Skip to main content

Fujiwara Plans to Seal Up Rio Olympics Spot in Beijing

http://www.hochi.co.jp/sports/etc/20150429-OHT1T50341.html

translated by Brett Larner

2015 Beijing World Championships team member Masakazu Fujiwara (34, Team Honda) ran in the 5000 m at the Apr. 29 Heisei Kokusai University Time Trials meet.  His first race of the season, he finished in 14:22.76.  "That was about what I expected," he said.

Along with World Championships teammates Masato Imai (31, Team Toyota Kyushu) and Kazuhiro Maeda (34, Team Kyudenko), if Fujiwara makes the top 8 in Beijing and is the top Japanese finisher he will be named to the Rio Olympics team.  "I definitely want to seal up a place on the Olympic team in Beijing," he said.  Anticipating a battle between veterans he added, "The other two guys are probably thinking the same thing.  If we don't do it in Beijing it will be hard to make the team.  We're all in our 30s so we can't keep running lots and lots of marathons."
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Most-Read This Week

Yuya Yoshida 2:05:16 CR to Win Fukuoka International Marathon

Yuya Yoshida 's story is really the kind you love to read. A guy who never got to run the big races at Aoyama Gakuin University until his very last chance his senior year, when he dropped a course record at the 2020 Hakone Ekiden in what he was thinking of as his last race. Then a 2:08:30 marathon debut for 3rd at Beppu on his coach's advice. Then a 2:07:05 win at the Fukuoka International Marathon later the same year after deciding to keep going and joining the GMO corporate team. A few years of setbacks, then a 2:06:37 PB in Osaka this spring. And now this. A 2:05:16 CR for the win in Fukuoka, 1:02:58 at halfway and a smoking 1:02:18 mostly solo 2nd half, 2 seconds under the old record set back in pre-super shoe days in 2009 by the great Tsegaye Kebede . Really, what else is there to say? Yoshida was great. In the pack through 25 km, then throwing down at dropping 2:06:31 man Yusuke Nishiyama and everyone else except Israeli Tadesse Getahon , who lasted another 5 km befor...
Post a Comment
Read more

Fukuoka, Hofu, Kosa 10-Miler and More - Weekend Preview

It's a massive weekend of racing in Japan, so let's get to it. Fukuoka International Marathon Right now only four Japanese men have qualified for next year's Tokyo World Championships, and with recent times between 2:05:59 and 2:06:54 the main domestic group up front, Kenya Sonota , Yusuke Nishiyama , Yuya Yoshida , Kazuya Nishiyama and Daisuke Doi , will be aiming to add to that list. It's been a while since there's been this good a Japanese field in Fukuoka. There was a near-miss on China scoring its first Fukuoka win last year, and there's a strong Chinese contingent back this time including NR holder Jie He , 2:06:57, Shaohui Yang , 2:07:09, Jianhua Peng , 2:09:59, and Bo Li , 2:11:23. Israel has a small crew of three, Tesema Moges , Tadesse Getahon and Yitayew Abuhay , and the main Kenyan group including two-time winner Michael Githae , Bidan Karoki , Bethwel Yegon , Lemeck Too and Vincent Raimoi , is pretty well-positioned to help make it a race under t...
1 comment
Read more

Singh Breaks Indian NR to Win Hachioji Long Distance 10000 m, with 39 Going Sub-28

For the second time in two months Gulveer Singh was in Japan to race, and for the second time he outkicked Toyota corporate team rookie and 2023-2024 Komazawa University captain Mebuki Suzuki to win with a new Indian national record. Last time around it was September's Yogibo Athletics Challenge Cup 5000 m in Niigata, where Singh ran a 13:11.82 NR, outpowering Suzuki over the last 200 m but Suzuki still coming in with an all-time Japanese #8 13:13.80. This time it was the Hachioji Long Distance 10000 m time trial meet in suburban Tokyo. Running the fastest heat targeting the 27:00.00 Tokyo World Championships standard, Singh started at the back of the pack and worked his way forward as the race progressed. The front end of the pack wore down to just Singh, Suzuki and Japan-based Kenyans Samwel Masai (Kao), Gilbert Kiprotich (Sunbelx) and Emmanuel Kiplagat (Mitsubishi Juko), splitting en route: 2:42 5:25 (2:43) 8:08 (2:43) 10:51 (2:43) 13:36 (2:45) 16:19 (2:43) 19:04 (2:45)...
Post a Comment
Read more