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Showing posts with the label Tatiana Petrova

Cause to Reflect at Saitama International Marathon

by Brett Larner

In wet conditions on an untested course full of twists, turns and ups and downs, Ethiopian Atsede Baysa scored an easy win at the first running of the Saitama International Marathon, pulling away from the rest of the small front group after 30 km to open a lead of nearly a kilometer on the way to a 2:25:44 finish.  Kaori Yoshida (Runners Pulse) ran down Kenyan Rebecca Kangogo Chesir to take 2nd in a PB 2:28:43, putting her name into contention, distantly, for the Rio Olympic team.  Former national record holder Yoko Shibui (Team Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo) came up short of her Olympic hopes, 4th in 2:31:06 after running up front until late in the race.

The race itself will be covered in more detail elsewhere, but as an inaugural event, as an Olympic selection race, and in other aspects, Saitama brought up a lot of cause for reflection.
A step down from its Tokyo International Women's Marathon and Yokohama International Marathon predecessor, Saitama joined March's Nag…
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Kawauchi Speaks Out on Doping Problem

http://www.sponichi.co.jp/sports/news/2015/11/14/kiji/K20151114011507760.html

translated and edited by Brett Larner

The civil servant runner has spoken out.  In an interview on Nov. 14 following his appearance at a talk show event ahead of the Nov. 15 Saitama International Women's Marathon, Yuki Kawauchi (Saitama Pref. Gov't) addressed the problem of systematic doping in the Russian athletics world.  "All of the strict drug testing we have to go through, and now this?  It's really unpleasant news," he said.

For elite athletes drug testing is rigorous and strict.  Since his breakthrough to the top level of the sport in Japan at the 2011 Tokyo Marathon Kawauchi has been tested over 30 times.  He and other athletes must report their daily whereabouts to the JADA in conjunction with WADA and are subjected to surprise, unannounced testing.  Kawauchi has been woken up for testing at 6:00 a.m. in the days before major races and while relaxing at home at 9:00 p.m.  In som…
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Arkhipova Withdraws From Tomorrow's Saitama International Marathon After Russian Suspension

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20151114/k10010305811000.html

translated by Brett Larner

In the wake of the IAAF's provisional suspension of the Russian Athletics Federation (ARAF) for systematic doping, a Russian athlete scheduled to compete in tomorrow's Saitama International Marathon has withdrawn from the race.

On Nov. 13 the IAAF voted to provisionally suspend the ARAF, barring Russian athletes from competing in international events.  London Olympics women's marathon bronze medalist Tatyana Arkhipova of Russia was already in Japan at the time to run in the Saitama International Marathon, taking part in the pre-race press conference on the 13th.

According to the JAAF, after receiving the judgment against the ARAF, on Nov. 14 they notified Arkhipova of the suspension of her eligibility to compete.  She subsequently withdrew.  Arkhipova is the first athlete to be barred from an international competition in Japan as a consequence of the ruling against the ARAF.
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Russian Athlete Running Saitama International Marathon Perplexed at Press Conference

http://www.sanspo.com/sports/news/20151113/ath15111318260007-n1.html

translated by Brett Larner

On Nov. 13 London Olympics women's marathon bronze medalist Tatyana Arkhipova of Russia appeared at the pre-race press conference for the Nov. 15 Saitama International Marathon.  Questioned afterward about revelations concerning systematic doping in her home country she appeared perplexed, answering, "I know that it has become a problem, but I don't know what I am supposed to say about it."

Arkhipova arrived on Nov. 12 before taking part in today's international elite athlete press conference.  Organizers requested that questions be limited to the race itself and stopped the press conference before any questions regarding the doping issue were asked.
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Ageo City Half Marathon Leads Weekend Action - Preview

by Brett Larner

Rainy weather lies ahead for a busy weekend of racing across the country.  Track is a part of the calender from April through December, and this weekend features several large time trial meets including the Shizuoka Long Distance Time Trials Meet and, closer to Tokyo, the Nittai University Time Trials Meet.  Men's 5000 m is the focus at Nittai with 37 separate heats in one day, the fastest heat led by 12 Japan-based Africans including Bedan Karoki (DeNA RC), Ronald Kwemoi (Team Komori Corp.) and Paul Kuira (Team Konica Minolta).

The main action this weekend, however, happens on the roads, and there's no question that the Ageo City Half Marathon is the main event.  Ageo, the race that university coaches use to thin their rosters ahead of deciding their lineups for January's Hakone Ekiden, is one of two Japanese half marathons vying for the title of world's greatest half, locked in a duel with March's National University Half Marathon to produce the d…
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Saitama International Marathon Announces First Elite Field

by Brett Larner

The new Nov. 15 Saitama International Marathon is the inheritor of the defunct Yokohama International Women's Marathon, itself the lesser offspring of the great Tokyo International Women's Marathon that folded under the pressure of the big new mass-participation Tokyo Marathon.  At the time of the event's "relocation" to Yokohama JRN published an editorial questioning whether The Yokohama International Women's Marathon was an idea whose time had passed.  History bore that out, unfortunately, as Yokohama was constantly beset with problems including its first winner Inga Abitova of Russia testing positive, a circuit course popular with spectators but unpopular with runners that underwent extensive changes, a date change into the next year in its second running, the welcoming back of Lithuanian Zivile Balciunaite within virtually days of the end of her doping suspension, and a growing sense of irrelevance highlighted by its winners and top Japane…
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2009 Yokohama International Women's Marathon Winner Abitova Given Two-Year Doping Suspension

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/olympics/sns-rt-us-athletics-russia-abitovabre8a61ls-20121107,0,2970680.story

Inga Abitova is the second Japanese marathon-winning Russian woman managed by Spartanik RS Inc. this year to have been given a doping suspension, following Tatiana Aryasova who was stripped of her 2011 Tokyo Marathon win after a positive test for a masking agent.  According to the article linked above Abitova will be stripped of all results beginning Oct. 10, 2009, a period which includes her 2009 Yokohama International Women's Marathon win.  If Abitova loses her Yokohama title, runner-up Kiyoko Shimahara (Second Wind AC) should find herself elevated to the winner's position.  

