japan running news

Yuko Kawakami , Chiemi Takahashi , Ikumi Wakamatsu and Mari Ozaki go sub-32 as they battle to qualify for the 1999 World Seville World Championships. Future international-level marathoners Mizuki Noguchi , Takami Ominami , Megumi Oshima , Yuri Kano , Kayoko Obata , Yasuko Hashimoto and more were also in the race.

Japanese marathoners these days have the reputation of rarely racing abroad, and of rarely racing well when they do. Back in the day that wasn't true; Japanese marathoners have won all the World Marathon Majors-to-be except New York, and two of the three Japanese men to have run 2:06 and all three women to have run 2:19 did it outside Japan. Whatever the extent to which things did turn inward along the way, the last few years have seen an uptick in Japanese runners going farther afield and running better there than any others before them. The lists above and below show the fastest times run by Japanese athletes in different countries to 2:20:00 for men and 2:45:00 for women. Japanese men have run sub-2:20 marathons in 37 countries around the world including Japan, with Japanese women having cleared 2:45 in 33 countries including at home. Breaking it down by IAAF label times, more Japanese men have run label standard times abroad, but women have typically performed at a higher lab...

http://www.jiji.com/jc/c?g=spo_30&k=2011041900324 translated and edited by Brett Larner Hanamaki, Iwate native Toyoyuki Abe (Team NTT Nishi Nihon) placed 15th in his marathon debut at the Apr. 18 Boston Marathon thanks to the support of his parents and friends back home, all of them in very difficult circumstances following the devastation of last month's earthquake and tsunami. "Despite their tough situation everyone cheered me on," Abe said. "It helped me push harder than ever." Abe has been successful as an ekiden runner, but beginning this year he has turned his focus to the marathon. He earned an invitation to Boston after finishing 2nd at February's Ome 30 km Road Race behind American Jason Lehmkuhle . Meeting his pre-race goal of a 2:15 finish as he clocked 2:15:48, Abe said of his future plans, "The next step is to work on my speed endurance and then see where that gets me." Translator's note: Ome women's winner Hiromi Omin...

http://www.fukuishimbun.co.jp/modules/news0/index.php?page=article&storyid=24728&storytopic=4 http://mainichi.jp/area/fukui/news/20101112ddlk18050540000c.html translated by Brett Larner The town of Wakasa's most famous pair of long distance runners, identical twins Hiromi and Takami Ominami , 34, held a press conference in their native Fukui prefecture on Nov. 11 to announce the launch of a new running club under the support of new sponsor Utic which will support their athletic careers. Both Rotterdam Marathon winners, the world-class Ominami Twins lost their previous sponsor last spring when Toyota Shatai shut down its running team. Moving from Nagoya to Tokyo the sisters worked temp jobs while searching for a sponsor. The new sponsor, Utic, is based in Sakai, Fukui. Utic AC will be made up of a team of four, the sisters, Toshio Shibata , their coach during their days at Mikata J.H.S. in Wakasa, and 110 m hurdler Hironori Murao . The company plans to add two more members ...

http://www.sponichi.co.jp/sports/flash/KFullFlash20100405121.html translated by Brett Larner Masahiko Takahashi, former head coach of Team Toyota Shatai which formally disbanded at the end of March, revealed on Apr. 5 that his twin star runners Hiromi and Takami Ominami will return to their hometown of Fukui to start a new club team. The three hope that the provisionally-titled "Team Fukui" will become a new model to help raise the level of track and field within Fukui prefecture. As of this month both athletes have relocated to Tokyo, where they are looking for an office and new sponsors to help them in their mission to improve their hometown athletics. Coach Takahashi commented, "There will always be the Fukui Prefecture Sports Day for many years to come, so we are keen to get started with creating Team Fukui."

