by Brett Larner
Yesterday it was announced that Russian Albina Mayorova has received a four-year suspension after testing positive for elevated testosterone. Mayorova was a four-time winner of Japan's major women's marathons and a regular at the Tokyo Marathon. Her suspension follows that of a number of other Eastern European women to have won Japanese marathons in the last ten years, including Inga Abitova, Tatiana Aryasova, Mariya Konovalova, and Tetiana Gamera-Shmyrko, all five represented by Russian agent Andrey Baranov and his Spartanik agency. What impact have these and other women from former Soviet nations had on the domestic Japanese women's marathon circuit?
Below is a list of every time one has finished in the top three in one of Japan's five main women's marathons in the last 20 years plus other results by those who later tested positive. During this period, women from former Soviet nations have won Japanese marathons 21 times. Of those, thirteen were by athletes who tested positive or had adverse biological passport findings. Thirteen of the 21 wins were in the last ten years, nine by later suspended athletes.
Looking at top three finishes, in the last 20 years 42 were by former Soviet nation women, 19 of whom were suspended. Of those 42, 19 came in the last ten years, 11 by suspended athletes. Despite this record, virtually all of the races maintained their relationships with Baranov until very recently. The Saitama International Women's Marathon invited Belarus athlete Maryna Demantsevich to its most recent running in November, 2016.
What has the impact of these performances been on Japanese women? Of the nine times that later-suspended Eastern European women won Japanese marathons in the last ten years, Japanese women came 2nd six times.
Looking at top three placings, twelve Japanese women were kept out of the top three a total of thirteen times in the last 20 years, nine of them in the last ten years. Former national record holder Yoko Shibui was kept out twice, once by Aryasova in Tokyo 2011 and again by Mayorova in Nagoya a year later. The podium in Japan usually runs eight deep, and looking at that level there are even more.
I've written before about the long-term psychological effects of winning and losing in relation to Eastern European doping and Japanese women. How might Higuchi and Fukushi's careers have been different with those early wins? How might Ozaki have been different in the London Olympics had she gone in a champ instead of running one of the best races of her career and still getting destroyed? Nojiri might have made the 2014 Asian Games had she won in Yokohama, and as a newly-independent runner a win would have had enormous impact on her sponsorship opportunities. Akaba's career would have been capped by a victory on home soil.
All of these came during the post-Beijing Olympics slump during 2009-2014 when Japanese women's marathoning was perceived to be at its weakest and the athletes were regularly subject to hearing that they weren't as good as the people who came before them. What would six big wins have done for their mindset, personally and collectively, to the perception of their true standing in the modern sport, to the standards set for them to chase based on that standing?
Stolen glory and prize money aside, in Japan its greatest champions, international medalists and winners of the biggest domestic marathons, are revered and reap major financial benefits post-career in guest appearances at races and TV commentating work. Being elevated to 1st years later doesn't have the same cachet and does nothing to fix their names in the public's mind. How many people remember that Shimahara was 2nd in Yokohama? How many would have remembered her as the first Yokohama champion?
There's no giving back any of that and no answers to many of those questions, but as things seem to be turning in the right direction here two questions that need public answers are the why and who of this situation persisting for so long even after races had already gotten burned.
Top three placings by Eastern European women in Japan's major women's marathons over the last 20 years. Athletes whose names are in bold underwent suspensions for positive drug tests or adverse biological passport findings.
