Skip to main content

Machida Top Japanese at 7th in Daegu International Marathon

http://www.chunichi.co.jp/s/article/2011041001000311.html
http://www.sanspo.com/sports/news/110410/spg1104101719004-n1.htm

translated and edited by Brett Larner

At the Apr. 10 Daegu International Marathon, a selection race for the Japanese women's marathon team for this summer's Daegu World Championships, Yuko Machida (Team Nihon ChemiCon) was the top Japanese woman. Finishing 7th in a time of 2:32:39, her chances of making the team are very slim. Among other contenders for the World Championships team, Tomomi Higuchi (Team Daihatsu) was 8th in 2:33:48, while Seika Iwamura (Team Daihatsu) was 12th in 2:36:33. Atsede Besuye (Ethiopia) won in 2:25:12. Veteran Takeshi Hamano (Team Toyota) was the top Japanese man, 14th in 2:16:49.

With the cancellation of March's Nagoya International Women's Marathon selection race and its designated replacement, April's Nagano Marathon, following the March 11 disasters in northeastern Japan, the Japanese federation Rikuren named Daegu as a substitute selection race along with the April 17 London Marathon and the April 18 Boston Marathon.

Machida, 30, was caught in both February's Christchurch earthquake and the March 11 Miyagi earthquake. Likely having missed out on qualifying for the World Championships due to falling short of the sub-2:26 time requirement set by Rikuren, Daegu is set to have become Machida's retirement race. "I have a lot to be grateful for," she says in looking back at her career.

Machida was in Shizuoka prefecture at the time of the earthquake and did not experience the worst of the disasters firsthand, but the Nihon ChemiCon team's training grounds in Osaki, Miyagi were extensively damaged and in her room in the team dormitory Machida's personal belongings were strewn about by the force of the earthquake, many of them damaged and broken. First Nagoya, then Nagano were cancelled. Daegu was quickly named as a substitute selection race, but surrounded by destruction Machida wondered, "Is it really OK to be running at a time like this?" as she faced the impossibility of concentrating on training in her day to day life in the month following the disasters.

Machida came to the conclusion that even in such conditions, "It's important to at least try to look strong," settling her appearance in Daegu. Midway through the marathon she fell off pace, finishing roughly 3 minutes off her PB. But, she said afterwards, "Even though it was tough out there I never gave up," finishing with a smile at her accomplishment against tough odds. Her parents, who accompanied Machida to Korea from their home in ravaged Shiogama, Miyagi, presented her with a handmade gold medal after she crossed the finish line.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Most-Read This Week

Nagoya Asian Games Test Event Canceled After Insulation Falls From Venue Ceiling

A section of insulation material fell from the ceiling of Nagoya Kinjo Futo Arena, the official venue for squash competition at September's Nagoya Asian Games. There were no injuries, but the city suspended use of the arena until its safety could be guaranteed, resulting in the cancelation of the Asian Games squash test event which was scheduled to have begun on May 14. It is not yet clear whether the arena will be usable for the Asian Games as planned. According to city officials, arena staff found that the insulation material had fallen onto a work walkway 13 m above the ground on the night of May 11. The fallen material was 3.6 m long, 50 cm wide and 2.5 km thick, and was found to be waterlogged. The cause of the accident is unknown, but it is possible that it was caused by rainwater leaking in from the roof. The same insulation material is installed across the entire ceiling, and the city plans to check for the extent of the possible flooding. Asked whether the arena will be re...
1 comment
Read more

Hakone Ekiden Qualifying Race Entry Roster Sizes Increased from 14 to 16

Hakone Ekiden organizers KGRR have announced details for the qualifying half marathon for next year's 103rd Hakone Ekiden. The Yosenkai qualifying race will be held Oct. 17 in Tachikawa, Tokyo. The combined times of the 10 fastest finishers from each participating team will be used for team scoring, with the 10 fastest teams going on the the main event next January and top-placing individuals from teams that do not qualify being names to the Kanto Region Student Alliance select team. One change from previous years is that the number of runners each school can enter has been increased from 14 to 16. Teams will still only be allowed to have from 10 to 12 athletes on the starting line, but the move gives coaches greater flexibility in making the final decision on their starting rosters. No changes have been made to the qualifying times of 34:00 for 10000 m or 1:13:00 for the half marathon, and the new earlier starting time of 8:30 a.m. introduced last year in an effort to mitigate ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Nomura and Odagiri Go 3-4 at Zevenheuvelenloop 15 km

2010 Zevenheuvelenloop 15 km Nijmegen, Netherlands, 11/21/10 Women click here for complete women's results 1. Genet Getaneh (Ethiopia) - 47:53 2. Florence Kiplagat (Kenya) - 48:07 3. Sayo Nomura (Meijo Univ.) - 49:43 4. Aki Odagiri (Meijo Univ.) - 51:37 5. Benita Willis (Australia) - 51:51 Men click here for complete men's results 1. Leonard Patrick Komon (Kenya) - 41:13 - WR 2. Abera Kuma (Ethiopia) - 42:01 3. Ayele Abshiro (Ethiopia) - 42:01 4. Abraham Kiplimo (Uganda) - 43:03 5. Berhanu Delale (Ethiopia) - 43:08 ----- 14. Kazuya Watanabe (Team Sanyo Tokushu Seiko) - 45:31
Post a Comment
Read more