http://svr.sanyo.oni.co.jp/feature/sports/other/2009/12/01/20091201101648.html translated by Brett Larner The 28th Sanyo Women's Road Race is scheduled to take place Dec. 23. 65 women are entered in the elite half marathon, while the 10 km division has a field of 199. A number of athletes who competed in August's World Championships in Berlin will take their next step on the roads of Okayama. At the top of the field in the half marathon is Berlin WC 10000 m 7th place finisher and Beijing Olympics marathoner Yurika Nakamura (Team Tenmaya). Her toughest challenge will come from Kenyan Danielle Filomena Cheyech (Team Uniqlo), who defeated Nakamura in March's National Jitsugyodan Women's Half Marathon, and last year's runner-up Megumi Seike (Team Sysmex). Marathoner Yumi Hirata (Team Shiseido) and Nakamura's teammate Kaori Urata (Team Tenmaya) are also expected to challenge for the lead. In the 10 km, Berlin World Championships marathoners Yuri Kano (Second Wi...

http://www.asahi.com/sports/spo/TKY200910210174.html translated by Brett Larner The first running of the new Yokohama International Women's Marathon, sponsored by the Asahi Newspaper Group and others, takes place Nov. 15. On Oct. 20 the event's organizing committee announced the lineup of the elite field of eleven. 2007 World Championships 6th place finisher Kiyoko Shimahara (Second Wind AC), the Ominami twins Hiromi and Takami (Team Toyota Shatai) top the domestic contenders, while Beijing Olympics gold and silver medalists Constantina Dita (Romania) and Catherine Ndereba (Kenya) will be the main overseas competition. The domestic field consists of five invited athletes. Shimahara, 3rd at last year's Chicago Marathon and 3rd in the 2006 Osaka International Women's Marathon, is an experienced veteran. In August she set the Hokkaido Marathon course record of 2:25:10, her PB. At age 32 she is at the peak of her powers. The Ominami twins, both past winners of the Rotterdam...

http://www.sanspo.com/sports/news/090806/spg0908062034005-n1.htm http://mainichi.jp/enta/sports/general/track/news/20090807k0000m050038000c.html translated and edited by Brett Larner The Toyota Shattai company, sponsors of top distance women Hiromi and Takami Ominami, announced Aug. 6 that it intends to disband its women's running team effective Aug. 7. The company will, however, continue to sponsor the Ominami twins and their coach Masahiko Takahashi. The Ominami twins joined Toyota Shatai in April, 2005 together with Takahashi after their previous sponsor UFJ Bank disbanded its team. Both sisters are past winners of the Rotterdam Marathon, Hiromi having won in 2007 and Takami in 2002. Hiromi Ominami ran the 10000 m at the 2005 World Championships and won a bronze medal in the 10000 m at the 2006 Asian Games. Takami Ominami ran the marathon at the 2001 and 2003 World Championships and won the 2003 Nagoya International Women's Marathon.

by Brett Larner The final selection race for the 2009 Berlin World Championships women's marathon team takes place this Sunday, Mar. 8 at the 30th anniversary Nagoya International Women's Marathon . The top Japanese woman in Nagoya will automatically earn a place on the Berlin team, and with the almost complete absence of big-name domestic runners hopes are high that one of the younger, inexperienced runners will step up with a world-class performance. The chance is also there for one of the few veteran Japanese runners in the field to come back with a win. Winning times in Nagoya over the last ten years have averaged 2:25:18, with the fastest mark being Naoko Takahashi's course-record 2:22:19 in 2000 and the slowest Yasuko Hashimoto's 2:28:49 in 2007. No foreign runner has won Nagoya since Russia's Lyubov Morgunova took the 1999 race, but this year the hosts' streak may be broken. China's Xue Bai has the strongest recent credentials in the field, with a 2:2...

