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MGC Race Olympic Marathon Trials Qualifier - Tomohiro Tanigawa

Tomohiro Tanigawa

age: 30
sponsor: Konica Minolta
graduated from: Kumamoto Kogyo H.S., Takushoku University

best time inside MGC window:
2:12:02, 3rd, 2018 Hokkaido Marathon

PB: 2:11:39, 2nd, 2015 Nagano Marathon

other PBs:
5000 m: 13:51.09 (2013) 10000 m: 28:24.31 (2013) half marathon: 1:02:18 (2013)

marathons inside MGC window (Aug. 1 2017 – April 30 2019):
3rd, 2018 Hokkaido Marathon, 2:12:02
28th, 2018 Beppu-Oita Marathon, 2:18:33

other major results:
5th, 2019 New Year Ekiden Seventh Stage (15.5 km), 46:28
4th, 2018 East Japan Corporate Ekiden Seventh Stage (12.9 km), 38:12
1st, 2016 Sydney Marathon, 2:12:13

Tanigawa is the only athlete male or female in the MGC Race to have never broken the 2020 Olympics marathon qualifying time standard. He did win the gold label Sydney Marathon in 2016, equivalent to having cleared the standard, but his PB of 2:11:39 from 2015 is just shy of the 2:11:30 time standard. Tanigawa graduated from Takushoku University, alma mater of two of the three members of Japan’s 2012 London Olympics marathon team, Arata Fujiwara and Kentaro Nakamoto.

Injured for most of 2017, he came back with a 3rd-place finish at last August’s Hokkaido Marathon in 2:12:03 to qualify for the MGC Race, a run that put him into the category of proven performers in heat and humidity. Since then he’s run a strong 46:20 PB for 10 miles in December and was 5th on the 15.5 km New Year Ekiden anchor stage in 46:28 in January, but was an only decent 1:03:58 for 16th at July’s Hakodate Half Marathon and 14:32.16 for 5000 m a week later in Shibetsu.

Next profile: Yuka Ando (Wacoal).

© 2019 Brett Larner, all rights reserved

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