News Archive

<p">Marathon Olympic Champion Mizuki Noguchi presented

herself in top shape on Sunday.  The 27

year-old Japanese, who is preparing for the real,- BERLIN MARATHON on September

24^th as the defending champion, won the Sapporo Half Marathon

despite windy weather conditions in a new course record of 68:14 minutes. She

bettered the old record set by Olympic marathon runner-up Catherine Ndereba by

nine seconds. The Kenyan, who had won the race last year ahead of Noguchi, was

running as well in the strong haf marathon event. But it wasn’t a good race for

Ndereba. She was only eighth in 71:50 minutes.  

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Mizuki Noguchi set the pace of the race right from the

start. Only momentaryly the later runner-up Hiromi Ominami (Japan/1:09:19) led

the group. But when Noguchi, the Asian marathon record holder (2:19:12 hours in

Berlin 2005), got away from the group at 14 k Ominami had no chance. „As she

increased the pace she didn’t even breathe hard,“ said Ominami when asked by a

journalist of the web page  www.iaaf.org.

Ongori Philes (Kenya) came

in third in 1:10:00.

"I

want to improve my personal best at the Berlin Marathon"

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„It was windy and therefore I didn’t expect to better

the course record. But I felt very good and that’s why I was running fast. I

want to improve my personal best at the Berlin Marathon,“ said Mizuki Noguchi to

www.iaaf.org. The

Japanese will now prepare for the real,- Berlin Marathon in St. Moritz

(Switzerland) as in the year before.  

<p">In the men’s race the Kenyan Cyrus Njui won in 61:16 minutes

ahead of the Ethiopian Girma Assefa (61:21) and Tesfaye Girma (61:24).

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Gete Wami wins Utica Boilermaker

At the

Utica Boilermaker there was a Kenyan triple triumph. Sammy Rongo won the traditional

15 k race, which was held in Utica (New York State) for the 29th time, in 43:16

minutes ahead of countrymen Wilson Kiprotich (43:30) and William Chebor

(43:39). In the women’s race another runner of the upcoming real,- Berlin Marathon

on September 24^th showed good shape: Gete Wami (Ethiopia). The 10,000

m World Champion of 1999 and Olympic 2000 runner-up clocked 49:31 minutes. In a

duel of two world class marathoners she prevailed against Susan Chepkemei. The

Kenyan finished two seconds later. Third was Jemima Jelegat (Kenya/49:39).