EN
Maeda became the first woman to qualify for the 2020 trials when she won Hokkaido in 2017. This was to be her first marathon since the Tokyo Olympics marathon in Sapporo last summer. A win would have qualified her for next year’s Olympic trials. The remainder of the Hokkaido field is listed here.
Translator’s note: Another major blow for Japanese marathoning. Maeda has been running well this season, with two half marathon PBs. She was a leading contender for the win in Hokkaido. Her withdrawal with COVID-19 follows the last-second withdrawals of women-only NR holder Mao Ichiyama, women’s half-marathon NR holder Hitomi Niiya, and men’s NR holder Kengo Suzuki from last month’s Oregon World Championships marathons after testing positive for coronavirus.
source article:
translated and edited by Brett Larner
Brett Larner – Japan Running News
