Nagoya Women's Marathon Announces Elite Field for Olympic Selection Race

by Brett Larner

Coming in just ahead of the wave of Tokyo Marathon hype, the organizers of the reformatted Nagoya Women's Marathon have announced the elite field for the final Japanese women's Olympic selection race to be held Mar. 11. Switching gears from a small, elite event to a mass-participation women-only race with an accompanying mixed half-marathon, Nagoya will host a tiny overseas field and the biggest domestic invited field in memory.

The all-but-negligible international field features veteran medalists Catherine Ndereba (Kenya) and Lidia Simon (Romania) returning for their perpetual Japanese invites along with Eastern Europeans Albina Mayorova (Russia), Olena Shurkhno (Ukraine) and Rasa Drazdauskaite (Lithuania). Of more interest is the domestic field, the closest thing Japan has seen to a straight-up Olympic trials race.

Fifteen Japanese women are on the invited list to contend for the Olympic team spot or spots still available. General opinion has two places available, with Osaka International Women's Marathon winner Risa Shigetomo (Team Tenmaya) a lock after her 2:23:23 victory but Yokohama winner Ryoko Kizaki (Team Daihatsu) given little chance of making the Olympic team with only a 2:26:32. Those shooting for places include the current and former national record holders Mizuki Noguchi (Team Sysmex) and Yoko Shibui (Team Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo), 2011's top two women Yoshimi Ozaki (Team Daiichi Seimei) and Yukiko Akaba (Team Hokuren), past World Championships marathoners Yuri Kano (Team Shiseido), Remi Nakazato (Team Daihatsu), Yoshiko Fujinaga (Team Shiseido) and Mai Ito (Team Otsuka Seiyaku), past Tokyo Marathon winners Mizuho Nasukawa (Team Univ. Ent.) and Noriko Higuchi (Team Wacoal) and more. Also worth watching after strong runs at the Kagawa Marugame International Half-Marathon are Kaoru Nagao (Team Univ. Ent.) and Yoko Miyauchi (Team Kyocera).

After tiny fields and relatively unsurprising outcomes in Yokohama and Osaka, Nagoya should be a dynamic and thrilling cap to the winter Japanese marathon season and Olympic-qualifying series. Check back closer to race day for information on how to watch live online.

2012 Nagoya Women's Marathon Elite Field
Nagoya, Mar. 11, 2012
click here for complete elite field listing

1. Catherine Ndereba (Kenya) - 2:18:47 (Chicago 2001)
2. Lidia Simon (Romania) - 2:22:54 (Osaka Int'l 2000)
3. Albina Mayorova (Russia) - 2:25:35 (Chicago 2003)
4. Olena Shurkhno (Ukraine) - 2:28:34a (San Diego 2011)
5. Rasa Drazdauskaite (Lithuania) - 2:29:47 (Turin 2011)
11. Mizuki Noguchi (Team Sysmex) - 2:19:12 (Berlin 2005)
12. Yoko Shibui (Team Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo) - 2:19:41 (Berlin 2004)
13. Yoshimi Ozaki (Team Daiichi Seimei) - 2:23:30 (Tokyo Int'l 2008)
14. Yukiko Akaba (Team Hokuren) - 2:24:09 (London 2011)
15. Yuri Kano (Team Shiseido) - 2:24:27 (Tokyo Int'l 2008)
16. Remi Nakazato (Team Daihatsu) - 2:24:29 (Yokohama Int'l 2011)
17. Mizuho Nasukawa (Team Univ. Ent.) - 2:25:38 (Tokyo 2009)
18. Yoshiko Fujinaga (Team Shiseido) - 2:25:40 (London 2011)
19. Mai Ito (Team Otsuka Seiyaku) - 2:26:55 (Osaka Int'l 2011)
20. Kaoru Nagao (Team Univ. Ent.) - 2:26:58 (Yokohama Int'l 2011)
21. Noriko Higuchi (Team Wacoal) - 2:28:49 (Tokyo 2011)
22. Kaori Yoshida (Amino Vital AC) - 2:29:45 (Chicago 2010)
23. Akane Wakita (Team Toyota Jidoshokki) - 2:29:54 (Nagoya Int'l 2010)
24. Misaki Katsumata (Team Daiichi Seimei) - 2:31:10 (Tokyo 2011)
25. Yoko Miyauchi (Team Kyocera) - 2:33:36 (Nagoya Int'l 2010)

Pacers
51. Aniko Kalovics (Hungary)
52. Rene Kalmer (South Africa)
53. Sayo Nomura (Meijo Univ.)
54. Mao Kuroda (Team Yutaka Giken)

(c) 2012 Brett Larner
all rights reserved

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