Wataru Okutani, the top member of Japan`s World Championships Marathon team, has been forced to withdraw from the team due to complications arising from an appendectomy. Okutani was the top Japanese finisher and fourth overall at last year`s Fukuoka International Marathon in a PB time of 2:08:49. He was also the third scoring member of Japan`s gold medal-winning team at the 2005 World Championships in Helsinki. Okutani has been replaced by alternate Tomoyuki Sato who was the top Japanese finisher and second overall in this year`s Tokyo Marathon where he ran 2:11:22. Sato also ran Fukuoka, finishing as fifth Japanese and tenth overall in 2:12:29.
Constantina Tomescu Dita out of Worlds By David Monti (c) 2007 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved August 22, 2007 Constantina Tomescu-Dita, the winner of the bronze medal in the
marathon at the last IAAF World Championships in Athletics, has been
forced to withdraw from the upcoming World Championships because of an
injury.
The Romanian star, who runs for Asics, has been hampered
for two months by tendonitis problems in her right knee, according to
her manager, Brendan Reilly. After returning to Romania from her
Colorado home in early August, Tomescu-Dita consulted with doctors
there. Although eager to at least help her Romanian teammates to a
team medal in the marathon at Osaka, her doctors strongly advised
against it.
"They said that if were to try a full marathon now,
there is a high danger that I could break the tendon. With the Olympic
Games still ahead next year, I don't want to risk a long, long injury,
or a permanent injury. The federation also told me this is the best
decision."
Tomescu-Dita was clearly a contender for a medal in
Osaka. She won the silver medal at last year's IAAF World Road Running
Championships, and finished third at last April's Flora London
Marathon. The 37 year-old athlete has a personal best time of 2:21:30,
which is also the Romanian record.