Leading Japanese Runners boost the Host City Marathon
Athletics Australia
7 April 2000 - Sydney's largest ever marathon, The Host City Marathon, has been strengthened by the inclusion of seven leading Japanese distance runners including four members of Japan's 2000 Olympic team.
The Host City Marathon on Sunday 30 April now boasts a tremendous overseas field led by last year's female world number two Eri Yamaguchi (JPN) and men's bronze medallist from last year's World Championships in Seville, Nobuyuki Sato (JPN).
These runners will be joined in The Host City Marathon by star male athletes Takayuki Inubushi and Shinji Kawashima who have also been named in the Japanese Olympic team.
Yamaguchi set her personal best of 2 hours 22 minutes 12 seconds when she took out the 1999 Tokyo Marathon.
Sato's career highlight has been the bronze medal in Seville but he has also run a personal best of 2:08:48.
Inubushi was ranked eighth in the world last year with a fast time of 2:06:57, and earlier this year placed fourth in the prestigious Tokyo Marathon in 2:08:16.
Thirty-three year old Kawashima has also put recent form on the board with a fast 2:09:04 for second in Otsu, Japan in early March.
The Olympic contingent will be joined by 1991 World Champion 40-year-old Hiromi Taniguchi who has a best of 2:07:40 and Kayoko Obata who was fifth in January's Osaka Marathon in 2:25:14.
More than 5,500 athletes will take part in The Host City Marathon from more than 50 countries. At the close of entries, 234 entered from Great Britain, 218 from Japan, 196 from New Zealand, 101 from the United States and 52 from South Africa.
This information has been provided by Athletics Australia.
