Skip to main content

Melkamu Replaces Kabuu in Sunday's Saitama International Marathon

http://news.ameba.jp/20151110-1151/

translated by Brett Larner

On Nov. 10 the JAAF announced changes to the elite field for Sunday's inaugural Saitama International Marathon, the first domestic selection race for the Rio de Janeiro Olympic team.  The race's star foreign athlete Lucy Wangui Kabuu (Kenya) and its #2 and #3-ranked Japanese women Mizuho Nasukawa (Team Univ. Ent.) and Asami Furuse (Team Kyocera) have all withdrawn due to injuries.  Joining the field is 2009 Berlin World Championships 10000 m silver medalist Meselech Melkamu (Ethiopia) with a PB of 2:21:01.

Translator's note: On Oct. 30 the New York Times published an article saying that the TCS New York City Marathon had declined to invite defending Olympic marathon bronze medalist Tatyana Petrova Arkhipova of Russia and four other Eastern European women represented by agent Andrey Baranov, who also represented high-profile doping Russians Liliya Shobukhova, Mariya Konovalova, Tatyana Aryasova and others.  Arkhipova will instead run Saitama along with three other Eastern European women including Rasa Drazdauskaite (Lithuania) who had previously served a drug ban from 2003 to 2005.  JRN is unable to confirm at this moment whether Baranov is also handling Drazdauskaite, Nastassia Ivanova (Belarus) and Agnieszka Mierzejewska (Poland) as the website of his Spartanik RS Inc. agency is no longer operating and the agency's Facebook page has not been updated this year.  Also in the field after returning from a drug suspension is the single public EPO positive in Japan's history, independent runner Kaori Yoshida.  The current Saitama field is below.

1st Saitama International Marathon
Saitama, 11/15/15
click here for complete elite field listing
times listed are best within 2013-2015

Atsede Baysa (Ethiopia) - 2:25:14 (London 2013)
Rebecca Kangogo Chesir (Kenya) - 2:25:22 (Dubai 2015)
Meselech Melkamu (Ethiopia) - 2:25:23 (Dubai 2014)
Sylvia Jebiwot Kibet (Kenya) - 2:26:16 (Hamburg 2015)
Tatyana Petrova Arkhipova (Russia) - 2:28:42 (London 2015)
Askale Tafa (Ethiopia) - 2:29:37 (Dubai 2015)
Aki Odagiri (Japan/Tenmaya) - 2:30:24 (Nagoya Women's 2015)
Rasa Drazdauskaite (Lithuania) - 2:30:32 (Zurich European Championships 2014)
Nastassia Ivanova (Belarus) - 2:30:45 (Tokyo 2013)
Agnieszka Mierzejewska (Poland) - 2:30:55 (Lodz 2015)
Yoko Shibui (Japan/Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo) - 2:31:15 (Nagoya Women's 2015)
Kaori Yoshida (Japan/Tokyo T&F Assoc.) - 2:33:14 (Sapporo 2015)
Remi Nakazato (Japan/Nitori) - 2:33:24 (London 2013)
Winfridah Mochache Kebaso (Kenya/Nitori) - 2:45:00 (Hokkaido 2015)

Comments

Most-Read This Week

Morii Surprises With Second-Ever Japanese Sub-2:10 at Boston

With three sub-2:09 Japanese men in the race and good weather conditions by Boston standards the chances were decent that somebody was going to follow 1981 winner Toshihiko Seko 's 2:09:26 and score a sub-2:10 at the Boston Marathon . But nobody thought it was going to be by a 2:14 amateur. Paris Olympic team member Suguru Osako had taken 3rd in Boston in 2:10:28 in his debut seven years ago, and both he and 2:08 runners Kento Otsu and Ryoma Takeuchi were aiming for spots in the top 10, Otsu after having run a 1:01:43 half marathon PB in February and Takeuchi of a 2:08:40 marathon PB at Hofu last December. A high-level amateur with a 2:14:15 PB who scored a trip to Boston after winning a local race in Japan, Yuma Morii told JRN minutes before the start of the race, "I'm not thinking about time at all. I'm going to make top 10, whatever time it takes." Running Boston for the first time Morii took off with a 4:32 on the downhill opening mile, but after that  Sis

Fujitsu and Toyoda Issue Statement on Circumstances of His Two-Year Suspension for Trenbolone

  Following 400 m hurdler Masaki Toyoda 's suspension for a violation of anti-doping regulations , the Fujitsu corporate team published a statement on its website, including comments from Toyoda's legal team , explaining the ruling and the circumstances surrounding the case. Toyoda was a member of the 2019 Doha World Championships team and holds a best of 48.87. Early in the morning of May 19, 2022, the Japan Anti-Doping Agency (JADA) conducted a doping test of Toyoda. The prohibited substance trenbolone was detected in urine taken during the test, resulting in a two-year suspension that began May 21, 2022. He did not compete at the National Track and Field Championships the next month. The amount of trenbolone detected in Toyoda's urine sample was 1.4 ng/ml, well below the minimum analytical precision of 2.5 ng/ml required by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) for analytical equipment. As a general rule, if a non-specified prohibited substance such as trenbolone is dete

“The Miracle in Fukuoka” - Real Talk From Yuki Kawauchi on “Taking on the World” (part 1)

http://sports.yahoo.co.jp/column/detail/201701120002-spnavi translated by Brett Larner Ahead of his nomination to the London World Championships Marathon team, Sportsnavi published a three-part series of writings by Yuki Kawauchi on what it took for him to make the team, his hopes for London, and his views on the future of Japanese marathoning.  With his place on the London team announced on Mar. 17 , JRN will publish an English translation of the complete series over the next three days. See Sportsnavi's original version linked above for more photos. Click here for part two, " Bringing All My Experience Into Play in London ," or here for part three, " The Lessons of the Past Are Not 'Outdated.' " The Fukuoka International Marathon was held on Dec. 4 last year. Yuki Kawauchi (Saitama Pref. Gov’t) took part despite nursing injuries he had sustained in training. Falling rain contributed to less than ideal conditions during the race, but from th