Skip to main content

Shibui To Run Osaka International Women's Marathon (updated)

http://www.asahi.com/sports/spo/TKY200812150157.html
http://www.sanspo.com/sports/news/081215/spg0812150503000-n1.htm

translated and edited by Brett Larner

Following the Dec. 14 All-Japan Jitsugyodan Women's Ekiden, Beijing Olympics 10000 m competitor and former marathon national record holder Yoko Shibui (29, Team Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo) announced that she will run the Jan. 25 Osaka International Women's Marathon in a bid to make the national team for next summer's World Championships in Berlin. Osaka will come two months after Shibui ran the Nov. 16 Tokyo International Women's Marathon where she finished 4th, missing a spot on the World Championships team.

"Yeah, I'm gonna do Osaka!" Shibui exclaimed. "I'm in great shape so I think I should just keep going with my training." Shaking his head, team Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo head coach Shigeharu Watanabe commented, "I kind of think Nagoya [in March] would be better."

In the All-Japan Jitsugyodan Women's Ekiden, Shibui scored her first stage best title on the 10 km 3rd leg in 8 years, clocking 31:41 against the stage 5th mark of 32:32 set by fellow Beijing Olympian Kayoko Fukushi (26, Team Wacoal) and the 33:10 time run by Beijing Olympic marathoner Yurika Nakamura (22, Team Tenmaya).

Looking forward to Jan. 25 and her next chance for a ticket to Berlin, Shibui said, "I want to run with a little bit of self-control this time."

Translator's note: Immediately following Tokyo, Shibui announced that she would run March's Nagoya International Women's Marathon to try again for the World Championships team. Her switch to Osaka means she will be competing against Team Hokuren's Yukiko Akaba in Akaba's marathon debut. Shibui narrowly outkicked Akaba in the 10000 m at last summer's National Track and Field Championships to take the 2008 national title and a spot on the Beijing Olympic team.

Comments

Anonymous said…
I was in Gifu for the race and I saw Shibui pass by at about 2km in the 3rd stage. She looked extremely fierce, running very aggressively.

However, we all know that there is a huge difference between a 10km and a marathon!

Most-Read This Week

'Kobe 2024: Aitchison, Athmani Lead Record-Breaking Thursday'

  https://www.paralympic.org/news/kobe-2024-para-athletics-world-championships-aitchison-athmani-lead-record-breaking-thursday Complete results and daily schedule from the Kobe World Para Athletics Championships are here .

Japan's First Goldless Day - Asian Athletics Championships Day Four Highlights

Day 4 of the Bangkok Asian Athletics Championships was the first without a single gold medal going to Japan, but there were still enough silvers and bronzes to go around. Robyn Lauren Brown of the Philippines outclassed the rest of the women's 400 mH final field, taking gold in 57.50. Eri Utsunomiya and Ami Yamamoto made it a Japanese 2-3, Utsunomiya running 57.73 for silver and Yamamoto 57.80 for bronze. Yusaku Kodama also scored silver in the men's 400 mH, running 48.96 behind Qatari winner Bassem Hemeida 's 48.64. Yuki Yamasaki won bronze in the heptathlon with 5696 points, Uzbekistan's Ekaterina Voronina taking gold in 6098 and Swapna Barman silver in 5840. Teammate Karin Odama was 4th in 5487. Another bronze came in the mixed 4x400 m relay, with Japan running 3:15.71 behind India's 3:14.70 and Sri Lanka's 3:15.41. Naoto Hasegawa and Ryoichi Akamatsu both cleared 2.23 m in the men's high jump, Hasegawa finishing 4th overall and Akamatsu 5th. ...

'2024 IAU 100k World Championships Results: Jumpei Yamaguchi and Floriane Hot Win Gold'

Silver two years ago , Japanese NR holder Jumpei Yamaguchi took gold at the IAU 100 km World Championships Saturday in Bengaluru, India. Defending gold medalist Haruki Okayama was bronze this time, with Toru Somiya just over 2 minutes behind Okayama in 4th. Japanese women were shut out of the medals, 24-hour world record holder Miho Nakata placing highest at 4th. Complete report and results here: https://www.irunfar.com/2024-iau-100k-world-championships-results photo © 2024 Tarzan Aqzawa, all rights reserved