She just broke Japanese HM record. Why we didn't hear about her in mgc grand?
She just broke Japanese HM record. Why we didn't hear about her in mgc grand?
from Wikipedia:
Niiya competed in the 10,000m at the World Athletics Championships in Moscow on 11 August 2013. Taking the lead early on, she led for the majority of the race but was outsprinted in the last 600m eventually finishing fifth in a personal best time of 30:56.70.
On January 31, 2014, at a press conference, Niiya officially announced her retirement from running professionally, citing her foot injury as the cause. In November 2012, she was diagnosed with plantar fasciitis in her right foot and had decided then that the 2013 World Championships would be her last professional race. When asked to reflect back on her past career as a runner, she said, "Once I'm a granny I might think, 'Man that was hard,' but right now I have nothing but good memories" and that her favorite memory was winning the National High School Ekiden Championships while attending Kōjōkan High School. When asked about her future away from the sport, she said, "It's a complete blank. I can't imagine what I'll be doing. I can't do anything useful for society, but I will completely cut off connection with the world of athletics." She cried with her mother and left these final words for future athletes: "Always do what you think is the right thing no matter what anybody tells you."
Her dreams just became a reality. よかった。
I wonder if she will be selected for Japan's Olympic 10,000 meter team. I hope so. I'm sure it would mean a lot to her to represent her country at Tokyo after all she has been through.
colorunner123 wrote:
I wonder if she will be selected for Japan's Olympic 10,000 meter team. I hope so. I'm sure it would mean a lot to her to represent her country at Tokyo after all she has been through.
I am sure she will, She ran 30:57 on the Roads during The Ekiden Relay Race recently.
What??!
Seems like the OP doesn't actually follow distance running .
She’s been Japan’s best 10k runner for the last decade. She’s run very capably in the last 2 Olympics and several WCs.
Even Aussiestatman in his boring prediction thread didn't mention her as well as the LRC preview. Some "experts" should follow JRN closer apparently, everyone who does knew she's in great shape and was shooting for a NR.
It's also interesting btw that she admits to hate running:
http://japanrunningnews.blogspot.com/2018/06/hitomi-niiya-runs-first-race-in-almost.html
The question is whether she competes in the 10000 or the marathon in the 2020 Olympics. Her marathon performances so far have not been stellar but she really doesn’t have the foot speed to medal in the 10000. The Ethiopians and Kenyans put 5+ seconds on her in the last lap in 2012 after she led pretty much the whole way
Bib #1 wrote:
The question is whether she competes in the 10000 or the marathon in the 2020 Olympics. Her marathon performances so far have not been stellar but she really doesn’t have the foot speed to medal in the 10000. The Ethiopians and Kenyans put 5+ seconds on her in the last lap in 2012 after she led pretty much the whole way
I'm not sure, but isn't the possibility to get in japan's marathon team by breaking 2:22:23 limited to athletes who actually qualified for the MGC? Also even for someone of Niiya's class it's not given to run 2:22 in the first (serious) attempt, even in japan some fast half marathoners like Ayuko Suzuki or Kayoko Fukushi struggled with the full 'thon before.
JRN reader wrote:
Bib #1 wrote:
The question is whether she competes in the 10000 or the marathon in the 2020 Olympics. Her marathon performances so far have not been stellar but she really doesn’t have the foot speed to medal in the 10000. The Ethiopians and Kenyans put 5+ seconds on her in the last lap in 2012 after she led pretty much the whole way
I'm not sure, but isn't the possibility to get in japan's marathon team by breaking 2:22:23 limited to athletes who actually qualified for the MGC? Also even for someone of Niiya's class it's not given to run 2:22 in the first (serious) attempt, even in japan some fast half marathoners like Ayuko Suzuki or Kayoko Fukushi struggled with the full 'thon before.
Yeah, you’re probably right. I haven’t researched it thoroughly, but she likely does not have the marathon standard and there are probably at least 3 other Japanese women who have. That would put Niiya in the 10000. Which begs the Q why she’s running half marathons at this stage. Probably to build strength for the 10000?
I also wonder if the field knew she was racing. We didn't see her at mile 3 in the lead pack, assuming she was already ahead and weren't sure if she was the actual leader when she went by well ahead of everyone else at mile 11.
She was tucked in behind her dedicated pacers. The field is very deep and she just blended in. So I'm not sure the rest of the women's field even knew she was out front at first.
smilf wrote:
I also wonder if the field knew she was racing. We didn't see her at mile 3 in the lead pack, assuming she was already ahead and weren't sure if she was the actual leader when she went by well ahead of everyone else at mile 11.
She was tucked in behind her dedicated pacers. The field is very deep and she just blended in. So I'm not sure the rest of the women's field even knew she was out front at first.
I had exactly the same thought.
smilf wrote:
I also wonder if the field knew she was racing. We didn't see her at mile 3 in the lead pack, assuming she was already ahead and weren't sure if she was the actual leader when she went by well ahead of everyone else at mile 11.
She was tucked in behind her dedicated pacers. The field is very deep and she just blended in. So I'm not sure the rest of the women's field even knew she was out front at first.
I saw the second female finisher was happy and then shocked to see no finishing tape for winner. I guess the east african didn't know about niiya
She’s putting in some serious mileage, doing some marathon pacing work next week. She also ran a national ekiden last week apparently.
“ Next Sunday Niiya will pace the first 12 km at the Osaka International Women's Marathon, where she hopes to help Fukushi make her fifth Olympic team in the same way Ugachi and Sock Man, as she called him, helped her. Following that she heads to Australia to train for a planned shot at Yoko Shibui's 10000 m national record in April.”
http://japanrunningnews.blogspot.com/2020/01/niiya-runs-national-record-for-win-in.html
Fastest CLEAN female half marathoner in the world by a decent margin.
I have no idea who Hitomi NITYA is.
This is what happens when one only watches blowtrack or dyeshat.