Tokyo / Yokohama / Saitama International Women's Marathon
2013
1. Albina Mayorova (Russia) - 2:25:55
2. Azusa Nojiri (Japan) - 2:28:47
3. Jessica Augusto (Portugal) - 2:29:11
4. Mizuho Nasukawa (Japan) - 2:30:27
-----
DNF - Tatyana Filonyuk (Ukraine)
2009
1. Inga Abitova (Russia) - 2:27:18
2. Kiyoko Shimahara (Japan) - 2:28:51
3. Catherina Ndereba (Kenya) - 2:29:13
4. Bruna Genovese (Italy) - 2:29:57
-----
7. Zivile Balciunaite (Lithuania) - 2:32:09
2005
1. Naoko Takahashi (Japan) - 2:24:39
2. Zivile Balciunaite (Lithuania) - 2:25:15
3. Elfenesh Alemu (Ethiopia) - 2:26:50
4. Svetlana Zakharova (Russia) - 2:26:55
5. Mara Yamauchi (Great Britain) - 2:27:38
2003
1. Elfenesh Alemu (Ethiopia) - 2:24:47
2. Naoko Takahashi (Japan) - 2:27:21
3. Kiyoko Shimahara (Japan) - 2:31:10
-----
7. Irina Timofeyeva (Russia) - 2:39:01
2002
1. Banuela Katesigwa (Tanzania) - 2:24:59
2. Rie Matsuoka (Japan) - 2:25:02
3. Irina Timofeyeva (Russia) - 2:26:45
4. Elfenesh Alemu (Ethiopia) - 2:29:31
2001
1. Derartu Tulu (Ethiopia) - 2:25:08
2. Irina Timofeyeva (Russia) - 2:25:29
3. Bruna Genovese (Italy) - 2:25:35
4. Constantina Dita (Romania) - 2:26:39
1999
1. Eri Yamaguchi (Japan) - 2:22:12
2. Fatuma Roba (Ethiopia) - 2:27:05
3. Valentina Yegorova (Russia) - 2:28:06
4. Jane Salumae (Estonia) - 2:28:56
5. Masako Chiba (Japan) - 2:29:00
Osaka International Women's Marathon
2015
1. Tetiana Gamera-Shmyrko (Ukraine) - 2:22:09
2. Jelena Prokopcuka (Latvia) - 2:24:07
3. Risa Shigetomo (Japan) - 2:26:39
4. Yuko Watanabe (Japan) - 2:28:36
5. Chieko Kido (Japan) - 2:29:08
2014
1. Tetiana Gamera-Shmyrko (Ukraine) - 2:24:37
2. Yukiko Akaba (Japan) - 2:26:00
3. Karolina Jarzynska (Poland) - 2:26:31
4. Sairi Maeda (Japan) - 2:26:46
5. Mara Lema (Ethiopia) - 2:28:06
6. Natalia Puchkova (Russia) - 2:28:44
2013
1. Tetiana Gamera-Shmyrko (Ukraine) - 2:23:58
2. Kayoko Fukushi (Japan) - 2:24:21
3. Yuko Watanabe (Japan) - 2:25:56
4. Mari Ozaki (Japan) - 2:26:41
DNF - Mariya Konovalova (Russia)
2012
1. Risa Shigetomo (Japan) - 2:23:23
2. Tetiana Gamera-Shmyrko (Ukraine) - 2:24:46
3. Azusa Nojiri (Japan) - 2:24:57
4. Chika Horie (Japan) - 2:28:35
DNF - Lidiya Grigoryeva (Russia)
2005
1. Jelena Prokopcuka (Latvia) - 2:22:56
2. Mari Ozaki (Japan) - 2:23:59
3. Harumi Hiroyama (Japan) - 2:25:56
4. Miki Oyama (Japan) - 2:26:55
1999
1. Lyubov Morgunova (Russia) - 2:27:43
2. Mayumi Ichikawa (Japan) - 2:27:57
3. Hiromi Ominami (Japan) - 2:30:19
4. Masae Ueoka (Japan) - 2:32:41
1998
1. Naoko Takahashi (Japan) - 2:25:48
2. Madina Biktagirova (Russia) - 2:27:19
3. Harumi Hiroyama (Japan) - 2:28:12
4. Tomoko Kai (Japan) - 2:28:13
Tokyo Marathon
2015
1. Birhane Dibaba (Ethiopia) - 2:23:15
2. Helah Kiprop (Kenya) - 2:24:03
