Naoko Takahashi at the pre-race press conference for the 2005 Tokyo Women's Marathon (© Ken Nakamura)
Making her first marathon appearance since 2003, Naoko Takahashi, the 2000 Olympic champion, will be the chief attraction at Sunday’s (20) Tokyo Women’s Marathon, which doubles as the 89th National Championship and the qualifying race for next year’s Asian Games.
But as marathon fans look forward to seeing if Takahashi, who in 2001 became the first woman to crack the 2:20 barrier, can find her old form, a recent training injury begs another question: can Takahashi even finish in her return race?
Late hour injury for Takahashi
“I picked up a multiple strain injury a day after I returned from Boulder,” Takahashi told a crowded press conference. “It was fifty minutes into my morning run when I started to feel a pain in my right calf. I continued to run but was forced to stop ten minutes later. Because I continued to run I also hurt my right hamstring and left leg.”
Upon examination, her doctor advised her not to run. “He said it wasn’t a good idea to run,” Takahashi said, “but as long as I stopped running when the pain got worst, then it was OK to start the race.”
She ran her last marathon here two years and few days ago, where she failed to qualify for the 2004 Japanese Olympic team.
"I have given a lot of thought as to where to run my next marathon,” Takahashi said. “Because of my failure at the 2003 Tokyo Women's marathon, I felt as if my clock had come to a halt two years ago. So I felt I must run here to restart my clock.”
In her two most recent races –the Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon in Virginia Beach on 4 September and the Philadelphia Distance Run half marathon two weeks later—she finished a disappointing fourth at each, with performances that were not particularly fast: 1:10:30 in Virginia Beach and 1:11:28 in Philadelphia.
“I have learned a lot from these two races because I did not run as well as I expected,” she admitted, but added that despite her recent performances and injury setbacks, she’s here to compete well. “I will not start the race to finish third or fourth. My goal, of course, is to win.”
2003 winner Alemu returns
In the race two years ago, Takahashi set a blazing pace, only to hit the wall in the final stages, where she was overhauled by Ethiopian Elfenesh Alemu who went on to win in 2:24:47, nearly three minutes ahead of Takahashi. Alemu, who also finished fourth and third here, is back for her fourth appearance.
“I know I have to be careful how I ran the race after 35 km,” Alemu said, presumably referring to the 30m climb during the final part of the race. Alemu, who was sixth in the 2003 World Championships, fourth in the 2004 Olympics and sixth in the Sydney Olympics, has a personal best of 2:24:29 from the 2001 Flora London Marathon.
"I think I am in PB shape," said Alemu, runner-up to Catherine Ndereba in the last two Boston Marathons.
Zakharova: “Same shape as in 2003”
After Takahashi, Russian Svetlana Zakharova is the fastest in the field, with a 2:21.31 to her credit from the Lasalle Bank Chicago Marathon in 2002. Among the most competitive marathoners in the world in the first part of the decade – the winner at Boston and Chicago in 2003, a two-time runner-up in London – the 35-year-old was a distant fourth in Boston this year (2:31:31), but insists she has plenty of good races left.
“I am in about the same shape as I was in my best year, 2003,” Zakharova said. “My four weeks of high altitude training sessions in southern Russia went well. I am looking for a fast time, and I think if I run a fast time, I should place well.”
Other top invited runners from abroad include Mihaela Botezan of Romania and Australian Kerryn McCann of Australia. Botezan, who made her marathon debut with a 2:25:32 ninth place finish in London in 2004, most recently was seventh at this year’s Osaka Ladies Marathon, where she clocked 2:28:34. McCann is the reigning Commonwealth Games champion in the event and has a 2:25:59 personal best from 2000. According to her manager Nic Bideau, the Australian “Is in very good shape, and is ready to run 2:26.” Another contender is Zivile Balciunate of Lithuania, an Olympian last year, who was fifth here a year ago with her personal best of 2:27:28.
Besides Takahashi, the top Japanese in the field are Rie Matsuoka and Yoshiko Ichikawa, who have personal bests of 2:24:33 (Paris 2002, 2nd) and 2:29:18 respectively. Chie Horie, who has run 2:26:11, was forced to pull out due to injury.
List of Invited Runners, with personal bests:
Svetlana Zakharova (RUS) 2:21:31 4th Chicago 2002
Elfenesh Alemu (ETH) 2:24:29 5th London 2001
Mihaela Botezan (ROM) 2:25:32 9th London 2003
Kerryn McCann (AUS) 2:25:59 5th London 2000
Lee Eun-jung (KOR) 2:26:17 1st Seoul 2004
Beatrice Omwanza (KEN) 2:27:19 4th Berlin 2004
Zivile Balciunate (LTU) 2:27:28 5th Tokyo 2004
Beata Rakonczai (HUN) 2:29:54 4th Amsterdam 2003
Maura Yamauchi (GBR) 2:31:26 18th Worlds 2005
Japanese:
Naoko Takahashi 2:19:46 1st Berlin 2001
Rie Matsuoka 2:24:33 2nd Paris 2002
Yoshiko Ichikawa 2:29:18 8th Tokyo 2001
Ichiyo Naganuma 2:33:50 8th Tokyo 2002
Mika Hikita 2:34:22 11th Nagoya 2002
Yuko Sato 1:12:19 (half)
Ken Nakamura for the IAAF
