Posted at 9:15 a.m., Sunday, November 18, 2007
Marathon: Olympic champ wins Tokyo women's run
Advertiser Staff
TOKYO -- Olympic champion Mizuki Noguchi won the Tokyo International Women's Marathon today, moving a step closer to qualifying for the Beijing Olympics.Running her first marathon in two years, Noguchi finished in 2 hours, 21 minutes, 37 seconds in near-perfect conditions to win her first Tokyo marathon.
"The road to Beijing opened up a bit more today," Noguchi said. "There are still two more qualifying races and it's a big relief to win this one."
Kenyan Salina Kosgei was second in 2:23:30 and Japan's Reiko Tosa finished third. She already secured a ticket to Beijing with a bronze medal at this summer's world championships in Osaka.
The squad of Japanese women for the Beijing marathon will be named after the two remaining qualifying meets — in Osaka in January and Nagoya in March.
