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Matsuda and Coach Receive 15 Million Yen Bonus for Sub-2:22 in Osaka



On Jan. 27, Osaka International Women's Marathon winner Mizuki Matsuda (24, Daihatsu) received a 10 million yen [~$92,000 USD] bonus for her 2::21:47 time. The bonus was paid by the National Corporate Federation as part of its Project Exceed program. Along with Matsuda receiving 10 million yen for breaking 2:22, her coach Miwako Yamanaka received a 5 million yen bonus [~$46,000 USD].

When asked what she plans to do with the money, Matsuda smiled as she answered, "Save it. That's what everyone around me is telling me to do. And," she added with a laugh, "to watch out for guys coming after my money." While she may not intend to use the money for herself, Matsuda does plan to use some of it for her ultra-supportive mother Akemi. "I told her that I'd like to pay for her to get her teeth fixed. That costs about 700,000 yen [~$6500 USD], so she was super happy and said 'Thank you very much.'" Matsuda also plans to go visit a friend who lives in Vancouver, Canada. "I'm going there on air miles," she laughed.

source article:
https://www.nikkansports.com/sports/athletics/news/202001270000257.html
translated by Brett Larner

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Unknown said…
I watched this race and it was an amazing effort. She was so determined and focused. I'm so glad she qualified for the Olympics (for now). It will be interesting to see if anyone can better her time in the Nagoya marathon. And I'm glad she got that prize money for herself and coach. They totally deserve it.

On a side note, does anyone know if Sairi Maeda and Hanami Sekine will be competing in Nagoya? I was gutted when they both got injured prior to the MGC Qualifying Race.

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