3. Tiki Gelana (Ethiopia) - 2:24:26
-----
8. Albina Mayorova (Russia) - 2:34:21
9. Yukari Abe (Japan) - 2:34:43
2014
1. Tirfi Tsegaye (Ethiopia) - 2:22:23
2. Birhane Dibaba (Ethiopia) - 2:22:30
3. Lucy Kabuu (Kenya) - 2:24:16
-----
6. Albina Mayorova (Russia) - 2:28:18
7. Mai Ito (Japan) - 2:28:36
2013
1. Aberu Kebede (Ethiopia) - 2:25:34
2. Yeshi Esayias (Ethiopia) - 2:26:01
3. Irina Mikitenko (Germany) - 2:26:41
4. Albina Mayorova (Russia) - 2:26:51
5. Yoshimi Ozaki (Japan) - 2:28:30
2011
1. Tatiana Aryasova (Russia) - 2:27:29
2. Noriko Higuchi (Japan) - 2:28:49
3. Tatiana Arkhipova (Russia) - 2:28:56
4. Yoko Shibui (Japan) - 2:29:03
5. Misaki Katsumata (Japan) - 2:31:10
2010
1. Alevtina Biktimirova (Russia) - 2:34:39
2. Robe Tola (Ethiopia) - 2:36:29
3. Nuta Olaru (Romania) - 2:36:42
4. Maki Kono (Japan) - 2:39:01
Nagoya Women's Marathon
2015
1. Eunice Kirwa (Bahrain) - 2:22:08
2. Mariya Konovalova (Russia) - 2:22:27
3. Sairi Maeda (Japan) - 2:22:48
4. Mai Ito (Japan) - 2:24:42
2014
1. Mariya Konovalova (Russia) - 2:23:43
2. Jelena Prokopcuka (Latvia) - 2:24:07
3. Ryoko Kizaki (Japan) - 2:25:26
4. Eri Hayakawa (Japan) - 2:25:31
5. Tomomi Tanaka (Japan) - 2:26:05
-----
26. Zivile Balciunaite (Lithuania) - 2:36:59
2012
1. Albina Mayorova (Russia) - 2:23:52
2. Yoshimi Ozaki (Japan) - 2:24:14
3. Remi Nakazato (Japan) - 2:24:28
4. Yoko Shibui (Japan) - 2:25:02
-----
7. Olena Shurkhno (Ukraine) - 2:25:49
2010
1. Yuri Kano (Japan) - 2:27:11
2. Derartu Tulu (Ethiopia) - 2:28:13
3. Hiromi Ominami (Japan) - 2:28:35
-----
19. Tatyana Aryasova (Russia) - 2:41:03
DNF - Lyubov Denisova (Russia)
2003
1. Takami Ominami (Japan) - 2:25:03
2. Risa Hagiwara (Japan) - 2:28:14
3. Irina Bogacheva (Kyrgyzstan) - 2:28:17
4. Eriko Amo (Japan) - 2:28:57
Nagano Marathon
2014
1. Alina Prokopyeva (Russia) - 2:30:56
2. Rika Shintaku (Japan) - 2:36:02
3. Shoko Shimizu (Japan) - 2:37:21
4. Risa Takemura (Japan) - 2:37:43
2013
1. Natalya Puchkova (Russia) - 2:30:40
2. Beatrice Mutai (Kenya) - 2:36:51
3. Seika Iwamura (Japan) - 2:41:19
4. Mika Okunaga (Japan) - 2:44:21
2010
1. Lisa-Jane Weightman (Australia) - 2:28:48
2. Olena Burkovska (Ukraine) - 2:31:53
3. Eri Hayakawa (Japan) - 2:33:05
4. Kiyoko Shimahara (Japan) - 2:34:46
DNF - Irina Timofeyeva (Russia)
2009
1. Irina Timofeyeva (Russia) - 2:30:08
2. Irene Limika (Kenya) - 2:30:50
3. Akemi Ozaki (Japan) - 2:31:18
4. Derartu Tulu (Ethiopia) - 2:34:17
5. Tatiana Aryasova (Russia) - 2:34:32
2008
1. Alevtina Ivanova (Russia) - 2:26:39
2. Katherine Smith (Australia) - 2:28:51
3. Donta Gruca (Poland) - 2:31:54
4. Miyuki Ando (Japan) - 2:34:25
2007
1. Alevtina Ivanova (Russia) - 2:27:49
2. Dire Tune (Ethiopia) - 2:28:59
3. Lyubov Morgunova (Russia) - 2:29:34
4. Lidia Simon (Romania) - 2:34:48
