Skip to main content

Olympic Marathoner Nakamoto Honored by Hometown Yamaguchi, Vows to Give it His Best

http://mainichi.jp/area/fukuoka/news/20120710ddlk40050360000c.html

translated by Brett Larner

London Olympics men's marathon team member Kentaro Nakamoto (29, Team Yasukawa Denki) has been awarded his native Yamaguchi prefecture's Medal of Glory, a distinction reserved for the prefecture's highest-achieving athletes.  "I'm privileged to receive an award which carries such honor," he said.  "I want to go into the big day in the best condition possible."

Nakamoto was born in Kikugawacho, Yamaguchi.  He received the medal at Yasukawa Denki corporate headquarters in Yahatanishi, Kita-Kyushu from Prefectural Sports and Culture Director Masafumi Nomura along with support money from the Yamaguchi Prefecture Track and Field Association.  Director Nomura told him, "We expect you to go to the limit of your ability without holding anything back."

Nakamoto will continue training in Kokonoemachi, Oita through July 15 and plans to fly to London on the 28th.  Following the award ceremony he told reporters, "My basic goal is to make top eight, but I want to try to make it at least one place higher than I expect.  It's a tough course so I think it's going to come down to what people have left beyond 30 km."

Comments

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 .

'Kobe 2024: Monday Sees Shocking Wins on the Track and the Field'

  https://www.paralympic.org/news/kobe-2024-para-athletics-world-championships-monday-sees-shocking-wins-track-and-field Complete results and daily schedule from the Kobe World Para Athletics Championships  are here .

Five New Championship Records at Japanese Olympic Trials Day Two

Great conditions on the second day of Japan's National Track and Field Championships , U20 National Championships and Paris Olympics trials helped athletes set new National Championship meet records in the women's pole vault, men's 400 mH, men's and women's 1500 m, and men's 5000 m, with three of the five record setters and guaranteeing themselves places on the Paris Olympics team. Complete results here . Women's Pole Vault Final National record holder Misaki Morota cleared her minimum goal, the win in 4.31 m to score enough points to move from 33rd to 32nd in the 32-deep Paris Olympic quota. Morota took two attempts to get over 4.30 m, but on her first try at a Japanese National Championships meet record 4.41 m she got it done. That gave her enough points to move to 30th, but it would take clearing 4.50, 2 cm higher than Morota's NR, to move to 29th. That proved to be out of range, leaving Morota in good position but still waiting to see the outcome of...