Hitomi Niiya, who will challenge the full marathon for the first time in 13 years, will meet with top men and women in front of the Tokyo Marathon, which was given the right to participate in the representative selection race of the Paris Olympics on the 6th. Shown.
The Tokyo Marathon was not held last year due to the influence of the new coronavirus, and will be held for the first time in two years on the 6th, and the right to participate in the marathon representative selection race of the Paris Olympics will be required.
In both cases, Kenya's Eliud Kipchoge and Brigid Kosgei, both male and female world record holders, are expected to participate in high-speed races.
On the 4th, top players met in Tokyo, and Kengo Suzuki, who holds a Japanese record of 2 hours and 4 minutes for boys, said, "I am very excited as a challenger. Last year's Lake Biwa Mainichi Marathon, which set a new Japanese record, was also a time. Rather, I was particular about the game and the ranking, so if I was aware of that, the time would naturally follow. "
Hidekazu Hijikata, who has a record of 2 hours and 6 minutes, said that he wanted to break the record of Yuta Shitara, a senior player of the same team and a former Japanese record holder, and said, "I want to compete regardless of time."
On the other hand, Shintani, who has been active in track events such as participating in the 10,000 meters of the Tokyo Olympics as a girl, is the first full marathon challenge in 13 years.
On the target time board, I wrote "2 hours 31:00", which is 1 second longer than the time I won this tournament 15 years ago. I've been practicing for three months and I want to do my best to reach that goal. "
Mao Ichiyama, who won the 8th place in the Tokyo 2020 marathon, set the goal of "breaking the wall of 2 hours and 20 minutes" and said, "I have practiced so far, so I want to enjoy the race without fear." I was talking.
World Record Holder Kipchoge in Kenya Mentions Military Invasion
Kenya's Eliud Kipchoge, the world record holder for the men's marathon in the Tokyo Marathon on the 6th, mentioned at a meeting that Russia's military invasion of Ukraine continues.
When asked by the press about the military invasion, Kipchoge said, "I want to say that everyone is human. We have to get together at the table to find a solution. Russian and Ukrainian officials are at the same table. It's important to discuss and find a solution. "
Also, looking back on winning the gold medal by running the course set up in Sapporo City at the Tokyo Olympics last year, "I originally intended to run the Olympic race in Tokyo, but I couldn't do it. I wanted to run on the road in Tokyo as well. I would be happy if I could show the strong race to the fans this time. "