Skip to main content

Fully Recovered From Serious Accident, Noriko Matsuoka Nervous but Ready for Nagoya International Women's Marathon Debut

http://www.shizushin.com/sports_news/shizuoka/20110308000000000018.htm

translated by Brett Larner

At the final domestic selection race for the 2011 World Championships women's marathon team, the Mar. 13 Nagoya International Women's Marathon, track ace Noriko Matsuoka (Suzuki Hamamatsu AC) will take on her marathon debut. "I wouldn't exactly say that I have no chance [to make the World Championships team]," she says. Matsuoka has always kept the hope of making a strong marathon debut hidden away inside, and now at age 31 having risen above hardship and setbacks she is ready to take hold of the opportunity.

With no significant injuries since last summer Matsuoka completed the entire training menu she was given and is in a state of excellent preparation. But, she says, "I've practiced and practiced, but for some reason I just can't shake my self-doubt. 42.195 km is a long way. But, I think that when we get down to the day before the race I'll cut through all of that and be ready." Overcoming the fear of an unknown distance is the mark of a true veteran.

Since she was in her early teens Matsuoka has always had hopes and dreams for the future. Those around her also hoped to see her make an early debut at the marathon, but the chain slipped off the gears in 2001. Matsuoka was struck by a cyclist while running and was seriously injured, with broken bones all over her body. After recovering she fell into a long slump, suffering from chronic lower back trouble. "For a long time I was only able to deal with what was right in front of me, the here and now," she says. "But I've slowly been able to build things back up to the point where I'm ready for the marathon. I'm glad that I've kept with it for so long." Now ready to stand on the starting line, she faces the race with a mix of apprehension and happiness.

Matsuoka had a decisive victory at last November's Nagoya Half Marathon, winning in 1:11:13. She takes reassurance from knowing the Nagoya course. Even in the midst of a strong field she must be counted among the candidates for a place on the national team. "It's OK if I fail," she says. "I just want to take that first step. After that it's just a question of how far I can go. I know it'll be tough, but if there's even the slightest crack in the wall [of making the national team] then I want to go for it." Matsuoka's gentle demeanor and kind smile at these words mask the tiger hidden within waiting to spring.

Noriko Matsuoka
Born May 2, 1979 in Fuji, Shizuoka
5000 m: 15:29.38 (Hiroshima '09)
10000 m: 31:31.45 (Niigata '08)
half marathon: 1:11:13 (Nagoya '10)
Labels:

Comments

Brett Larner said…
I hope Matsuoka is able to run Nagano or wherever they decide to have the makeup race for Nagoya.
March 13, 2011 at 6:41 PM
Post a Comment

Most-Read This Week

10000 m National Championships Preview

  Less than five months since the 2023 10000 m National Championships went down at the 2021 Olympic stadium in Tokyo, the 2024 edition happens Friday at Shizuoka's Ecopa Stadium, with NHK broadcasting it live starting at 19:25 local time. Doubling up on Nationals like this lets Japanese athletes double dip on placing points to try to get into the Paris Olympics on rankings. But between the number of people who've hit the 30:40.00 women's standard and 27:00.00 men's standard and the lopsided eight spots given away to top placers at World XC, there are only four women's spots and three men's available via rankings. Of those, three of the four women's spots and two of the three men's spots are currently occupied by top placers at December's 2023 Nationals, Ririka Hironaka , Haruka Kokai and Rino Goshima for women and Ren Tazawa and Tomoki Ota for men. The 2023 Nationals did get close to the standards, with Hironaka leading the top four women under
3 comments
Read more

Goshima and Kasai Win 10000 m National Titles, Maeda Breaks U20 Asian Record

Rino Goshima and Jun Kasai stepped up with PBs to win the 2024 National Championships 10000 m titles Friday at Shizuoka's Ecopa Stadium. In the women's race, Goshima, 4th in last December's 2023 National Championships 10000 m, went out front from the start with Kenyan teammate Judy Jepngetich pacing and 2023 3rd-placer Haruka Kokai in tow. Things were never on track to hit the 30:40.00 Paris Olympics standard, but except for a brief dip to 3:08 at 7000 m Goshima held steady at 3:05 to 3:06/km even as Kokai and Jepngetich fell off. With blood dripping from her left knee after getting spiked by Jepngetich, Goshima closed in 3:03 to take 5 seconds off her best from December's Nationals and win in 30:53.31, moving up to all-time Japanese #6. Jepngetich also PBd at 31:09.42 without counting in the standings, with Kokai 2nd in 31:10.53 and Kazuna Kanetomo 3rd in a PB 31:59.29. The runner-up last time, Yuka Takashima was last in 33:33.27. The men's race went out in a
1 comment
Read more

Weekend Track and Road Roundup

  The Gifu Seiryu Half Marathon aside, a quick roundup of results from this past weekend: At the Nittai University Time Trials , aka the Nittaidai Challenge Games, Shadrack Kipkemei (Nihon Univ.) led a great men's 10000 m A-heat in 27:20.05, with the top six men all going under 27:28. James Mutuku (Yamanashi Gakuin Univ.) was the only other collegiate runner among them at 3rd in 27:23.09, with 2:06 marathoner Hidekazu Hijikata (Asahi Kasei) the top Japanese finisher at 8th in 28:23.27. Mutuku's YGU teammate Brian Kipyegon won the 5000 m A-heat in 13:30.88, James Karuri (Aomori Yamada H.S.) next in 13:33.67 and Kaisei Okada (Chuo Univ.) 3rd in 13:48.44. Soya Katayama (Aoyama Gakuin Univ.) had the fastest 1500 m with a 3:46.19 to win the A-heat. In the women's races at Nittai, Tabitha Njeri Kamau (Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo) was the only one to clear 16 minutes in the 5000 m A-heat, running 15:27.12 for the win. Lucy Nduta (Aomori Yamada H.S.) was likewise the only one u
Post a Comment
Read more