5. Askanech Mengistu (Ethiopia) - 2:37:39
2006
1. Albina Mayorova (Russia) - 2:28:52
2. Sylvia Skvortsova (Russia) - 2:29:28
3. Nina Rillstone (New Zealand) - 2:29:46
4. Yoshimi Hoshino (Japan) - 2:36:56
5. Atsede Baysa (Ethiopia) - 2:39:21
2005
1. Albina Mayorova (Russia) - 2:28:21
2. Lidia Simon (Ukraine) - 2:31:20
3. Derartu Tulu (Ethiopia) - 2:31:58
4. Gladys Asiba (Kenya) - 2:36:12
2004
1. Fatuma Roba (Ethiopia) - 2:28:05
2. Valentina Yegorova (Russia) - 2:31:47
3. Nataliya Berkut (Ukraine) - 2:32:49
4. Alevtina Ivanova (Russia) - 2:33:09
5. Asami Obi (Japan) - 2:33:34
6. Yoshimi Hoshino (Japan) - 2:37:48
7. Madina Biktagirova (Russia) - 2:38:48
2003
1. Madina Biktagirova (Russia) - 2:28:23
2. Alevtina Ivanova (Russia) - 2:29:05
3. Fatuma Roba (Ethiopia) - 2:31:05
4. Hisae Yoshimatsu (Japan) - 2:32:17
5. Tomoe Yokoyama (Japan) - 2:36:27
2002
1. Madina Biktagirova (Russia) - 2:26:09
2. Fatuma Roba (Ethiopia) - 2:27:16
3. Dorota Gruca (Poland) - 2:31:08
4. Masako Koide (Japan) - 2:32:21
5. Irina Bogacheva (Kyrgyzstan) - 2:32:54
2001
1. Akiyo Onishi (Japan) - 2:31:20
2. Chihiro Tanaka (Japan) - 2:32:05
3. Natalia Galushko (Belarus) - 2:32:51
4. Hideko Yoshimura (Japan) - 2:37:49
2000
1. Elfenesh Alemu (Ethiopia) - 2:24:55
2. Valentina Yegorova (Russia) - 2:26:26
3. Alla Zhilyayeva (Russia) - 2:28:27
4. Chika Horie (Japan) - 2:29:12
5. Naoko Sato (Japan) - 2:35:31
1999
1. Valentina Yegorova (Russia) - 2:28:41
2. Elfenesh Alemu (Ethiopia) - 2:28:59
3. Malgorzata Sobanska (Poland) - 2:31:02
4. Xiu-juan Ren (China) - 2:33:58
© 2017 Brett Larner
all rights reserved
Yesterday it was announced that Russian Albina Mayorova has received a four-year suspension after testing positive for elevated testosterone. Mayorova was a four-time winner of Japan's major women's marathons and a regular at the Tokyo Marathon. Her suspension follows that of a number of other Eastern European women to have won Japanese marathons in the last ten years, including Inga Abitova, Tatiana Aryasova, Mariya Konovalova, and Tetiana Gamera-Shmyrko, all five represented by Russian agent Andrey Baranov and his Spartanik agency. What impact have these and other women from former Soviet nations had on the domestic Japanese women's marathon circuit?
Below is a list of every time one has finished in the top three in one of Japan's five main women's marathons in the last 20 years plus other results by those who later tested positive. During this period, women from former Soviet nations have won Japanese marathons 21 times. Of those, thirteen were by athletes who tested positive or had adverse biological passport findings. Thirteen of the 21 wins were in the last ten years, nine by later suspended athletes.