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/sports/news/20090226-OYT1T00793.htm http://mainichi.jp/enta/sports/general/track/news/20090227k0000m050029000c.html http://www.chunichi.co.jp/article/sports/news/CK2009022702000155.html translated and edited by Brett Larner On Feb. 26 Rikuren released the names of the elite field for the Mar. 8 Nagoya International Women's Marathon , a selection race for the Berlin World Championships women's marathon team. Eleven women make up the domestic elite field, among them 2007 Tokyo Marathon winner Hitomi Niiya (Team Toyota Jidoshokki) and 2003 Nagoya winner Takami Ominami (Team Toyota Shatai). The five elite foreign women include 2000 Sydney Olympics silver medalist Lidia Simon (Romania) and 2008 Beijing International Marathon winner Xue Bai (China). 303 runners make up the general division. In addition to Niiya and Ominami, the domestic elite field includes last year's 5th place finisher Chika Horie (Team Aruze) and 7th place finisher Yumi Hirata (Team Sh...

http://www.chunichi.co.jp/chuspo/article/sports/news/CK2009022002000136.html translated and edited by Brett Larner Naoko Takahashi stands between the two monuments in her honor on Tokunoshima island. Sydney Olympics women's marathon gold medalist and former world record holder Naoko Takahashi (36, Phiten), who retired from professional running last fall, began training on the island of Tokunoshima in Kagoshima Prefecture on Feb. 19 for what she has up until now called a 'thank-you run' at the Mar. 8 Nagoya International Women's Marathon . Q-chan has said her goal for her 'final run' is simply, "to break 3 hours." However, she recently commented, "I'm really afraid that when the starting gun goes off I might get excited and try to run up front [in the lead pack] instead of going out as planned," suggesting the possibility that Nagoya might become a 'real run.' Takahashi was quick to add, "I'm going to try to hold back as ...

http://www.sponichi.co.jp/sports/news/2009/01/26/11.html http://hochi.yomiuri.co.jp/sports/etc/news/20090127-OHT1T00083.htm translated and edited by Brett Larner Three main races will be used to select the five members of the Japanese national women's marathon team for this summer's World Championships marathon in Berlin. The top Japanese finishers at the Tokyo International Women's Marathon, Osaka International Women's Marathon and Nagoya International Women's Marathon are automatically selected for the team, meaning last Sunday's Osaka International winner Yoko Shibui has now secured a place on the team alongside Tokyo International winner Yoshimi Ozaki. Joining them will be the top Japanese finisher at March's Nagoya International, in which 2007 Tokyo Marathon winner Hitomi Niiya and 2002 Rotterdam Marathon winner Takami Ominami are scheduled to compete. For the remaining two World Championships spots, the runners-up from these three races, thus far Tokyo...

http://news.livedoor.com/article/detail/3912832/ https://www.nissinfoods.co.jp/csr/social/sports/athlete/blog/index.html?ym=2008-11&id=773 translated and edited by Brett Larner photo courtesy of Nissin Shokuhin Kenyan Gideon Ngatuny (Team Nissin Shokuhin) won the Nov. 24 Nagoya Half Marathon, setting a new course record of 1:00:11 for the 21.0975 km race beginning at Nagoya's Mizuho Park Track and Field Grounds. Satoru Kasuya (Team Toyota Boshoku) was the top Japanese finisher, 3rd overall. Hiromi Ominami (Team Toyota Shatai) won the women's race in 1:09:31, with her identical twin sister Takami (Team Toyota Shatai) finishing 2nd. Translator's note: Nagoya was Gideon Ngatuny's half marathon debut. Satoru Kasuya is running his marathon debut at the Dec. 21 Hofu Yomiuri Marathon. 2008 Nagoya Half Marathon Top Finishers Men 1. Gideon Ngatuny (Team Nissin Shokuhin) - 1:00:11 - new course record 2. Samuel Ndungu (Team Aichi Steel) - 1:01:17 3. Satoru Kasuya (Team Toyota ...

