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Injured Again, Noguchi is "Still Looking Toward Being Completely Healed"

http://www.jiji.com/jc/c?g=spo_30&k=2009041700970
http://sports.nikkei.co.jp/index.aspx?n=SSXKF0657%2017042009
http://www.daily.co.jp/general/2009/04/18/0001834808.shtml
http://www.nikkansports.com/sports/news/f-sp-tp0-20090417-484141.html
http://www.sponichi.co.jp/sports/flash/KFullFlash20090421020.html

translated and edited by Brett Larner

2004 Athens Olympics women's marathon gold medalist Mizuki Noguchi (Team Sysmex) appeared in Ome, Tokyo on Apr. 17 to give a talk as part of her coach Nobuyuki Fujita's nationwide 'Fujita Running Academy' program. Speaking of her future, Noguchi revealed that she is still undergoing medical treatment as she told the audience, "I'm still looking toward the day when I'm completely healed, but I can't make any concrete plans."

After withdrawing from last summer's Beijing Olympics with an injury to her left leg, Noguchi had begun training for a comeback race at September's Berlin Marathon. However, the pain has returned and whether she will be able to appear in Berlin as planned is unknown. Coach Fujita said, "Things aren't feeling perfect yet, so right now Mizuki has completely stopped running. Getting 100% healthy is the goal. There's no cure for [the inflammation Noguchi is suffering in her leg], so we just have to wait for time to take care of it."

Along with massage and other treatment, Noguchi is doing regular aerobic cross-training on a cycle and in the pool to keep her overall fitness, but Noguchi herself admitted, "It's gotten to the point where all I can do is a lot of swimming. This is the first time I've ever had a long time off for a single injury, and to be honest there have been times when I've thought about quitting. I just want to get back on my feet without another relapse and I'm not going to run until everything is back to normal -- if I set any goals other than that I'll just start running again. Times like now when I can't run are the absolute worst."

In response to a question from a fan in the audience about her withdrawal from Beijing Noguchi replied, "We put too much unnecessary stress on one of my legs. I want to apologize to everyone, and I promise that I will keep trying for the London Olympics." Asked for her feelings about the Seattle Mariners' Ichiro Suzuki setting a new national record of 3086 hits, the women's marathon national record said, "We were travelling so I didn't get to see it." Coach Fujita weighed in, adding, "Harimoto, the one whose record Ichiro broke, was the same year in school as me."
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Comments

Brett Larner said…
Doesn't sound too good.....
April 20, 2009 at 6:12 PM
TokyoRacer said…
No, it's really too bad. Still, she is smart to just stop running until it heals completely.
April 20, 2009 at 7:54 PM
dennis said…
I got important news not about Noguchi but about Salina Kosgei. I'm shocked that she just won boston today yet she did so horrible in Tokyo. She can't even beat Kano and Ozaki and Yamauchi in Tokyo. Is she doped up? She had such mediocre results and she also lost to Noguchi and all of a sudden she won.
April 21, 2009 at 8:35 AM
Anonymous said…
Noguchi better watch out for Kosgei cause she can outkick anybody. Let's see Noguchi and Kosgei go head to head again. I can't wait to see Kosgei kick your butt!!!
April 21, 2009 at 10:45 AM
dennis said…
How can I become Japan based. I want to joined Jitsugyodan Teams.
April 21, 2009 at 10:49 AM
Brett Larner said…
Dennis--

Send me a list of your PBs for the standard distances through the email address in my profile and I will forward it to an agent colleague who handles placing overseas runners on jitsugyodan teams. If he's interested he will get in touch.


Brett
April 21, 2009 at 3:03 PM
yuza said…
I watched a documentary about Noguchi here in Japan leading up to the Beijing Olympics. The thing that stands out about the documentary is the way in which both she and her coach had set out to change her running action after Athens. If you look at her running action from five years ago there is quite a difference.

I just wonder whether the adjustments made to her running action are perhaps part of the reason why she continues to get injured.

I am no expert and I am merely speculating. Either way I would just love to see her get back to full fitness.
April 21, 2009 at 3:37 PM
Brett Larner said…
You might be on to something there, Yuza. I saw the documentary you mention and you're right, there was a lot of emphasis on how they'd managed to change Noguchi's form. It's interesting that you use the word 'bounce,' Jason, as I recall them using computer analysis of Noguchi's form to show how they'd reduced the amount of vertical bounce in her stride and redirected it into forward motion, i.e. longer stride. This was supposed to be of benefit on Beijing's high-density pavement.
April 21, 2009 at 4:58 PM
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