Looking at top three finishes, in the last 20 years 42 were by former Soviet nation women, 19 of whom were suspended. Of those 42, 19 came in the last ten years, 11 by suspended athletes. Despite this record, virtually all of the races maintained their relationships with Baranov until very recently. The Saitama International Women's Marathon invited Belarus athlete Maryna Demantsevich to its most recent running in November, 2016.
What has the impact of these performances been on Japanese women? Of the nine times that later-suspended Eastern European women won Japanese marathons in the last ten years, Japanese women came 2nd six times.
- Kiyoko Shimahara was 2nd to Abitova at the first running of the Yokohama International Women's Marathon in 2009.
- In her marathon debut Noriko Higuchi was 2nd to Aryasova at the 2011 Tokyo Marathon.
- 2009 Berlin World Championships silver medalist Yoshimi Ozaki dominated the 2012 Nagoya Women's Marathon while trying to make the London Olympic team, only to have Mayorova blow by with ease in the final kilometers.
- Azusa Nojiri was 2nd to Mayorova at the 2013 Yokohama International Women's Marathon while trying to make the 2014 Incheon Asian Games team.
- Kayoko Fukushi finished 2nd behind Gamera-Shymyrko at the 2013 Osaka International Women's Marathon after leading the entire race.
- The great Yukiko Akaba was 2nd to Gamera-Shmyrko in Osaka in 2014, a race Akaba had announced as her final race before retiring.
Looking at top three placings, twelve Japanese women were kept out of the top three a total of thirteen times in the last 20 years, nine of them in the last ten years. Former national record holder Yoko Shibui was kept out twice, once by Aryasova in Tokyo 2011 and again by Mayorova in Nagoya a year later. The podium in Japan usually runs eight deep, and looking at that level there are even more.
I've written before about the long-term psychological effects of winning and losing in relation to Eastern European doping and Japanese women. How might Higuchi and Fukushi's careers have been different with those early wins? How might Ozaki have been different in the London Olympics had she gone in a champ instead of running one of the best races of her career and still getting destroyed? Nojiri might have made the 2014 Asian Games had she won in Yokohama, and as a newly-independent runner a win would have had enormous impact on her sponsorship opportunities. Akaba's career would have been capped by a victory on home soil.
All of these came during the post-Beijing Olympics slump during 2009-2014 when Japanese women's marathoning was perceived to be at its weakest and the athletes were regularly subject to hearing that they weren't as good as the people who came before them. What would six big wins have done for their mindset, personally and collectively, to the perception of their true standing in the modern sport, to the standards set for them to chase based on that standing?
Stolen glory and prize money aside, in Japan its greatest champions, international medalists and winners of the biggest domestic marathons, are revered and reap major financial benefits post-career in guest appearances at races and TV commentating work. Being elevated to 1st years later doesn't have the same cachet and does nothing to fix their names in the public's mind. How many people remember that Shimahara was 2nd in Yokohama? How many would have remembered her as the first Yokohama champion?
There's no giving back any of that and no answers to many of those questions, but as things seem to be turning in the right direction here two questions that need public answers are the why and who of this situation persisting for so long even after races had already gotten burned.
Top three placings by Eastern European women in Japan's major women's marathons over the last 20 years. Athletes whose names are in bold underwent suspensions for positive drug tests or adverse biological passport findings.
