japan running news

by Shoko Egawa Egawa is an investigate journalist who made her name doing early work on the Aum death cult. Here she looks at the situation surrounding 2005 Helsinki World Championships marathon team member Yumiko Hara , who blamed a string of arrests for shoplifting on an eating disorder she claims to have developed as a result of the psychological trauma of the strict dietary and weight restrictions her corporate league coach put upon her. "The weight restrictions were severe, way beyond what any other team did, and it was especially hard to take because I was the only they were being applied to. At meals the head coach told me, 'Eat this. Don't eat this.' I was weighed repeatedly throughout the day to the point that I was afraid to drink water because I thought my weight would increase by the amount of the water." Earlier this summer former marathon national team member Yumiko Hara underwent questioning under Maebashi District Court Ota Branch judge Ma...

http://www.jiji.com/jc/zc?k=200903/2009032700863 translated by Brett Larner Team Kyocera announced on Mar. 27 that following the departure of head coach Kunio Omori at the end of the month Yasunori Niihara (53), currently of Team Oki, will take over as the team's head coach. Niihara is a native of Kagoshima Prefecture and graduated from Juntendo University. He served as head coach of Team YKK and elsewhere before being hired by Team Oki in 2008. Team Oki will disband at the end of March, freeing up the team's aces, identical twin sisters Hiroko and Yoko Miyauchi to follow Niihara to Team Kyocera where they will replace departing runners Yumiko Hara and Kiyomi Ogawa.

http://www.sankei-kansai.com/2009/03/26/20090326-007928.php http://www.47news.jp/CN/200903/CN2009032601001091.html translated and edited by Brett Larner Kunio Omori, 64, head coach of women's jitsugyodan powerhouse Team Kyocera, announced on Mar. 26 that he is leaving the team at the end of the month along with 2005 and 2007 World Championships marathoner Yumiko Hara and 2009 Nagoya International Women's Marathon 5th place finisher Kiyomi Ogawa. The trio's future plans are as yet uncertain, but they intend to look for a new sponsor and to continue on in athletics. Omori has been head coach of Team Kyocera since 1998, coaching team member Miho Sato (nee Sugimori) to the women's 800 m national record and on to the Athens Olympics. Prior to that he was head coach of Saitama Sakae High School where he lead the women's team to three straight National High School Ekiden Championship titles beginning in 1995. Omori commented, "After eleven years as head of Team Kyo...

http://sankei.jp.msn.com/sports/other/090120/oth0901201727016-n1.htm translated by Brett Larner March, 2008 Having finished 4th at the Nagoya International Women's Marathon and missed out on her chance to make the Beijing Olympic team, Yumiko Hara (Team Kyocera) goes home to her parents' home in Tochigi prefecture to recuperate. She thinks about what races she should target next season. She holds coach Kunio Omori's year-long training schedule and with a steady hand begins to write in her goals. January, 2009 "Last year I couldn't take a single step forward and it was a disappointment to a lot of people," says Hara. "I want to restore everyone's faith in me the only way I can, so I decided to run Osaka." A year ago Hara had signed up for Osaka as the defending champion to reserve her spot on the Beijing Olympic team. Feeling weak and drained, she withdrew shortly before the race and slid her target to Nagoya. Even that was too much. The Osaka co...

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/sports/etc/news/20071213i401.htm http://beijing2008.nikkansports.com/athletics/p-sp-tp0-20071213-294906.html translated by Brett Larner On Dec. 12, Sydney Olympics women`s marathon gold medallist and former women`s marathon world record holder Naoko Takahashi (35, Team Phiten) announced that she will attempt to qualify for the Beijing Olympics at the Nagoya International Marathon next March. Until now Takahashi had not announced whether she would try to make the Olympic team at January`s Osaka International Women`s Marathon or Nagoya. Reiko Tosa (Team Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo) holds one of the three slots on the Beijing Olympic Team thanks to her bronze medal performance at this summer`s Osaka World Championships. The course record 2:21:37 victory by Mizuki Noguchi (Team Sysmex) at November`s Tokyo International Women`s Marathon makes her an almost certainty for the second position on the team, leaving one space to be decided between Osaka and Nagoya. On the same ...