Skip to main content

Osaka Women's Marathon and Osaka Half Marathon Elite Fields (updated)


The Jan. 28 Osaka International Women's Marathon and Osaka Half Marathon organizers announced the elite fields for both races today. The marathon is all about whether a Japanese woman can run 2:21:41 to steal the third spot on the Paris Olympic team from Ai Hosoda, the 3rd-placer at October's MGC Olympic marathon trials. Only one Japanese woman in the field has done that, Mizuki Matsuda (Daihatsu) with a 2:20:52 in Osaka International two years ago, and to help her try to get there organizers have pulled in Workenesh Edesa (Ethiopia), 2:18:51 in Berlin 2022, Stella Chesang (Uganda), 2:20:23 in Hamburg this past spring, and Sisay Meseret Gola (Ethiopia), 2:20:50 in Seville 2022.

2021 Tokyo Olympian Honami Maeda (Tenmaya) is probably Matsuda's strongest domestic competition at 2:22:32 earlier this year in Nagoya, with Sayaka Sato (Sekisui Kagaku) and Natsumi Matsushita (Tenmaya) more distantly in range. But with Nagoya coming in March with others in pursuit of the third Olympic spot there too, anyone who does it in Osaka will have to run a monster time to survive to the final cut.

Run simultaneously with the marathon, the Osaka Half Marathon keeps growing into one of the major spring half marathons alongside Marugame and the National Corporate Half. Yuka Ando (Wacoal) is the favorite on paper at 1:08:13 at the 2022 National Corporate Half and is almost definitely Nagoya-bound, but since the Olympic trials she hasn't run well. Her strongest competition is Ethiopian Desta Burka (Denso), 1:09:31 in Sanyo 2021.

The men's race is massive, with 20 entrants under 62 minutes since 2021. Hiroto Hayashida (Mitsubishi Juko) is the class of the field with a 1:00:38 at the 2022 National Corporate Half that puts him 41 seconds ahead of his strongest competitor Masanori Sumida (Aichi Seiko).

2024 Osaka International Women's Marathon

Elite Field Highlights
28 January 2024
times listed are athletes' best in last 3 years except where noted

Workenesh Edesa (Ethiopia) - 2:18:51 (Berlin 2022)
Stella Chesang (Uganda) - 2:20:23 (Hamburg 2023)
Sisay Meseret Gola (Ethiopia) - 2:20:50 (Seville 2022) - withdrawn on Jan. 26
Mizuki Matsuda (Japan/Daihatsu) - 2:20:52 (Osaka Int'l 2022)
Sayaka Sato (Japan/Sekisui Kagaku) - 2:22:13 (Berlin 2022)
Honami Maeda (Japan/Tenmaya) - 2:22:32 (Nagoya 2023)
Natsumi Matsushita (Japan/Tenmaya) - 2:23:05 (Osaka Int'l 2022)
Rie Kawauchi (Japan/Otsuka Seiyaku) - 2:25:35 (Osaka Int'l 2022)
Katharina Steinruck (Germany) - 2:25:59 (Enschede 2021)
Yuna Daito (Japan/Tenmaya) - 2:26:09 (Osaka Int'l 2023)
Ayano Ikemitsu (Japan/Kagoshima Ginko) - 2:28:26 (Osaka Int'l 2021)
Daeun Jeong (Korea) - 2:28:32 (Seoul 2023)
Kaena Takeyama (Japan/Senko) - 2:29:20 (Osaka Int'l 2023)
Militsa Mircheva (Bulgaria) - 2:29:23 (Copenhagen 2022)
Nanami Aoki (Japan/Iwatani Sangyo) - 2:30:01 (Osaka 2023)
Miku Hirashima (Japan/Uniqlo) - 2:30:49 (Osaka 2023)

Debut
Hina Yanagitani (Japan/Wacoal) - 1:10:11 (Osaka Half 2023) - withdrawn on Jan. 26
Hikaru Kitagawa (Japan/Osaka Geijutsu Univ.) - 1:10:50 (Nat'l Univ. Half 2023)

2024 Osaka Half Marathon

Elite Field Highlights
28 January 2024
times listed are athletes' best in last 3 years except where noted

