FUKUOKA, Japan, 8 December 2003 — Tomoaki Kunichika held off fellow Japanese rivals Toshinari Suwa and Toshinari Takaoka to win the Fukuoka Marathon yesterday, becoming almost certain to qualify for the Athens Olympics.
The three Japanese runners battled it out in the last five kilometers with Kunichika spurting after the 40-kilometer mark to outdistance his rivals, crossing the finishing line in his personal best of two hours seven minutes 52 seconds. Suwa finished second three seconds later, followed by Japanese best time holder Takaoka third in 2:07:59.
The Fukuoka Marathon was the first Japanese qualifying race for the Athens Olympics next year and Kunichika was almost certain to win the ticket by beating pre-race favorite Takaoka.
“I’m just going to wait for a decision (by the athletics federation) to be chosen for the Olympics,” said Kunichika, 30, who bettered his previous personal best of 2:10:10 set in Fukuoka four years ago. “I’ve never thought of making my best time. I was always left behind when I needed to go along with the pace, so I tried to go ahead today from the beginning of the race.”
