Japanese gunning for a World Championships spot – Osaka Ladies Marathon preview

Osaka, Japan – The 2007 Osaka Ladies Marathon, which doubles as the selection race for the Japanese Marathon team for August’s World Championships in Athletics, will be held on Sunday (28). The first Japanese in the race will be automatically selected for the Marathon team provided she dips below 2:26. The course, which starts and finishes in the Nagai stadium, the venue for the upcoming World Championships, is the same as the course to be used when the world’s best compete in August.

Simon, Abitova lead international field

The invited foreign field is relatively weak this year, however, two runners who excel in shorter distances deserve special attention: Lucy Wangui of Kenya and Russian Inga Abitova.

Wangui, a Kenyan who runs for Suzuki, was ninth in the 10,000m at the 2004 Olympic Games, where she set her personal best of 31:05.90. More recently she won the 10,000m title at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne. She has a Half Marathon best of 1:09:47, which she recorded in the 2004 Japanese Corporate Team Half Marathon Championships, and in Osaka will be making her Marathon debut.