Tokyo / Yokohama / Saitama International Women's Marathon
2013
1. Albina Mayorova (Russia) - 2:25:55
2. Azusa Nojiri (Japan) - 2:28:47
3. Jessica Augusto (Portugal) - 2:29:11
4. Mizuho Nasukawa (Japan) - 2:30:27
-----
DNF - Tatyana Filonyuk (Ukraine)
2009
1. Inga Abitova (Russia) - 2:27:18
2. Kiyoko Shimahara (Japan) - 2:28:51
3. Catherina Ndereba (Kenya) - 2:29:13
4. Bruna Genovese (Italy) - 2:29:57
-----
7. Zivile Balciunaite (Lithuania) - 2:32:09
2005
1. Naoko Takahashi (Japan) - 2:24:39
2. Zivile Balciunaite (Lithuania) - 2:25:15
3. Elfenesh Alemu (Ethiopia) - 2:26:50
4. Svetlana Zakharova (Russia) - 2:26:55
5. Mara Yamauchi (Great Britain) - 2:27:38
2003
1. Elfenesh Alemu (Ethiopia) - 2:24:47
2. Naoko Takahashi (Japan) - 2:27:21
3. Kiyoko Shimahara (Japan) - 2:31:10
-----
7. Irina Timofeyeva (Russia) - 2:39:01
2002
1. Banuela Katesigwa (Tanzania) - 2:24:59
2. Rie Matsuoka (Japan) - 2:25:02
3. Irina Timofeyeva (Russia) - 2:26:45
4. Elfenesh Alemu (Ethiopia) - 2:29:31
2001
1. Derartu Tulu (Ethiopia) - 2:25:08
2. Irina Timofeyeva (Russia) - 2:25:29
3. Bruna Genovese (Italy) - 2:25:35
4. Constantina Dita (Romania) - 2:26:39
1999
1. Eri Yamaguchi (Japan) - 2:22:12
2. Fatuma Roba (Ethiopia) - 2:27:05
3. Valentina Yegorova (Russia) - 2:28:06
4. Jane Salumae (Estonia) - 2:28:56
5. Masako Chiba (Japan) - 2:29:00
Osaka International Women's Marathon
2015
1. Tetiana Gamera-Shmyrko (Ukraine) - 2:22:09
2. Jelena Prokopcuka (Latvia) - 2:24:07
3. Risa Shigetomo (Japan) - 2:26:39
4. Yuko Watanabe (Japan) - 2:28:36
5. Chieko Kido (Japan) - 2:29:08
2014
1. Tetiana Gamera-Shmyrko (Ukraine) - 2:24:37
2. Yukiko Akaba (Japan) - 2:26:00
3. Karolina Jarzynska (Poland) - 2:26:31
4. Sairi Maeda (Japan) - 2:26:46
5. Mara Lema (Ethiopia) - 2:28:06
6. Natalia Puchkova (Russia) - 2:28:44
2013
1. Tetiana Gamera-Shmyrko (Ukraine) - 2:23:58
2. Kayoko Fukushi (Japan) - 2:24:21
3. Yuko Watanabe (Japan) - 2:25:56
4. Mari Ozaki (Japan) - 2:26:41
DNF - Mariya Konovalova (Russia)
2012
1. Risa Shigetomo (Japan) - 2:23:23
2. Tetiana Gamera-Shmyrko (Ukraine) - 2:24:46
3. Azusa Nojiri (Japan) - 2:24:57
4. Chika Horie (Japan) - 2:28:35
DNF - Lidiya Grigoryeva (Russia)
2005
1. Jelena Prokopcuka (Latvia) - 2:22:56
2. Mari Ozaki (Japan) - 2:23:59
3. Harumi Hiroyama (Japan) - 2:25:56
4. Miki Oyama (Japan) - 2:26:55
1999
1. Lyubov Morgunova (Russia) - 2:27:43
2. Mayumi Ichikawa (Japan) - 2:27:57
3. Hiromi Ominami (Japan) - 2:30:19
4. Masae Ueoka (Japan) - 2:32:41
1998
1. Naoko Takahashi (Japan) - 2:25:48
2. Madina Biktagirova (Russia) - 2:27:19
3. Harumi Hiroyama (Japan) - 2:28:12
4. Tomoko Kai (Japan) - 2:28:13
Tokyo Marathon
2015
1. Birhane Dibaba (Ethiopia) - 2:23:15
2. Helah Kiprop (Kenya) - 2:24:03
