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Takezawa to Leave S&B Team: "I Want to Find My Own Path Forward"

http://www.sponichi.co.jp/sports/news/2013/02/24/kiji/K20130224005268200.html
http://dena.jp/press/2013/02/post-125.php

translated and edited by Brett Larner

With Team S&B's longstanding sponsorship set to be eliminated at the end of next month due to a streamlining of operations, Kensuke Takezawa, 26, announced that he will not join the rest of the team in moving to new sponsor DeNA.  His plans remain undecided.

A 2008 Beijing Olympics track team member, Takezawa commented, "My path forward is something that I ultimately want to find by myself, under my own strength, and for this reason I've decided not to move with the team.  I need to re-examine myself and carefully consider the best course of action."

The new DeNA team will become an official entity on April 1.  Previous announcements had said that all athletes and staff from the S&B team would transfer together.

Kensuke Takezawa: Born Oct. 11, 1986 in Hyogo.
3000 m: 7:49.26     5000 m: 13:19.00     10000 m: 27:45.59     half-marathon: 1:02:26
2010 national champion, 10000 m
2008 Beijing Olympics 5000 m and 10000 m
2007 Osaka World Championships 10000 m
collegiate record holder, 5000 m

Team DeNA Roster
Supervising Head Coach
Toshihiko Seko - 1980, 1984, 1988 Olympics marathon team member

Head Coach
Hiroshi Tako - 1992 World Half Marathon team member

Assistant Coach
Tomoaki Kunichika - 2004 Athens Olympics marathon team member

Athletes
Yuichiro Ueno - 2009 Berlin World Championships 5000 m
Noriaki Takahashi - 2010 Tokyo Championships 10000 m winner
Yuta Takahashi - 2006 Jr. National Championships 5000 m winner
Bitan Karoki - 2012 London Olympics 10000 m 5th place
Yusuke Hasegawa - 2008 National University 1500 m winner
Takaya Iwasaki - new member - Nittai Univ.
Kensuke Gotoda - new member - Komazawa Univ.
Yukiho Aihara - new member - Aoyama Gakuin Univ.
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