The Nagoya Women’s Marathon is the largest women’s race in the world. It is certified by Guinness World Records and was released on March 11, 2012, with 13,114 entries. Today it is already international and elite, to the point of being known as the qualifying event that has sent many Japanese athletes to international competitions, including two Olympic gold medalists, Naoko Takahashi and Mizuki Noguchi. It has World Athletics Platinum status and has now grown with an event that has already attracted more than 20 thousand participants.
Yuka Ando surpassed her personal best, but failed to qualify for the Olympic Games in Japan.This Sunday a new edition took place in which 3,500 foreigners distinguished themselves, even if the winner of the 42 kilometers was local. This is Yuka Ando, who won her first race in 2:21:19, breaking her personal best for the first time in seven years.
However, she failed to match the Japanese/Asian record of 2:18:59 set by Honami Maeda in January to secure the final place in the national team at the Paris Olympics.
“There are so many people who helped me get here and I am full of gratitude. I can’t go to Paris, but I’m very happy to have won,” said Ando, arousing great enthusiasm among the fans who followed the race on the streets of Nagoya and braving the low temperatures.
After a cold start, with 5 degrees and a wind speed of 1 km/h, three leading Japanese athletes, Ando, Ayuko Suzuki and Rika Kaseda, formed the leading group with the 2022 world champion Gotytom Gebreslase of Ethiopia and 2023 Asian champion Eunice Chebichii Chumba of Bahrain.
Around kilometer 36, Gebreslase stopped running and abandoned the race, leaving Chumba in first place and Ando behind, and the two were neck and neck after 39 kilometers.
In the last 800 meters, the Japanese achieved a dramatic victory and won the first prize of 250 thousand dollars, the largest in the world, surpassing even the men’s amounts.
This Sunday in Nagoya more than 15 thousand athletes participated, of which 3,500 foreigners.The finalists received a pendant as a prize. The Marathon Expo, held in conjunction with the race, also attracted 101,416 visitors over the three days and participated in the festival of women’s running that Nagoya proudly presents to the rest of the world.
The organization congratulated the runners and volunteers who worked during the 72-hour event.
Source: Clarin
Jason Root is the go-to source for sports coverage at News Rebeat. With a passion for athletics and an in-depth knowledge of the latest sports trends, Jason provides comprehensive and engaging analysis of the world of sports.