3. Tiki Gelana (Ethiopia) - 2:24:26
-----
8. Albina Mayorova (Russia) - 2:34:21
9. Yukari Abe (Japan) - 2:34:43
2014
1. Tirfi Tsegaye (Ethiopia) - 2:22:23
2. Birhane Dibaba (Ethiopia) - 2:22:30
3. Lucy Kabuu (Kenya) - 2:24:16
-----
6. Albina Mayorova (Russia) - 2:28:18
7. Mai Ito (Japan) - 2:28:36
2013
1. Aberu Kebede (Ethiopia) - 2:25:34
2. Yeshi Esayias (Ethiopia) - 2:26:01
3. Irina Mikitenko (Germany) - 2:26:41
4. Albina Mayorova (Russia) - 2:26:51
5. Yoshimi Ozaki (Japan) - 2:28:30
2011
1. Tatiana Aryasova (Russia) - 2:27:29
2. Noriko Higuchi (Japan) - 2:28:49
3. Tatiana Arkhipova (Russia) - 2:28:56
4. Yoko Shibui (Japan) - 2:29:03
5. Misaki Katsumata (Japan) - 2:31:10
2010
1. Alevtina Biktimirova (Russia) - 2:34:39
2. Robe Tola (Ethiopia) - 2:36:29
3. Nuta Olaru (Romania) - 2:36:42
4. Maki Kono (Japan) - 2:39:01
Nagoya Women's Marathon
2015
1. Eunice Kirwa (Bahrain) - 2:22:08
2. Mariya Konovalova (Russia) - 2:22:27
3. Sairi Maeda (Japan) - 2:22:48
4. Mai Ito (Japan) - 2:24:42
2014
1. Mariya Konovalova (Russia) - 2:23:43
2. Jelena Prokopcuka (Latvia) - 2:24:07
3. Ryoko Kizaki (Japan) - 2:25:26
4. Eri Hayakawa (Japan) - 2:25:31
5. Tomomi Tanaka (Japan) - 2:26:05
-----
26. Zivile Balciunaite (Lithuania) - 2:36:59
2012
1. Albina Mayorova (Russia) - 2:23:52
2. Yoshimi Ozaki (Japan) - 2:24:14
3. Remi Nakazato (Japan) - 2:24:28
4. Yoko Shibui (Japan) - 2:25:02
-----
7. Olena Shurkhno (Ukraine) - 2:25:49
2010
1. Yuri Kano (Japan) - 2:27:11
2. Derartu Tulu (Ethiopia) - 2:28:13
3. Hiromi Ominami (Japan) - 2:28:35
-----
19. Tatyana Aryasova (Russia) - 2:41:03
DNF - Lyubov Denisova (Russia)
2003
1. Takami Ominami (Japan) - 2:25:03
2. Risa Hagiwara (Japan) - 2:28:14
3. Irina Bogacheva (Kyrgyzstan) - 2:28:17
4. Eriko Amo (Japan) - 2:28:57
Nagano Marathon
2014
1. Alina Prokopyeva (Russia) - 2:30:56
2. Rika Shintaku (Japan) - 2:36:02
3. Shoko Shimizu (Japan) - 2:37:21
4. Risa Takemura (Japan) - 2:37:43
2013
1. Natalya Puchkova (Russia) - 2:30:40
2. Beatrice Mutai (Kenya) - 2:36:51
3. Seika Iwamura (Japan) - 2:41:19
4. Mika Okunaga (Japan) - 2:44:21
2010
1. Lisa-Jane Weightman (Australia) - 2:28:48
2. Olena Burkovska (Ukraine) - 2:31:53
3. Eri Hayakawa (Japan) - 2:33:05
4. Kiyoko Shimahara (Japan) - 2:34:46
DNF - Irina Timofeyeva (Russia)
2009
1. Irina Timofeyeva (Russia) - 2:30:08
2. Irene Limika (Kenya) - 2:30:50
3. Akemi Ozaki (Japan) - 2:31:18
4. Derartu Tulu (Ethiopia) - 2:34:17
5. Tatiana Aryasova (Russia) - 2:34:32
2008
1. Alevtina Ivanova (Russia) - 2:26:39
2. Katherine Smith (Australia) - 2:28:51
3. Donta Gruca (Poland) - 2:31:54
4. Miyuki Ando (Japan) - 2:34:25
2007
1. Alevtina Ivanova (Russia) - 2:27:49
2. Dire Tune (Ethiopia) - 2:28:59
3. Lyubov Morgunova (Russia) - 2:29:34
