Skip to main content

MGC Race Olympic Marathon Trials Qualifier - Kentaro Nakamoto

Kentaro Nakamoto

age: 36
sponsor: Yasukawa Denki
graduated from: Nishiichi H.S., Takushoku University

best time inside MGC window: 
2:11:34, 2nd, 2019 Krakow Marathon

PB: 2:08:35, 2nd, 2013 Beppu-Oita Marathon

other PBs:
5000 m: 14:04.31 (2011) 10000 m: 28:54.59 (2012) half marathon: 1:02:12 (2018)

marathons inside MGC window (Aug. 1 2017 – April 30 2019):
2nd, 2019 Krakow Marathon, 2:11:34
DNF, 2018 Fukuoka International Marathon
5th, 2018 Hokkaido Marathon, 2:12:54
DNS, 2018 Boston Marathon
10th, 2017 London World Championships Marathon, 2:12:41

other major results:
20th, 2019 Hakodate Half Marathon, 1:04:32
11th, 2019 Sendai International Half Marathon, 1:03:27
10th, 2019 New Year Ekiden Fifth Stage (15.8 km), 47:11
2nd, 2018 Osaka Half Marathon, 1:02:12 – PB
1st, 2017 Beppu-Oita Marathon, 2:09:32
5th, 2013 Moscow World Championships Marathon, 2:10:50
2nd, 2013 Beppu-Oita Marathon, 2:08:35 – PB
6th, 2012 London Olympics Marathon, 2:11:16
4th, 2012 Lake Biwa Marathon, 2:08:53
9th, 2011 Daegu World Championships Marathon, 2:13:10
4th, 2011 Lake Biwa Marathon, 2:09:31

Nakamoto is Japan’s best championships marathoner of modern times, probably ever, with top 10 finishes in three world championships and the 2012 London Olympics. Now 36, he’s the oldest man to qualify for the MGC Race. Could he do it again? It’s a long shot given where he is in his career, but Nakamoto has proven himself in all weather conditions hot and cold and in the pressure of a high-stakes championship, so it’d be a mistake to complete count him out.

Nakamoto started off 2018 with a surprising 1:02:12 PB at the Osaka Half Marathon, but a stress fracture right before the Boston Marathon knocked him out of a tough conditions race he could have won. Bouncing back from that he qualified for the MGC Race with only a 2:12:54 for 5th at last summer’s Hokkaido Marathon, then DNFed in Fukuoka and missed the Olympic standard by 4 seconds with a 2:11:34 for 2nd in Krakow in the spring. His main results since Krakow have been a decent 1:03:27 for 11th at May’s Sendai Half Marathon and a 1:04:32 for 20th at July’s hot and sunny Hakodate Half Marathon. Like bottom-ranked man Tomohiro Tanigawa he graduated from Takushoku University, where he was roommates with future London Olympics teammate Arata Fujiwara.

Next profile: Naoki Okamoto (Chugoku Denryoku).

© 2019 Brett Larner, all rights reserved

Buy Me A Coffee
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Most-Read This Week

Nagoya Asian Games Test Event Canceled After Insulation Falls From Venue Ceiling

A section of insulation material fell from the ceiling of Nagoya Kinjo Futo Arena, the official venue for squash competition at September's Nagoya Asian Games. There were no injuries, but the city suspended use of the arena until its safety could be guaranteed, resulting in the cancelation of the Asian Games squash test event which was scheduled to have begun on May 14. It is not yet clear whether the arena will be usable for the Asian Games as planned. According to city officials, arena staff found that the insulation material had fallen onto a work walkway 13 m above the ground on the night of May 11. The fallen material was 3.6 m long, 50 cm wide and 2.5 km thick, and was found to be waterlogged. The cause of the accident is unknown, but it is possible that it was caused by rainwater leaking in from the roof. The same insulation material is installed across the entire ceiling, and the city plans to check for the extent of the possible flooding. Asked whether the arena will be re...
1 comment
Read more

Hakone Ekiden Qualifying Race Entry Roster Sizes Increased from 14 to 16

Hakone Ekiden organizers KGRR have announced details for the qualifying half marathon for next year's 103rd Hakone Ekiden. The Yosenkai qualifying race will be held Oct. 17 in Tachikawa, Tokyo. The combined times of the 10 fastest finishers from each participating team will be used for team scoring, with the 10 fastest teams going on the the main event next January and top-placing individuals from teams that do not qualify being names to the Kanto Region Student Alliance select team. One change from previous years is that the number of runners each school can enter has been increased from 14 to 16. Teams will still only be allowed to have from 10 to 12 athletes on the starting line, but the move gives coaches greater flexibility in making the final decision on their starting rosters. No changes have been made to the qualifying times of 34:00 for 10000 m or 1:13:00 for the half marathon, and the new earlier starting time of 8:30 a.m. introduced last year in an effort to mitigate ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Nomura and Odagiri Go 3-4 at Zevenheuvelenloop 15 km

2010 Zevenheuvelenloop 15 km Nijmegen, Netherlands, 11/21/10 Women click here for complete women's results 1. Genet Getaneh (Ethiopia) - 47:53 2. Florence Kiplagat (Kenya) - 48:07 3. Sayo Nomura (Meijo Univ.) - 49:43 4. Aki Odagiri (Meijo Univ.) - 51:37 5. Benita Willis (Australia) - 51:51 Men click here for complete men's results 1. Leonard Patrick Komon (Kenya) - 41:13 - WR 2. Abera Kuma (Ethiopia) - 42:01 3. Ayele Abshiro (Ethiopia) - 42:01 4. Abraham Kiplimo (Uganda) - 43:03 5. Berhanu Delale (Ethiopia) - 43:08 ----- 14. Kazuya Watanabe (Team Sanyo Tokushu Seiko) - 45:31
Post a Comment
Read more