Yuki Kawauchi in the marathon at the IAAF World Championships (© Getty Images)
Japan has chosen the three men and three women who will represent them in the marathon at the IAAF World Championships London 2017.
The Japanese federation (JAAF) had outlined four selection races each on which they would base their selections for the three men and three women. For the women, the races were the Hokkaido Marathon, the Saitama Marathon, the Osaka Marathon and the Nagoya Marathon. The men’s selections were based on the results of the Beppu-Oita Mainichi Marathon, the Fukuoka Marathon, the Tokyo Marathon and the Lake Biwa Marathon.
Yuka Ando guaranteed her selection after producing the fastest marathon debut by a Japanese woman, 2:21:36, to finish second in Nagoya. She will be joined on the team by Mao Kiyota, who finished third in Nagoya in 2:23:47, and Osaka winner Risa Shigetomo. Misato Horie, the Osaka runner-up, has been named as a reserve.
After a 2:08:22 breakthrough performance at the Tokyo Marathon, Hiroto Inoue leads the men’s trio. Prolific racer Yuki Kawauchi, who finished third in Fukuoka in December in 2:09:11, has been selected for his third World Championships team, having finished in the top 20 in 2011 and 2013. Beppu-Oita winner Kentaro Nakamoto was awarded the third spot on the team, while Hiroyuki Yamamoto is down as the reserve.
Of the 23 World Championships medals won by Japan, 14 have been earned in the marathon.
Japanese marathon team for London
Men: Hiroto Inoue, Yuki Kawauchi, Kentaro Nakamoto. Reserve: Hiroyuki Yamamoto.
Women: Yuka Ando, Mao Kiyota, Risa Shigetomo. Reserve: Misato Horie.
