March 1, 2020 at 13:15 JST
Suguru Osako sets a new Japanese record at the Tokyo Marathon on March 1. (The Asahi Shimbun)
Suguru Osako set a new national record at the Tokyo Marathon on March 1, putting him in prime position to scoop up the nation’s last berth for the Tokyo Olympics.
Osako finished first among Japanese runners, clocking 2 hours, 5 minutes, 29 seconds. He broke his own national record of 2 hours, 5 minutes, 50 seconds, finishing fourth among all the runners.
If no one beats his time at the Lake Biwa Mainichi Marathon on March 8, Osako will become the third Japanese runner at the Tokyo Games.
Shogo Nakamura and Yuma Hattori already secured berths for the Tokyo Olympics at the Marathon Grand Championship in September. Osako finished third in the race.
In the Tokyo Marathon on March 1, Birhanu Legese of Ethiopia won the race at 2 hours, 4 minutes, 15 seconds, for his second consecutive victory in Tokyo.
Tokyo Marathon organizers decided to bar members of the public this year due to concerns over the new coronavirus and allowed only top runners to participate. The race is one of the qualifiers for the Tokyo Olympics.
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