Skip to main content

Fujiwara Withdraws From Tokyo Marathon

http://www.jiji.com/jc/c?g=spo_30&k=2009030200609

translated by Brett Larner

Marathoner Arata Fujiwara (Team JR Higashi Nihon) announced on Mar. 2 that he has withdrawn from this month's Tokyo Marathon due to concerns that he would not recover in time from the fatigue and strain of recent intensive training. Fujiwara was 2nd overall and the top Japanese finisher at last year's Tokyo Marathon but was not selected for the Beijing Olympics.

The Tokyo Marathon is the final selection race for August's World Championships in Berlin. Fujiwara ran in the first selection race, December's Fukuoka International Marathon, where he was the second Japanese finisher and 3rd overall.
Labels:

Comments

Brett Larner said…
This news doesn't surprise me very much. I'm not even sure that Fujiwara was ever seriously considering running Tokyo as he was never listed among the team members doing Tokyo on JR's website. As I wrote in my Mar. 3 article about the WC team, he would have had to be the top Japanese in Tokyo or run a fantastic time to improve on his Fukuoka standing. Anything else would have weakened his position, so it would have been very risky.

At any rate, it doesn't sound like Fujiwara's injured, so maybe he'll turn up in Rotterdam, Boston or London. London would be especially interesting if Atsushi Sato does end up running.
March 4, 2009 at 11:13 AM
BrynRunning said…
Brett.

Firstly just to say thanks for the translations- really enjoy reading them all!

Secondly- what would have happened had Arat finished as second japanese finisher? I must admit that reading your first article it seemed (as someone unused to the Japanese selection criteria!) that arata could have taken second japanese finisher and then with second in two qualification races and no real stand out results at Biwa then it would have been an obvious selection?

Keep up the great work!
March 6, 2009 at 9:11 AM
Brett Larner said…
Hi Bryn. It would be a tough call, especially as a lot would depend on how Atsushi Sato did in London. If Fujiwara ran a fast time but were 2nd Japanese they would probably pick him, but if his time were only so-so they might have said, "Well, now you've proven that you can't even beat other Japanese runners," and gone with Kobayashi. That's just speculation, though. Last time they didn't pick Atsushi Fujita after he won Beppu-Oita in 2:10.

At any rate, the possible scenarios in which Fujiwara would have hurt his chances were higher than those in which he would help them, so it's not surprising he's not running.
March 6, 2009 at 9:49 AM
Post a Comment

Most-Read This Week

World Championships Medalist Racewalking Coach Mizuho Sakai Recognized With Highest Coaching Honor

The 2023 Mizuno Sports Mentor Awards recognizing excellence in coaching were held Apr. 23 in Tokyo. Toyo University assistant coach and race walking coach Mizuho Sakai was given a gold award, the program's highest honor, and expressed her thanks and joy in a speech at the award ceremony. The coach of 2023 Budapest World Championships men's 35 km race walk bronze medalist Masatora Kawano , Sakai said, "This is an incredible honor and I'm truly grateful. As a child I wanted to be in the sporting world and I've spent my life in that world. My end goal was always to play a supporting role for other athletes, so I'm honored to be recognized in this way." Sakai's husband Toshiyuki Sakai , head coach of Toyo's three-time Hakone Ekiden champion team, attended the awards gala with her and was also introduced to the audience. After bowing he took a seat in front of her and watched with warmth as she received recognition for her outstanding work. The Mizun
Post a Comment
Read more

The Ivy League at the Izumo Ekiden in Review

Last week I was contacted by Will Geiken , who I'd met years ago when he was a part of the Ivy League Select Team at the Izumo Ekiden . He was looking for historical results from Izumo and lists of past team members, and I was able to put together a pretty much complete history, only missing the alternates from 1998 to 2010 and a little shaky on the reverse transliterations of some of the names from katakana back into the Western alphabet for the same years. Feel free to send corrections or additions to alternate lists. It's interesting to go back and see some names that went on to be familiar, to see the people who made an impact like Princeton's Paul Morrison , Cornell's Max King , Stanford's Brendan Gregg in one of the years the team opened up beyond the Ivy League, Cornell's Ben de Haan , Princeton's Matt McDonald , and Harvard's Hugo Milner last year, and some of the people who struggled with the format. 1998 Team: 15th of 21 overall, 2:14:10 (43
Post a Comment
Read more

Hirabayashi Runs PB at Shanghai Half, WR Holder Nakata Dominates Fuji Five Lakes - Weekend Road Roundup

Returning to the roads after his 2:06:18 win at February's Osaka Marathon, Kiyoto Hirabayashi (Koku Gakuin University) took 5th at Sunday's Shanghai Half Marathon in a PB 1:01:23, just under a minute behind winner Roncer Kipkorir Konga (Kenya) who clocked a CR 1:00:29. After inexplicably running the equivalent of a sub-59 half marathon to win the Hakone Ekiden's Third Stage, Aoi Ota (Aoyama Gakuin Univ.) was back to running performances consistent with his other PBs with a 1:02:30 for 8th. His AGU teammate Kyosuke Hiramatsu was 10th in 1:04:00. Women's winner Magdalena Shauri (Tanzania) also set a new CR in 1:09:57. Aoyama Gakuin runners took the top four spots in the men's half marathon at the Aomori Sakura Marathon , with Hakone alternate Kosei Shiraishi getting the win in 1:04:32 and B-team members Shunto Hamakawa and Kei Kitamura 2nd and 3rd in 1:04:45 and 1:04:48. Club runners took the other division titles, Hina Shinozaki winning the women's half
Post a Comment
Read more