4. Lidia Simon (Romania) - 2:34:48
5. Askanech Mengistu (Ethiopia) - 2:37:39
2006
1. Albina Mayorova (Russia) - 2:28:52
2. Sylvia Skvortsova (Russia) - 2:29:28
3. Nina Rillstone (New Zealand) - 2:29:46
4. Yoshimi Hoshino (Japan) - 2:36:56
5. Atsede Baysa (Ethiopia) - 2:39:21
2005
1. Albina Mayorova (Russia) - 2:28:21
2. Lidia Simon (Ukraine) - 2:31:20
3. Derartu Tulu (Ethiopia) - 2:31:58
4. Gladys Asiba (Kenya) - 2:36:12
2004
1. Fatuma Roba (Ethiopia) - 2:28:05
2. Valentina Yegorova (Russia) - 2:31:47
3. Nataliya Berkut (Ukraine) - 2:32:49
4. Alevtina Ivanova (Russia) - 2:33:09
5. Asami Obi (Japan) - 2:33:34
6. Yoshimi Hoshino (Japan) - 2:37:48
7. Madina Biktagirova (Russia) - 2:38:48
2003
1. Madina Biktagirova (Russia) - 2:28:23
2. Alevtina Ivanova (Russia) - 2:29:05
3. Fatuma Roba (Ethiopia) - 2:31:05
4. Hisae Yoshimatsu (Japan) - 2:32:17
5. Tomoe Yokoyama (Japan) - 2:36:27
2002
1. Madina Biktagirova (Russia) - 2:26:09
2. Fatuma Roba (Ethiopia) - 2:27:16
3. Dorota Gruca (Poland) - 2:31:08
4. Masako Koide (Japan) - 2:32:21
5. Irina Bogacheva (Kyrgyzstan) - 2:32:54
2001
1. Akiyo Onishi (Japan) - 2:31:20
2. Chihiro Tanaka (Japan) - 2:32:05
3. Natalia Galushko (Belarus) - 2:32:51
4. Hideko Yoshimura (Japan) - 2:37:49
2000
1. Elfenesh Alemu (Ethiopia) - 2:24:55
2. Valentina Yegorova (Russia) - 2:26:26
3. Alla Zhilyayeva (Russia) - 2:28:27
4. Chika Horie (Japan) - 2:29:12
5. Naoko Sato (Japan) - 2:35:31
1999
1. Valentina Yegorova (Russia) - 2:28:41
2. Elfenesh Alemu (Ethiopia) - 2:28:59
3. Malgorzata Sobanska (Poland) - 2:31:02
4. Xiu-juan Ren (China) - 2:33:58
© 2017 Brett Larner
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Comments
So few distance runners are able to compete satisfactorily at elite level after announcing retirement intentions - they have usually half-retired psychologically by this point already - that Akaba's 2014 Osaka "victory" should be a celebrated TV highlight to be revisited again and again for years (or maybe decades) to come, emphasizing what a talented and gutsy athlete she was. But a single dope-fueled performance from a runner that should never have been invited has probably destroyed a legend.
By 2014 JNR had identified Baranov and the pattern, and it was referenced time and time again. It is absurd to presume that JAAF and big race promoters remained genuinely oblivious.
So "...the why and who of this situation persisting for so long..." are indeed relevant, vital questions that demand scrutiny, probably by an external body since JAAF would appear to have been integrally complicit and so should not be trusted to "investigate" it.
Is any of this being discussed in the mainstream or sports-specific Japanese media ?