Japanese runners added to London Marathon line-up

13 April 2012

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 end their hopes of competing at the World Championships this August.

The runners were due to compete in a marathon in Nagoya two weeks ago, 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 disaster which struck two days earlier, the London Marathon offered its support to the Japan Association of Athletic Federations (JAAF), who subsequently chose London as a replacement World Championships trial.

Yuri Kano, Mizuho Nasukawa, Yurika Nakamura, Madoka Ogi, Yoshiko Fujinaga, Yukari Sahaku, Azusa Nojiri, Noriko Matsuoka and Risa Shigetomo will all compete in London on April 17.

Kano won last year's Nagoya marathon and has a personal best of two hours 24 minutes 27 seconds, Nakamura won the event in 2008, while Nasukawa is a former Tokyo marathon champion.

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.

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 the Nagoya International Women's Marathon had been cancelled, we immediately offered our 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."

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