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Confirming Olympic Marathon Target, Kinukawa to Run Sunday's Shanghai Half Marathon

http://www.jiji.com/jc/c?g=spo_30&k=2011120100706

translated and edited by Brett Larner

Having doubled in the 5000 m and 10000 m at the summer's Daegu World Championships, 5000 m national champion and 10000 m junior national record holder Megumi Kinukawa (22, Team Mizuno) confirmed Dec. 1 that the marathon is her target for the London Olympics.  Kinukawa will run the Dec. 4 Shanghai International Half Marathon, and if her result is good she will race one of the two remaining domestic Olympic selection marathons, either January's Osaka International Women's Marathon or March's Nagoya Women's Marathon.

Kinukawa ran the 10000 m at the 2007 Osaka World Championships while still a student at Sendai Ikuei High School.  After that she suffered a long absence from the sport, but this year she returned to win the National Championships 5000 m.  Her coach from the beginning, Takao Watanabe, commented, "In Shanghai we're going to see once and for all whether or not she is cut out for the marathon."

Translator's note: Despite the outstanding late-spring comeback that saw Kinukawa win the 5000 m at Nationals in a year-leading 15:09.96 and go on to clock 31:10.02, she ran poorly at the World Championships.  Since then she has won the amateur-level Amsterdam Half Marathon and, most recently the 5000 m B-heat at the Nittai University Time Trials.

Comments

Kevin said…
Who is running Osaka Ladies Marathon? Are they running to just record their pb instead of trying to make the olympics? All of theJapanese women's marathoners didn't make 08 team except Nakamura. Looks like Japanese runners give up trying to make the olympics. Only Yurika Nakamura finished the olympic marathon.
Brett Larner said…
They don't usually announce the Osaka Int'l field until after the ekiden champs. Those are on the 18th this year. I'm sure that if any top woman ran a PB in Osaka she would be doing it while trying for the Olympic team.

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