by Brett Larner In the wake of the retirement of Olympic marathoner Reiko Tosa (Team Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo) from the marathon distance and the announcement that injured Athens Olympics marathon champion Mizuki Noguchi (Team Sysmex) would not run another marathon before next fall at the earliest, Japan’s top marathon women have begun to declare their intentions to compete in the three selection races for next summer’s Berlin World Championships marathon team. The selection races to choose the five-member team take place this November at the final Tokyo International Women’s Marathon, in January, 2009 at the Osaka International Women’s Marathon, and in March at the Nagoya International Women’s Marathon. The only Japanese woman to complete the Beijing Olympics marathon, Yurika Nakamura (Team Tenmaya) announced that she will not run any of the selection races, thereby giving up her chance for a World Championships berth. Nakamura’s coach Yutaka Taketomi said that she will spend the spring ...

http://www.chunichi.co.jp/chuspo/article/sports/news/CK2008050302008460.html translated by Brett Larner A great new hope joined Team Toyota Shatai in April. Holding a spot in the Japanese women`s 10000 m all-time top 10 is Terumi Asoshina (25). Asoshina grabbed attention as a hope for the future when she won the 2005 All-Japan Jitsugyodan Half Marathon, but an imbalance in her form resulted in a general weakening of condition and loss of motivation which forced her to quit Team Kyocera in February last year. Despite losing her passion at the time, Asoshina explains, "I decided I didn`t want to quit running just because I wasn`t enjoying it." After a period of rest and renewal, she found a chance for a new start with the Ominami twins at Team Toyota Shatai. Planning a career in the marathon, Asoshina has once again found joy in running and is aiming for a rebirth. "I`m truly grateful. My running isn`t finished yet, but still, to get another chance to enter a team........

by Brett Larner 5000 m national record holder Takayuki Matsumiya (Team Konica-Minolta), women`s 1500 m national record holder Yuriko Kobayashi, university star Yuki Sato (Tokai University) and Sato`s former teammate Hideaki Date, making his professional debut with Team Chugoku Denryoku, are scheduled to headline the Japanese contingent at the May 4 Cardinal Invitational at Stanford University. Stanford has historically been an important meet for Japanese runners, with marks including Toshinari Takaoka`s 10000 m national record set at the meet. Japanese entrants by event: Men`s 800 - Heat 3 Taiki Tsutsumi (Team Acom), PB: 1:49.22 Men`s 1500 - Heat 2 Yasuhiro Tago (Team Chugoku Denryoku), PB: 3:40.36 Men`s 10000 - Heat 1 Takayuki Matsumiya (Team Konica-Minolta), PB: 27:50.20 Yuki Sato (Tokai University), PB: 27:51.65 Satoshi Irifune (Team Kanebo), PB: 27:53.92 Yuki Nakamura (Team Kanebo), PB: 28:12.37 Naoki Okamoto (Team Chugoku Denryoku), PB: 28:15.52 Suehiro Ishikawa (Team Honda), PB: ...

http://www.chunichi.co.jp/article/feature/niwm/CK2008022802191336.html The organizing committee of the 2008 Nagoya International Women's Marathon , sponsored in part by Rikuren and the Chunichi Newspapers Group, announced the names of the 20 invited elite runners for this year's Olympic selection edition of the race. The field of 325, including 305 individual entrants, will start the 42.195 course at 12:15 p.m. The domestic elite field includes 2000 Sydney Olympics marathon gold medalist Naoko Takahashi (Team Phiten), 2006 Nagoya winner Harumi Hiroyama (Team Shiseido), 2004 Athens Olympics marathon team member Naoko Sakamoto (Team Tenmaya), and 8-time Nagoya competitor Takami Ominami (Team Toyota Jidoshokki) along with 11 others. The foreign elite field of 5 is led by Kenya's Joice Kirui. Invited Domestic Elites Naoko Takahashi (Team Phiten), 35, PB: 2:19:46 Naoko Sakamoto (Team Tenmaya), 27, PB: 2:21:51 Harumi Hiroyama (Team Shiseido), 39, PB: 2:22:56 Takami Ominami (Team ...