Press Release - London Marathon - 3/23/11

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

             Japanese Women Added to London Marathon Field

23 March 2011

Nine Japanese women have been added to the elite field for next month's 
Virgin London Marathon following the earthquake and tsunami which 
threatened to destroy their hopes of competing at the World Championships 
this August.

The runners were due to compete in the Nagoya International Women's 
Marathon on 13th March, the final selection race for the Japanese women's 
marathon team for the IAAF World Championships in Daegu. When the Nagoya 
marathon was cancelled due to the tragedy which struck two days earlier, 
the London Marathon offered its support to the Japan Association of 
Athletic Federations (JAAF).

The JAAF subsequently chose London as a replacement World Championships 
trial and entered the athletes listed below.

Virgin London Marathon race director David Bedford said: "We have all 
watched with horror the devastating scenes from Japan and we send our 
sympathies and condolences to our friends and colleagues there.

"On hearing that the Nagoya International Women's Marathon had been 
cancelled, the Virgin London Marathon immediately offered its support to 
the Japan Association of Athletic Federations. The JAAF asked us to assist 
by providing places to some of its runners and we are delighted to add nine 
elite Japanese athletes to our elite women's field."

The nine athletes include Yuri Kano, winner of the Nagoya marathon last 
year, who has a personal best of 2:24:27, Mizuho Nasukawa, a former Tokyo 
marathon champion, and Yurika Nakamura, the Nagoya champion in 2008.

With only Yoshimi Ozaki, this year's Yokohama marathon winner, already 
selected for Japan's Daegu team, there are still four places up for grabs. 
Yukiko Akaba, who won the Osaka marathon earlier this year and placed sixth 
in London last year, was already in the 2011 London Marathon elite women's 
field.

The nine athletes added this week are:

Yuri Kano          JPN     2:24:27 
Mizuho Nasukawa    JPN     2:25:38 
Yurika Nakamura    JPN     2:25:51 
Madoka Ogi         JPN     2:26:55 
Yoshiko Fujinaga   JPN     2:28:13 
Yukari Sahaku      JPN     2:28:55 
Azusa Nojiri       JPN     2:29:12 
Noriko Matsuoka    JPN     Debut 
Risa Shigetomo     JPN     Debut 

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