Other athletes on Spartanik's current roster to have won Japanese marathons in the last five years include 2012 Nagoya International Marathon winner Albina Mayorova, 2010 Tokyo Marathon winner Alevtina Biktimirova and 2008 Nagano Marathon winner Alevtina Ivanona.  Spartanik's Kateryna…
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London Olympics Women's Marathon and Athletics Day Three Japanese Results

by Brett Larner

photos by Horst Milde

Japan's results in the London Olympics women's marathon gave a fair account of the state of the sport in the country, an improvement over Beijing with all three women finishing and two under 2:28 versus one finisher in 2:30:19 four years ago, but where Yurika Nakamura (Team Tenmaya) was 13th in Beijing the highest finisher this time, autumn 2011 Yokohama International Women's Marathon winner Ryoko Kizaki (Team Daihatsu), was only 16th.  Despite a fall at a drink station just past halfway, former Team Denso runner Tiki Gelana (Ethiopia) won gold to continue the legacy of Japan-trained African Olympic marathon medalists, outkicking 2011 Daegu World Championships silver medalist Priscah Jeptoo and Russia's Tatyana Petrova Arkhipova, a top-five finisher at both the 2011 and 2012 Tokyo Marathons.

2012 Osaka International Women's Marathon winner Risa Shigetomo (Team Tenmaya) was among the early pacesetters, running in the front line …
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Mekonnen Wins Tokyo Marathon, Amateur Kawauchi 3rd in 2:08:37 (updated)

by Brett Larner

Update: Reader vilagoiberia just sent me a link to this video of the last 6.5 km of Kawauchi's run.



Dreams come true - Yuki Kawauchi

Losing its biggest stories one by one with the withdrawal of world record holder Haile Gebrselassie (Ethiopia), defending champion Masakazu Fujiwara (Team Honda), debuting Kenyan star Gideon Ngatuny (Team Nissin Shokuhin) and debuting former university Hakone Ekiden star Hideaki Date (Team Chugoku Denryoku), in its fifth edition the Tokyo Marathon got something else entirely.

With the day dawning with ideal conditions, 7 degrees, light partial cloud cover and gentle winds, everyone knew the race would be fast. 19 year old pacer Bitan Karoki (Kenya/Team S&B), who ran a course record 27:52 a day earlier in the senior men's 10k at the Fukuoka International XC Meet, took the race out slightly ahead of schedule, splitting 14:56 for the downhill first 5 km and 14:59 for the next. 15 km went by in 44:49, 20 km in 59:53 and halfway in 1…
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Shibui Returns - Tokyo Marathon Women's Preview

by Brett Larner

It's Tokyo Marathon week. This is the first of JRN's two-part preview of this year's fifth edition, to be held this Sunday, Feb. 27. Click here for part two, our men's preview. Look for additional articles and info as the week goes along. This year's race will be broadcast live on Fuji TV beginning at 9 a.m. Japan time. Overseas viewers should be able to watch online via Keyhole TV. Some viewers experienced trouble with Keyhole for last week's Yokohama International Women's Marathon but it appears to be working fine as of this writing, so make sure you have downloaded the current version of the player to increase your chances. In any case, JRN will be doing live race commentary via Twitter. Click here to follow.

The Tokyo Marathon's elite women's race occupies a peculiar position in its third edition, with world-class prize money at stake and quality overseas competition but excluded from the selection races for this year's World C…
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Haile Leads 2011 Tokyo Marathon - Complete Elite Field Listing

by Brett Larner

The Tokyo Marathon has announced the elite field for this year's fifth running, to be held Feb. 27. Following through on his pre-retirement crisis promise, world record holder Haile Gebrselassie (Ethiopia) will return to the marathon distance after his DNF at November's New York City Marathon.

Gebrselassie faces what is without a doubt the strongest field in Tokyo's short history, including 2010 and 2009 winners Masakazu Fujiwara (Team Honda) and Salim Kipsang (Kenya), 2010 Biwako Mainichi Marathon winner Yemane Tsegaye (Ethiopia), 2010 Hokkaido Marathon winner Cyrus Njui (Kenya/Team Hitachi Cable), 2008 Kenyan XC champion Gideon Ngatuny (Team Nissin Shokuhin) in his marathon debut, recent 2:07 man Paul Biwott (Kenya), 2:07 runner and former teammate of Fujiwara's Hailu Mekonnen (Ethiopia), veteran great Felix Limo (Kenya), top-ranked Japanese debutant Yoshinori Oda (Team Toyota), and, thus far unsuccessful at the marathon in his first two attempts, sub-h…
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