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'Kuma Gets Maiden Marathon Win in Windy Rotterdam'


http://www.iaaf.org/news/report/abera-kuma-rotterdam-marathon

Evidently Asami Kato (Team Panasonic) was not worth a headline mention and less than a handful of sentences as the winner of the Rotterdam Marathon to the IAAF and writer Cors van den Brink despite having previously won races in both the U.S.A. and Australia.  Likewise, her nationality didn't seem to matter to race broadcasters to whom it was no doubt a given that a non-white winner must be African.  Even the usually-reputable German Road Races website condescended toward Kato's win with the headline "Abera Kuma gewinnt in Rotterdam - Schnellste Frau eine Japanerin," in English "Abera Kuma wins in Rotterdam - The fastest woman a Japanese woman."  The 'invisible Japanese' phenomenon remains a constant source of puzzlement.
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