Skip to main content

MGC Race Olympic Marathon Trials Qualifier - Ayuko Suzuki

Ayuko Suzuki

Age: 27
sponsor: Japan Post
graduated from: Jishukan H.S., Nagoya University

best time inside MGC window:
2:28:32, 1st, 2018 Hokkaido Marathon

PB: 2:28:32, 1st, 2018 Hokkaido Marathon

other PBs:
5000 m: 15:08.29 (2015) 10000 m: 31:18.16 (2016) half marathon: 1:07:55 (2019)

marathons inside MGC window (Aug. 1 2017 – April 30 2019):
1st, 2018 Hokkaido Marathon, 2:28:32

other major results:
2nd, 2019 National Championships 10000 m, 31:46.25
2nd, 2019 Kagawa Marugame Int’l Half Marathon, 1:07:55
2nd, 2019 National Women’s Ekiden 9th Stage (10.0 km), 31:08
2nd, 2018 National Corporate Women’s Ekiden 3rd Stage (10.9 km), 34:46
2nd, 2018 National Championships 10000 m, 31:57.82
10th, 2017 London World Championships 10000 m, 31:27.30
2nd, 2017 National Championships 10000 m, 31:41.65
2nd, 2017 National Championships 5000 m, 15:20.50
12th, 2016 Rio Olympics 5000 m H2, 15:41.81
2nd, 2016 National Championships 5000 m, 15:24.47
1st, 2016 National Championships 10000 m, 31:18.73
9th, 2015 Beijing World Championships 5000 m, 15:08.29
3rd, 2015 National Championships 5000 m, 15:24.14

If there were one person female or male we had to pick to definitely make the Tokyo Olympics team at the MGC Race it’s Suzuki. Top 3 in the 5000 m and/or 10000 m at the National Championships every year since 2015 and representing Japan on the track at the Beijing World Championships, Rio Olympics and London World Championships, Suzuki went straight to the marathon last summer with a 2:28:32 win at the hot Hokkaido Marathon in her debut.

That gives her the slowest PB of the twelve women in the MGC Race, but make no mistake, she’s one of the favorites. Suzuki underlined that with a 1:07:55 half marathon debut in February, the third-fastest ever by a Japanese woman on a record-legal course, and a runner-up finish in May’s National Championships 10000 m where she beat every other MGC Race entrant in the field. Along with teammate Hanami Sekine one of two athletes in the twelve-runner women's MGC Race sponsored by Japan Post, she’s also one of only two who graduated from university.

Next profile: Tomohiro Tanigawa (Konica Minolta).

© 2019 Brett Larner, all rights reserved

Buy Me A Coffee

Comments

Most-Read This Week

World Championships Medalist Racewalking Coach Mizuho Sakai Recognized With Highest Coaching Honor

The 2023 Mizuno Sports Mentor Awards recognizing excellence in coaching were held Apr. 23 in Tokyo. Toyo University assistant coach and race walking coach Mizuho Sakai was given a gold award, the program's highest honor, and expressed her thanks and joy in a speech at the award ceremony. The coach of 2023 Budapest World Championships men's 35 km race walk bronze medalist Masatora Kawano , Sakai said, "This is an incredible honor and I'm truly grateful. As a child I wanted to be in the sporting world and I've spent my life in that world. My end goal was always to play a supporting role for other athletes, so I'm honored to be recognized in this way." Sakai's husband Toshiyuki Sakai , head coach of Toyo's three-time Hakone Ekiden champion team, attended the awards gala with her and was also introduced to the audience. After bowing he took a seat in front of her and watched with warmth as she received recognition for her outstanding work. The Mizun

Hirabayashi Runs PB at Shanghai Half, WR Holder Nakata Dominates Fuji Five Lakes - Weekend Road Roundup

Returning to the roads after his 2:06:18 win at February's Osaka Marathon, Kiyoto Hirabayashi (Koku Gakuin University) took 5th at Sunday's Shanghai Half Marathon in a PB 1:01:23, just under a minute behind winner Roncer Kipkorir Konga (Kenya) who clocked a CR 1:00:29. After inexplicably running the equivalent of a sub-59 half marathon to win the Hakone Ekiden's Third Stage, Aoi Ota (Aoyama Gakuin Univ.) was back to running performances consistent with his other PBs with a 1:02:30 for 8th. His AGU teammate Kyosuke Hiramatsu was 10th in 1:04:00. Women's winner Magdalena Shauri (Tanzania) also set a new CR in 1:09:57. Aoyama Gakuin runners took the top four spots in the men's half marathon at the Aomori Sakura Marathon , with Hakone alternate Kosei Shiraishi getting the win in 1:04:32 and B-team members Shunto Hamakawa and Kei Kitamura 2nd and 3rd in 1:04:45 and 1:04:48. Club runners took the other division titles, Hina Shinozaki winning the women's half

Okumoto and Kondo Score Silver and Bronze - U20 Asian Championships Day One

The U20 Asian Athletics Championships started Wednesday in Dubai, U.A.E. Narumi Okumoto (Hitachi) and Nozomi Kondo (Meijo Univ.) scored Japan's first two medals in the women's 3000 m, running behind leader Yaxuan Li of China over the first 1000 m. Kondo lost touch after the first 1000 m, while Okumoto lasted another 1000 m with Li. Li took gold in 9:12.79, Okumoto silver in 9:25.19 and Kondo bronze in 9:38.91. In qualifying rounds: Both Yuri Nishida (Ritsumeikan Univ.) and Sari Kameda (Kyoto Kyoiku Univ.) won their women's 800 m heats and advanced to the next round, Nishida in a PB 2:07.36 and Kamei in 2:10.87, also a PB. Shota Fuchigami (Waseda Univ.) won his 400 mH heat in a PB 50.19 to make the final. Hiroto Shogomori (Chuo Univ.) was 2nd in his 400 m heat in 47.37, yet another athlete to run a PB, moving on to the semifinals. The lone female sprinter on the Japanese team, Misaki Morimoto (Sonoda Joshi Gakuen Univ.) won her 100 m heat in 12.20 (-1.4) and advance