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2:08 Marathoner Miyawaki Says Will Quit Toyota Team If Doesn't Qualify For Olympic Trials in Tokyo


2:08:45 marathoner Chihiro Miyawaki, 31, tweeted on Feb. 19 that if he doesn't qualify for the Olympic marathon trials at next month's Tokyo Marathon he will quit the Toyota corporate team. "At the Mar. 5 Tokyo Marathon, if I don't make the qualifying bracket for the MGC Race then I will be leaving the Toyota team," he wrote. "I'm not calling it a retirement because I haven't been training for the Tokyo Marathon like it's my retirement race. I'm prepared to be on the starting line at the MGC Race, and I'm not running Tokyo just to put a punctuation mark on my career. I'll be running this race as the culmination of what I've accomplished so far, and I hope that you'll all cheer for me."

The official marathon trials for the 2024 Paris Olympic team, the MGC Race is scheduled to take place in Tokyo on Oct. 15.

Miyawaki joined Toyota after graduating from Chukyo H.S. In 2011 he ran his PB of 27:41.57 for 10000 m, at the time the 6th-fastest ever by a Japanese man, enigmatically tying that time a year later. In 2012 he ran 1:00:53 for the half marathon, the 3rd-fastest Japanese time at that point. From 2012 to 2014 he won the New Year Ekiden's longest stage three years in a row. He had a memorable marathon debut at the 2013 Tokyo Marathon and finished 8th there at the 2018 race to qualify for the 2019 MGC Race ahead of the Tokyo Olympics.

Translator's note: To qualify, Miyawaki will need to run 2:10:00 or better and finish in the top 3 Japanese, 2:09:00 or better and inside the top 6, or 2:08:00 or better regardless of place.

source article:
translated and edited by Brett Larner

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