by Brett Larner
On Mar. 31 after a delay following the Mar. 11 disasters, Rikuren, the Japanese athletics federation, announced the lineup for the men's marathon team for August's World Championships in Daegu, Korea. The team is a strong one, inexperienced but fresh, with 2010 Asian Games silver medalist Yukihiro Kitaoka (Team NTN) and the 3rd and 4th place finishers from both the 2011 Tokyo Marathon and 2011 Lake Biwa Mainichi Marathon, Yuki Kawauchi (Saitama T&F Assoc.), Yoshinori Oda (Team Toyota), Hiroyuki Horibata (Team Asahi Kasei) and Kentaro Nakamoto (Team Yasukawa Denki). All but Kitaoka hold PBs under 2:10 set this year. No alternate was officially named.
Also formally confirmed for the women's team was defending World Championships silver medalist Yoshimi Ozaki (Team Daiichi Seimei) who secured a place by winning the 2011 Yokohama International Women's Marathon in a course record 2:23:56. The remaining four women will be named following next month's Boston Marathon, with the leading current contenders being, in order, 2011 Osaka International Women's Marathon winner Yukiko Akaba (Team Hokuren), 2011 Yokohama runner-up Remi Nakazato (Team Daihatsu) and 2011 Osaka runner-up Mai Ito (Team Otsuka Seiyaku).
2011 World Championships Men's Marathon Team
Hiroyuki Horibata (Team Asahi Kasei)
Born: Oct. 28, 1986 (24 yrs.)
PB: 2:09:25 - 2011 Lake Biwa Mainichi Marathon, 3rd
Other main results:
2:11:47 - 2008 Tokyo Marathon, 9th
Yuki Kawauchi (Saitama T&F Assoc.)
Born: Mar. 5, 1987 (24 yrs.)
PB: 2:08:37 - 2011 Tokyo Marathon, 3rd
Other main results:
2:12:36 - 2010 Tokyo Marathon, 4th
Yukihiro Kitaoka (Team NTN)
Born: Nov. 2, 1982 (28 yrs.)
PB: 2:10:51 - 2010 Lake Biwa Mainichi Marathon, 4th
Other main results:
2:12:46 - 2010 Asian Games Marathon, 2nd
2009 World Half Marathon Championships - 21st
2008 World Half Marathon Championships - 32nd
Kentaro Nakamoto (Team Yasukawa Denki)
Born: Dec. 7, 1982 (28 yrs.)
PB: 2:09:31 - 2011 Lake Biwa Mainichi Marathon, 4th
Other main results:
2:11:42 - 2010 Beppu-Oita Mainichi Marathon, 8th
2:13:53 - 2009 Tokyo Marathon, 9th
2:13:54 - 2008 Nobeoka Nishi Nippon Marathon, 3rd
2:15:21 - 2008 Hokkaido Marathon, 2nd
Yoshinori Oda (Team Toyota)
Born: Dec. 5, 1980 (30 yrs.)
PB: 2:09:03 - 2011 Tokyo Marathon, 4th (Japanese debut marathon all-time #3)
Other main results:
2009 World Half Marathon Championships - 28th
2004 World Half Marathon Championships - 16th
(c) 2011 Brett Larner
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