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Lead Stories: Monday, December 1, 2008

Japan Announces Olympic Marathon Teams

Posted March 11th, 2008 at 10:00 AM by David Monti

Section: News & Results, Marathons, Olympics

In a widely anticipated announcement made earlier today, officials of the Japan Association of Athletics Federations announced their marathon teams for the Beijing Olympic Games. In Japan, this is big news, on a par with Americans learning which college football player will be drafted first by the NFL.

The men’s team will be made up of Tsuyoshi Ogata and Atsushi Sato, both of the Chuugoku Electric Power corporate team, and Satoshi Osaki of NTT. Ogata got the nod by being the top Japanese man at the hot and humid IAAF World Championships in Osaka last August, finishing fifth overall in 2:17:42. Sato, who set the Asian record for the half-marathon at last year’s IAAF World Half-Marathon Championships, made the team based on his excellent 2:07:13 (3rd place/top Japanese) at last December’s Fukuoka Marathon. Osaki was the top Japanese finisher at the Lake Biwa Mainichi Marathon earlier this month.
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Nakamura Wins Nagoya Marathon, But Olympic Selection Uncertain

Posted March 9th, 2008 at 2:51 PM by David Monti

Section: News & Results, Marathons

Off of an inexplicably slow first half, Yurika Nakamura of Japan’s Tenmaya team won today’s Nagoya International Ladies Marathon in her debut at the distance, clocking 2:25:51. However, the 21 year-old athlete must now wait to see if her performance was judged good enough by the Japanese federation to be awarded the third and final slot on their Olympic team for Beijing. It is ironic that the choice now comes down to two Tenmaya teammates: Nakamura or 24 year-old Tomo Morimoto who was the first Japanese finisher at the Osaka International Women’s Marathon last January in a faster time: 2:25:34.

“JAAF women’s marathon head coach Shogo Nakamura said in the immediate aftermath of the race that the other coaches jokingly suggested the decision be left to Tenmaya’s head coach, Yutaka Taketomi,” said Brendan Reilly of Boulder Wave, Inc., an athlete management firm in Boulder, Colo., which works with both Nakamura and Morimoto.
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