Skip to main content

Osaka International Women's Marathon Elite Field



The elite field is out for the Jan. 27 Osaka International Women's Marathon, one of the last chances for Japanese women to qualify for the MGC Race 2020 Olympic trials. Absent are last year's debut winner Mizuki Matsuda (Daihatsu) and anyone else likely to have the same kind of breakthrough, the domestic field instead heavy on people who were running well in 2016 and 2017. Cf. 2016 winner Kayoko Fukushi (Wacoal), who will be running her first marathon since the Rio Olympics, and the duo of Tomomi Tanaka (Daichi Seimei) and Rei Ohara (Tenmaya), who went head-to-end until the final meters of the 2016 Nagoya Women's Marathon.

Ohara is already in for the MGC Race, but the rest of the home crowd will have to be under 2:28:00 if among the top three Japanese women and under 2:27:00 if in the next three. Hanae Tanaka (Shiseido) has a slightly easier route, only needing to clear 2:28:20 to get in via the two-race sub-2:28:00 average the same way Ohara did in Berlin this year. With only eight women qualified so far versus twenty-one men hopes are high for a few more to join the list and bring the women's numbers up at least half the men's. Highest potential among the first-timers is Natsuki Omori (Daihatsu), a teammate of last year's winner Matsuda.

Ethiopian Sutume Asefa Kebede has the best relatively recent time among the internationals in the field with a 2:24:00 in Dubai 2016, but the probably favorite to push the front end of the race is 2018 Prague Marathon winner Bornes Chepkirui of Kenya with a 2:24:19 best from her Prague victory. Three other Africans are positioned at the 2:26 to 2:27 level, perfect to help pace the Japanese women along to MGC marks. Look for more coverage closer to race date.

38th Osaka International Women's Marathon Elite Field Highlights

Osaka, 1/27/19
times listed are best within last three years except where noted

Kayoko Fukushi (Wacoal) - 2:22:17 (Osaka Int'l 2016)
Tomomi Tanaka (Daiichi Seimei) - 2:23:19 (Nagoya Women's 2016)
Rei Ohara (Tenmaya) - 2:23:20 (Nagoya Women's 2016)
Sutume Asefa Kebede (Ethiopia) - 2:24:00 (Dubai 2016)
Bornes Chepkirui (Kenya) - 2:24:19 (Prague 2018)
Abebech Afework (Ethiopia) - 2:24:27 (Amsterdam 2016) - addtion
Shiho Takechi (Yamada Denki) - 2:25:29 (Nagoya Women's 2016) - withdrawn
Misato Horie (Noritz) - 2:25:44 (Osaka Int'l 2017)
Eunice Jeptoo (Kenya) - 2:26:13 (Eindhoven 2017)
Hanae Tanaka (Shiseido) - 2:26:19 (Osaka Int'l 2017)
Fatuma Sado (Ethiopia) - 2:26:41 (Xiamen 2018)
Ayaka Fujimoto (Kyocera) - 2:27:08 (Tokyo 2017)
Hisami Ishii (Yamada Denki) - 2:27:35 (Nagoya Women's 2017)
Merima Mohamed (Bahrain) - 2:27:41 (Nagoya Women's 2018) - withdrawn
Miharu Shimokado (Brooks) - 2:27:54 (Nagoya Women's 2017)
Kaori Yoshida (Team RxL) - 2:28:24 (Nagoya Women's 2017)
Mari Ozaki (Noritz) - 2:30:03 (Osaka Int'l 2018) - withdrawn
Hiroko Yoshitomi (Memolead) - 2:30:09 (Fukuoka 2018)
Yinli He (China) - 2:30:26 (Wuxi 2017)
Hitomi Mizuguchi (Osaka Gakuin Univ.) - 2:33:10 (Osaka Int'l 2018)
Maki Ashi (Kyudenko) - 1:44:14 (Ome 30k 2018) / DNF (Boston 2018) - withdrawn
Rie Fujita (Kyocera) - 1:12:02 (Sanyo Ladies 2017) - withdrawn
Honoka Tanaike (Kyoto Sangyo Univ.) - 1:12:20 (Matsue Ladies 2016)
Natsuki Omori (Daihatsu) - 32:24.27 (Fukagawa 2018)

© 2018 Brett Larner, all rights reserved

Buy Me A Coffee
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Most-Read This Week

Everything You Need to Know About the 2026 Hakone Ekiden

The Hakone Ekiden is the world's biggest road race, 2 days of road relay action with Japan's 20 best university teams racing 10 half marathon-scale legs from central Tokyo to the mountains east of Mount Fuji and back. The level just keeps going higher and higher , hitting the point this year where there are teams with 10-runner averages of 13:33.10 for 5000 m, 27:55.98 for 10000 m, and 1:01:20 for the half marathon. It's never been better, and with great weather in the forecast it's safe to say this could be one of the best races in Hakone's 102-year history, especially on Day One. If you've seen it then you know NTV's live broadcast is the best sports broadcast in the world, with the pre-race show kicking off at 7:00 a.m. Japan time on the 2nd and 3rd and the race starting at 8:00 a.m. sharp. If you've got a VPN you should be able to watch it on TVer starting at 7:50 a.m. on the 2nd , and again at 7:50 a.m. on the 3rd . There's even a 2-hour high...
3 comments
Read more

Mashiko Breaks U20 5000 m NR - Weekend Track Roundup

Saturday's Kanakuri Memorial Meet in Kumamoto was the weekend's main event in Japanese track, but there were good results at the Nittai University Time Trials meet in Yokohama too. Emmanuel Maru (Toyota Boshoku) led the men's 5000 m A-heat at Kanakuri in 13:14.06, with Tomonori Yamaguchi (SGH) clocking the fastest Japanese time in 13:16.38 in his first race as a corporate leaguer. Waseda University duo Rui Suzuki and Yota Mashiko went 6-7 in 13:20.64 and 13:22.87, the 18-year-old Mashiko shaving 0.04 off the U20 NR. In 8th, Yamato Yoshii (Toyota) ran a PB of 13:23.92. 3000 mSC NR holder Ryuji Miura (Subaru) continued to struggle after a weak indoor season, finishing 18th of 20 finishers in 13:45.10. 19-year-old Festus Kimorwo (Kurosaki Harima) was under 13:20 in the B-heat too, winning in a 13:19.59 PB. 2 more collegiate men broke 13:30, Daichi Fujita (Chuo Univ.) 8th in 13:28.93 and Riki Koike (Soka Univ.) 9th in 13:29.09. The top 6 in the men's 800 m A-hea...
Post a Comment
Read more