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Her Chances for the Olympics Hopeless, Yurika Nakamura Withdraws from Nagoya

http://www.kobe-np.co.jp/news/sports/0004831749.shtml

translated by Brett Larner

On Feb. 21 Beijing Olympic marathoner Yurika Nakamura (Team Tenmaya) announced that she has withdrawn from her planned run at the Mar. 11 Nagoya Women's Marathon because she has not been able to get into good enough shape.  The final selection race for the London Olympics marathon team, her withdrawal means that Nakamura has given up on trying to repeat as an Olympic marathoner.

Nakamura won her debut marathon at the 2008 Nagoya International Women's Marathon and finished 13th at the Beijing Olympics later that year.  However, running for the Okayama Prefecture team at January's National Women's Ekiden she finished only 42nd on the First Stage.  According to Tenmaya head coach Yutaka Taketomi, during her training in late January Nakamura was not getting back into shape.  "Even if she started, she is in no shape to run," he said in explaining the decision to pull her from Nagoya.  "London has been her goal ever since Beijing, so it's very unfortunate.  I decided to take her out in order to work on turning her back around."  Tenmaya's Risa Shigetomo is a favorite to make the London team after winning the Jan. 29 Osaka International Women's Marathon.

Translator's note: Nakamura was the only Japanese woman to finish the Beijing Olympic marathon.  Since her promising debut in 2008 every marathon she has run has been a PW.
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Comments

Anonymous said…
Brett - While technically true that each marathon Yurika has run since her debut has been slower than the preceding marathon and therefore a "PW,", I think the term suggests a series of unmitigated disasters. While her 2:30:19 in the 2008 Beijing Olympics and 2:30:41 for 7th at Boston the following year were disappointments, I'd say last year's 2:41 in London would be the only one of her four career marathons that could be viewed as an out-and-out disaster.

Nagoya should be a dynamite race...last train to London, and likely a sayonara run for several women in the field!

Brendan Reilly
February 24, 2012 at 8:20 AM
Brett Larner said…
Thanks for the comment, Brendan. If you have any comments on what happened with her current situation it would be much appreciated. It's a shame that she won't be a part of what looks like a great race.
February 24, 2012 at 8:44 AM
geo s said…
Brendan, will be there??
February 27, 2012 at 12:26 AM
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