Women
Yuka Ando (Wacoal) - 1:08:13 (National Corporate Half 2022)
Desta Burka (Ethiopia/Denso) - 1:09:31 (Sanyo Ladies Half 2021)
Yuma Adachi (Kyocera) - 1:10:21 (Osaka Half 2022) - withdrawn
Momoko Watanabe (Tenmaya) - 1:10:43 (Sanyo Ladies Half 2021)
Kotomi Tsubokura (Wacoal) - 1:11:02 (Sanyo Ladies Half 2021)
Yukari Abe (Kyocera) - 1:11:05 (Sanyo Ladies Half 2021)
Mao Kiyota (Suzuki) - 1:11:18 (Tokyo Legacy Half 2022)
Sairi Maeda (Daihatsu) - 2:25:24 (Osaka Int'l Women's Marathon 2023) - withdrawn

Men
Hiroto Hayashida (Mitsubishi Juko) - 1:00:38 (National Corporate Half 2022) - withdrawn
Masanori Sumida (Aichi Seiko) - 1:01:19 (National Corporate Half 2023) - withdrawn
Wataru Tochigi (Hiramatsu Byoin) - 1:01:21 (National Corporate Half 2021)
Hidekazu Hijikata (Asahi Kasei) - 1:01:22 (National Corporate Half 2022)
Kiyohito Akiyama (Aichi Seiko) - 1:01:23 (Osaka Half 2022) - withdrawn
Akira Tomiyasu (Nisan Kogyo) - 1:01:23 (Osaka Half 2022)
Hiroki Abe (Sumitomo Denko) - 1:01:26 (National Corporate Half 2022) - withdrawn
Tatsuya Oike (Toyota Boshoku) - 1:01:28 (National Corporate Half 2022)
Kyuma Yokota (Toyota Kyushu) - 1:01:30 (National Corporate Half 2022) - withdrawn
Ryu Takaku (Yakult) - 1:01:39 (Marugame Half 2023)
Koki Yoshioka (Chuo Hatsujo) - 1:01:40 (Osaka Half 2023)
Simon Musio Saidamu (Kenya/Chuo Hatsujo) - 1:01:43 (Gifu Seiryu Half 2023) - withdrawn
Kenta Murayama (Asahi Kasei) - 1:01:45 (Osaka Half 2022)
Kazuki Muramoto (Sumitomo Denko) - 1:01:46 (Osaka Half 2022)
Tatsuya Sumide (Aichi Seiko) - 1:01:46 (Osaka Half 2022)
Eikichi Kazaoka (JFE Steel) - 1:01:51 (National Corporate Half 2022) - withdrawn
Ryota Natori (Konica Minolta) - 1:01:55 (Osaka Half 2023)
Hiroyuki Ishikawa (Aisan Kogyo) - 1:01:55 (National Corporate Half 2022) - withdrawn
Tetsuya Yoroizaka (Asahi Kasei) - 1:01:58 (Gifu Seiryu Half 2023)
Daisuke Higuchi (Chuo Hatsujo) - 1:01:59 (National Corporate Half 2022) - withdrawn
Ryoma Takeuchi (ND Software) - 1:02:00 (Osaka Half 2023)
Ser-Od Bat-Ochir (Mongolia/Shin Nihon Jusetsu - 1:02:37 (Ageo City Half 2023)
Minho Park (Korea) - 2:10:13 (Seoul Marathon 2023)

© 2023 Brett Larner, all rights reserved

Buy Me A Coffee

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Most-Read This Week

Federation Tells World Championships Marathoner Horibata To Go On Diet

http://hochi.yomiuri.co.jp/sports/etc/news/20110307-OHT1T00258.htm translated by Brett Larner Having made the 2011 World Championships marathon team by running a PB of 2:09:25 to come in 3rd overall and as the top Japanese finisher at the Mar. 6 Lake Biwa Mainichi Marathon, Hiroyuki Horibata (24, Team Asahi Kasei), talked to the media at Osaka Airport on Mar. 7. Following Sunday's race Rikuren director Keisuke Sawaki , 67, told Horibata, "Let's cut things down a bit until the World Championships," directing him to go on a diet. The 189 cm Horibata weighs 72 kg [~6'3", 160 lbs]. When he joined Team Asahi Kasei in 2005 at age 18 he weighed 65 kg, and this weight is still generally listed on his profile at races and in the media. "For some reason it never changes," he said with a grin. His coach Takeshi Soh , 58, commented, "If he was hungrier for glory his world would change completely," slapping the 'heavyweight division runner...
Post a Comment
Read more

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...
Post a Comment
Read more

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