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Noguchi Out of Osaka International With Stress Fracture

http://hochi.yomiuri.co.jp/sports/etc/news/20140116-OHT1T00079.htm

translated by Brett Larner

 On Jan. 16 the organizing committee of the Jan. 26 Osaka International Women's Marathon announced that 2004 Athens Olympics marathon gold medalist and national record holder Mizuki Noguchi (35, Team Sysmex) has withdrawn from the race after sustaining a stress fracture in the shaft of her right femur.  Now the third year in a row that she has withdrawn from Osaka shortly before the race, Noguchi issued a statement through the organizers saying, "I very strongly want to run this race, but rather than overdoing it now it's more important to let my leg recover and make progress toward another goal.  Once this injury is healed I'd like to set an early spring race as a target and start working on training for that."
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Anonymous said…
I really feel for Noguchi. I'm impressed how she can repeatedly get back on her feet after being floored for so many times. Still, even if she doesn't do anything more than she's achieved so far, she's done hell of a lot for Japan. Heavens above! An Olympic Gold (and thereby extending the Japanese Women's dominance for another four years) on top of silver in the 2003 World Championship in Paris plus many others. I personally think she can head for the bar and have some fun with impunity. Great athletic and always an inspiration to a mortal like me.
January 17, 2014 at 8:17 PM
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