FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Japan Elite Marathoners Target Gold Coast Glory
Australia's Gold Coast Airport Marathon will welcome one of the fastest
elite marathon fields ever assembled in Australia, including a stellar
Japanese contingent headlined by last year's winner and equal race record
holder Yuki Kawauchi and sub-2:08 marathon runner Arata Fujiwara on Sunday
6 July 2014.
Kawauchi's title defence and course record are set to come under fire by
the eighth all-time fastest Japanese marathoner Fujiwara who boasts three
Tokyo Marathon podium finishes and a 2:07:48 personal best - 26 seconds
quicker than his rival.
Fellow countryman Hirokatsu Kurosaki, who was the third Japanese finisher
at this year's Tokyo Marathon clocking 2:09:07, will be looking to upset
the two favourites as he rounds out the top three elites from Japan.
It will be the third consecutive year Kawauchi has raced on the Gold Coast
and will arrive with at least six marathons under his belt for the year.
Four of these saw him snatch course records and an impressive seventh
sub-2:10 career marathon.
The 27-year-old admits it will be a challenge racing against the Japanese
and African elite field that have been drawn to the race this year after
the recent IAAF Road Race Gold Label designation, a first for any
Australian race.
"This year's race will go down in Australian running history and I'm
honoured to be a part of it. As the event has obtained the IAAF Road Race
Gold Label we will see quite a few leading runners from around the world
which will result in a fierce race and hopefully an Australian record,"
Kawauchi said.
"With my confidence as a two-time Gold Coast Airport Marathon runner and
course-record holder I'm really looking forward to competing against
runners from Africa, and of course my own Japanese rivals."
London Olympian Fujiwara also boasts impressive finishing stats. He is the
only Japanese man in the last 27 years to have won an overseas marathon
sub-2:10, with his 2:09:34 course record at the 2010 Ottawa Marathon. With
three second place finishes over the past six years at the Tokyo Marathon,
Fujiwara says he's fit enough to take on Kawauchi and break his Gold Coast
course record of 2:10:01.
"Kawauchi is a great, determined marathoner. I have raced him many times
and he has never beaten me in a marathon when I've been fit," Fujiwara
said.
"I'm not going to let this be the first time. I'm coming to the Gold Coast
Airport Marathon to beat him and gain the course record."
Gold Coast Airport Marathon CEO Cameron Hart says the event stakeholders
are thrilled with the new interest from Japan's current elite runners in
addition to the expected 600 plus recreational runners.
"Since 1990, Japan has been the event's single biggest international field
emphasised by the fact that Japan has recorded the most wins by any other
country outside of Australia. Japan has previously fielded 11 female and
six male victories at the Gold Coast Airport Marathon," Mr Hart said.
In 2001, the female marathon race was won by dual Olympic medallist Yuko
Arimori, who then went on to become the face of the event for several
years. The current event ambassador is the 1992 women's winner Mari
Tanigawa. It is this long history with successful Japanese runners that
reinforces the Gold Coast Airport Marathon as one of the best and now most
prestigious on the running calendar.
"Historically female Japanese runners have found great success on the Gold
Coast course. Last year, Japan made it a double with Yukiko Akaba winning
the women's race in a course record time, smashing the old record by more
than two minutes. Prior to 2013, the female race record, held by Japanese
elite Erico Asai stood for 20 years," Mr Hart said.
"2014 is shaping up to be a repeat with a strong female elite field led by
no less than six elite female Japanese runners headed by 23-year-old
up-and-comer Asami Kato."
Kato made her marathon debut only this year achieving an impressive 2:29:08
at the Nagoya Women's Marathon. This elite field will also face stiff
competition against Rika Shintaku (2:31:15), Hiroko Yoshitomi (2:31:28) and
Chihiro Tanaka (2:29:30) who are all in the hunt to take home the glory of
a podium finish. Tanaka is the most familiar with the flat, fast Gold Coast
course, having raced on the Gold Coast on three occasions including
securing a third place podium finish in 2011.
"In addition to the Japanese elites confirmed, we are working hard to
secure further elite men from Kenya, Morocco and Ethiopia with marathon
times better than the 2:10:01 course record, and women with sub-2:30 pbs,"
Mr Hart said.
"While there will be huge interest from Japan on the Kawauchi and Fujiwara
duel, they won't have the race attention all to themselves."
The Gold Coast Airport Marathon became the first marathon in Australia to
be awarded an IAAF Road Race Gold Label at the beginning of 2014 and will
be held on Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 July in one of the most popular holiday
destinations in the world in Queensland, Australia.
This year's event is on track to attract 30,000 participants of all ages
and abilities across a number of events including the Gold Coast Airport
Marathon, Wheelchair Marathon, ASICS Half Marathon, Wheelchair 15km,
Southern Cross University 10km Run, Suncorp Bank 5.7km Challenge and Junior
Dash 4km & 2km races.
For more information visit www.goldcoastmarathon.com.au.
Japanese Elite Men
Name Arata Fujiwara
DOB 12 September 1981
Marathon PB 2:07:48 (Tokyo, 2012)
Name Yuki Kawauchi
DOB 5 March 1987
Marathon PB 2:08:14 (Seoul, 2013)
Name Hirokatsu Kurosaki
DOB 8 August 1985
Marathon PB 2:09:07 (Tokyo, 2014)
Name Chiharu Takada
DOB 9 July 1981
Marathon PB 2:10:39 (Fukuoka, 2013)
Name Hironori Arai
DOB 19 September 1979
Marathon PB 2:12:27 (Otsu, 2011)
Name Atsushi Hasegawa
DOB 8 October 1984
Marathon PB 2:14:20 (Ibaraki, 2014)
Name Takemaru Yamasaki
DOB 13 August 1974
Marathon PB 2:23:21 (Fukuoka, 2013)
Name Taku Harada
DOB 16 January 1984
Marathon PB 2:25:23 (Honolulu, 2012)
Japanese Elite Women
Name Asami Kato
DOB 12 October 1990
Marathon PB 2:29:08 (Nagoya, 2014)
Name Rika Shintaku
DOB 19 October 1985
Marathon PB 2:31:15 (Tokyo, 2014)
Name Hiroko Yoshitomi
DOB 26 December 1983
Marathon PB 2:31:28 (Tokyo, 2013)
Name Chihiro Tanaka
DOB 13 November 1969
Marathon PB 2:29:30 (Nagoya, 2002)
Name Keiko Ikarashi
DOB 10 February 1975
Marathon PB 2:56:02 (Osaka, 2012)
Name Yukiko Kasano
DOB 13 March 1972
Marathon PB 2:56:17 (Kasumigaura, 2014)
Name Nami Iwahara
DOB 17 June 1981
Marathon PB 2:56:10 (Osaka, 2014)
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