Toshinari Takaoka wins in Tokyo in 2:07:41 (© Kazuaki Matsunaga/Agence SHOT)
Even with a strong international field, the spotlight on Sunday’s Tokyo Marathon will fall on the Japanese men who’ll be aiming to qualify for August’s IAAF World Championships.
The Tokyo Marathon, an IAAF Silver Label Road Race, is contested on a point-to-point course from Shinjuku to Tokyo Big Sight.
Strong men’s domestic line-up as Takaoka bids adieu
The race features Toshinari Takaoka, the current national record holder at the Marathon; Atsushi Fujita, a former national record holder at the Marathon; and Tsuyoshi Ogata, the 2005 World Championships bronze medalist.
For Takaoka, the Tokyo race will be the last Marathon of his illustrious career. Earlier in the week, Takaoka announced that he will retire from the elite competition. But he also said, “If I was selected for the World Championships team, I will be delighted to represent Japan” and added that he was “happy to have competed at the World Class level”.
Takaoka still holds national record at 3000m (7:41.87), 10,000m (27:35.09) and the Marathon (2:06:16). He won both the 5000m and 10,000m in the 1994 Asian Games, and was seventh - the fastest non-African – in the 10,000m at the Sydney Olympics in 2000. Furthermore, he was the only male runner in Sydney to run the final of both 5000m and 10,000m. Takaoka has four sub-2:08 Marathons to his credit, whereas no other Japanese has produced more than one such race in their career.
Fujita set his national record of 2:06:51 in the 2000 Fukuoka Marathon, but since then his career has been plagued with various injury problems. Recently, however, with those injury woes behind him, Fujita is rounding into shape. Most recently in the New Year Ekiden, he covered 22.3Km stage in 1:03:26.
Ogata was a disappointing 13th in the Beijing Olympics, and is thus looking for redemption in the World Championships in Berlin. In order to make the team for Berlin, Ogata is determined to be the first Japanese in the race.
Other Japanese vying for a team spot for Berlin are Tomoyuki Sato, Kurao Umeki and Yusei Nakao. Although Sato and Umeki have 2:09:43 and 2:09:52 Marathon bests, respectively, Nakao may be the most promising runner and attracting the most attention. Although Nakao has yet to run a respectable Marathon (he has yet to break 2:20 in his two attempts, so he has not surpassed his father’s Marathon best of 2:15:37 yet), a lot is expected of him because of his Half Marathon credentials which include a fifth place finish in the World Half Marathon Championships last year.
Korir leading the charge
Turning attention to invited runners from abroad, Sammy Korir, the third fastest Marathon runner in history, may be the favourite. Although his 2:04:56 was recorded back in 2003, Korir still has fast marathons in his legs. He won the 2008 Seoul Marathon in 2:07:32.
Daniel Njenga, who has run five sub-2:08 marathons, will be running in Tokyo for the third time. Although he won the first edition of the Tokyo Marathon with 2:09:45, Njenga has not broken 2:12 since.
Both Dmytro Baranovsky, who was second to Haile Gebrselassie with 2:07:15 in Fukuoka in 2006, and Salim Kipsang, who was third also behind Gebrselassie in the 2007 Berlin Marathon with 2:07:29, have sub 2:08 Marathon best. However, like Njenga, Baranovsky has not broken 2:10 since 2006, and Kipsang races so infrequently, it is hard to assess his form.
On paper, Julius Gitahi, because he has 10,000m best of 27:11.17, should have a much faster Marathon in him. Furthermore, since his teammate on the Nissin Foods track team, Toshinari Suwa, has run a 2:07:55 Marathon, Gitahi knows about the training required to run faster than his current personal best of 2:08:57, recorded last year in Tokyo.
Women join elite line-up for the first time
Elite women’s runners have been invited for the first time. Alevtina Biktimirova (2:25:12 PB), Pamela Chepchumba (2:25:36 PB), Shitaye Gemechu (2:26:10 PB), Luminita Talpos (2:26:43 PB), and Chen Rong (2:27:05 PB) lead the international field. Among them Biktimirova and Chepchumba are the most consistent Marathon runners. Over the distance, Bikimirova has not finished worse than sixth, while Chepchumba has always finished in the top four.
Because the women’s race is not a World Championships qualifying race for Japan, the domestic field is not as strong as the men’s. Although Reiko Tosa and Harumi Hiroyama will be running, like Takaoka, they also announced that Tokyo will be the last Marathon of their illustrious careers.
Tosa won two medals - silver in 2001 and bronze in 2007 – at the World Championships and also finished fifth at the 2004 Olympic Games. Although she dropped out of the Beijing Olympic Marathon, Tosa seemed to be in shape. She was fourth in the Marugame Half Marathon with 1:10:58 in February. Hiroyama is the most versatile runner in Japan, excelling over all distances from 1500m to the Marathon. She set national records at 1500m, 3000m and 5000m and finished fourth at 10,000m in the 1999 World Championships. Hiroyama moved up to the Marathon in 1998 and recorded her best of 2:22:56 in 2000.
Other Japanese in the field are Hiromi Ominami (2:23:26), Kiyoko Shimahara (2:26:14), Mizuho Nasuhara (2:29:49) and Yukari Sahaku (2:31:50). Among them Sahaku who won her debut Marathon last August, may have highest Marathon potential.
Ken Nakamura for the IAAF
Leading Entrants -
MEN -
Name, Best, Venue
Sammy Korir (KEN) 2:04:56, 2003, Berlin
Daniel Njenga (KEN) 2:06:16, 2002, Chicago
Dmytro Baranovsky (UKR) 2:07:15, 2006, Fukuoka
Salim Kipsang (KEN) 2:07:29, 2007, Berlin
Julius Gitahi (KEN) 2:08:57, 2008, Tokyo
Moges Taye (ETH) 2:09:21, 1998, Wien
Asnake Roro Fedadu (ETH) 2:10:27, 2007, Treviso
Justin Young (USA) 2:13:54, 2008, Rotterdam
Japanese
Toshinari Takaoka 2:06:16, 2002, Chicago
Atsushi Fujita 2:06:51, 2000, Fukuoka
Tsuyoshi Ogata 2:08:37, 2003, Fukuoka
Tomoyuki Sato 2:09:43, 2004, Tokyo
Kurao Umeki 2:09:52, 2003, Berlin
Yusei Nakao 2:23:29, 2007, Hokkaido
WOMEN -
Alevtina Biktimirova (RUS) 2:25:12, 2005, Frankfurt
Pamela Chepchumba (KEN) 2:25:36, 2007, Milano
Shitaye Gemechu (ETH) 2:26:10, 2008, Paris
Luminita Talpos (ROU) 2:26:43, 2008, Wien
Chen Rong (CHN) 2:27:05, 2007, Beijing
Japanese:
Reiko Tosa 2:22:46, 2002, London
Harumi Hiroyama 2:22:56, 2000, Osaka
Hiromi Ominami 2:23:26, 2004, Berlin
Kiyoko Shimahara 2:26:14, 2005, Hokkaido
Mizuho Nasukawa 2:29:49, 2004, Osaka
Yukari Sahaku 2:31:50, 2008, Hokkaido
Ikuyo Yamashita Marathon debut
