Skip to main content

Fukushi, Noguchi and Shibui Set for Showdown in Osaka

http://www.sanspo.com/sports/news/20121218/ath12121816390000-n1.html

translated and edited by Brett Larner

On Dec. 18 the organizing committee of the Jan. 27 Osaka International Women's Marathon announced the domestic and international elite fields for next year's Moscow World Championships selection race edition. Osaka will be an historic showdown between Japan's #1 long distance woman Kayoko Fukushi (Team Wacoal), marathon national record holder and Athens Olympics marathon gold medalist Mizuki Noguchi (Team Sysmex), and 10000 m national record and former marathon national record holder Yoko Shibui (Team Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo). Others in the field include three-time World Championships team member Mari Ozaki (Team Noritz), Beijing Olympian Yurika Nakamura (Team Tenmaya), 2011 Tokyo Marathon winner Noriko Higuchi (Team Wacoal) and London Olympics marathon 5th-place finisher Tetyana Gamera-Shmyrko (Ukraine).

Noguchi was scheduled to run the 2012 Osaka International Women's Marathon but withdrew at the last minute with an injury. Speaking at the press conference announcing the 2013 field lineup she said, "I'm back to settle a score with myself." Now 34, she is targeting her first Osaka win since 2003. "I've been doing some good 30 and 40 km runs in training, and except for catching a cold I'm in the best shape possible," she spoke with confidence.

2013 Osaka International Women's Marathon Elite Field
Osaka, 1/27/13
click here for detailed field listing

31. Mizuki Noguchi (Team Sysmex) - 2:19:12 (Berlin 2005)
32. Yoko Shibui (Team Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo) - 2:19:41 (Berlin 2004)
38. Mari Ozaki (Team Noritz) - 2:23:30 (Osaka Women's 2003)
1. Maria Konovalova (Russia) - 2:23:50 (Chicago 2010)
2. Tetyana Gamera-Shmyrko (Ukraine) - 2:24:32 (London Olympics 2012)
33. Kayoko Fukushi (Team Wacoal) - 2:24:38 (Chicago 2011)
3. Mihaela Botezan (Romania) - 2:25:32 (London 2003)
34. Yurika Nakamura (Team Tenmaya) - 2:25:51 (Nagoya Women's 2008)
35. Madoka Ogi (Team Juhachi Ginko) - 2:26:55 (Osaka Women's 2008)
4. Karolina Jarzynska (Poland) - 2:27:16 (Yokohama Women's 2011)
5. Lisa Weightman (Australia) - 2:27:32 (London Olympics 2012)
36. Noriko Higuchi (Team Wacoal) - 2:28:49 (Tokyo 2011)
37. Yuko Watanabe (Team Edion) - 2:29:20 (Nagoya Women's 2012)

Pacers
61. Philes Ongori (Kenya)
62. Alevtina Ivanona (Russia)
63. Azusa Nojiri (Toyama T&F Assoc.)
64. Tomomi Higuchi (Team Daihatsu)
Labels:

Comments

TokyoRacer said…
Will be interesting to see how Nakamura does. Haven't heard anything about her for a while.
December 18, 2012 at 10:30 PM
Brett Larner said…
She didn't run too well at the ekiden this past Sunday, unfortunately. Hopefully she breaks her streak of every marathon since her debut being a PW.
December 18, 2012 at 11:39 PM
Post a Comment

Most-Read This Week

2026 Tokyo Marathon Elite Field

The Mar. 1 Tokyo Marathon has great fields this year, so let's get right to it. The women's field has 3 of last year's top 10, winner for the 2nd year in a row and Tokyo CR holder Sutume Asefa Kebede , 3rd-placer and 2025 Chicago winner Hawi Feysa , and 5th-placer and 2025 Berlin winner Rosemary Wanjiru , plus 2024 Valencia winner Megertu Alemu , 2025 Prague winner Bertukan Welde , 2024 Paris winner Mestawut Fikir , 2024 Osaka winner Waganesh Mekasha , former WR holder Brigid Kosgei , and a lot more. Japanese hopes pretty much go to all-time #7 Ai Hosoda , 2:20:31 in Berlin 2024 but who announced this month that she is retiring after Tokyo despite having qualified for the 2028 Olympic marathon trials with her 2:23:27 for 6th in Sydney last year. Other internationals include Canadian Malindi Elmore , American Sara Hall , a big Chinese group led by Yuyu Xia , Poland's Aleksandra Brzezińska and Australian Vanessa Wilson . The men's race has 5 of last year's top 1...
4 comments
Read more

Measuring Marathon Courses by Bicycle

http://news.searchina.ne.jp/disp.cgi?y=2013&d=0110&f=column_0110_034.shtml translated by Brett Larner The full marathon is a sport where you compete over 42.195 km, but how do they go about measuring that distance?  Today we're going to look a little bit at how they go about certifying the distance of a marathon. The reality is that major international marathons use a bicycle to measure the distance.  This rule is an international standard, and the same method of measurement is used everywhere.  It was put into place in 1986.  In order to ensure that the same method is used everywhere, a bicycle that meets IAAF specifications must be used for measurement. In the case of Japan's major marathons, to be certain that the distance is correct a provisional measurement is first made.  Before the course is certified using a bicycle the course is measured using a 50 m-long length of wire to determine that it is in fact 42.195 km.  When a bicycle is u...
2 comments
Read more

Ai Hosoda Announces Retirement

photo © 2025 Victah Sailer/Photo Run, all rights reserved On Jan. 8 the Edion women's corporate team announced that Ai Hosoda , 30, will retire at the end of March this year. The Tokyo Marathon will be her last race. At Nagano Higashi H.S. Hosoda ran in the National High School Ekiden her 2nd and 3rd years. During her 3rd year at Nittai University she won both the 5000 m and 10000 m at the Kanto Region University Track and Field Championships, going on to win the bronze medal in the 10000 m at the World University Games in her 4th year at Nittai. After graduating she joined the Daihatsu corporate team, debuting at the 2019 Nagoya Women's Marathon in 2:29:27. 2 years later she transferred to Edion. She qualified for the Paris Olympics marathon trials at the 2022 Nagoya Women's Marathon and finished 3rd in the trials in the fall of 2023, but was later bumped down to Olympic alternate after another athlete ran a faster time. Instead of the Olympics, Hosoda ran the 2024 Ber...
2 comments
Read more