cambodian citizen to try to make the country's London Olympic Team.  Although Neko's PB is far slower than the men's Olympic B-standard of 2:18:00, countries without any qualifiers in track and field are considered a special case and are eligible to send one male and one female athlete to compete in a single event.  If another athlete from the country qualifies in another track and field event the special exemption is rescinded.

If the Cambodian Olympic Committee decides Neko's performance at the Southeast Asian Games was insufficient, he will still have another chance to run a faster time at another race to meet the committee's criteria.  With this in mind Neko is planning to run February's Tokyo Marathon where he hopes to break 2:31.

Comments

Brett Larner said…
Dear Anonymous,

Thank you for the comments. If you wish to make such allegations please attach your name to them or contact me directly to confirm your identity. I am unable to publish comments of the nature of yours anonymously. Thank you.

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...

'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 .

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...