NEWS
2024/10/19
【Report】Press Conference (Elite Athletes)
The Tokyo Legacy Half Marathon 2024 Press Conference was held at the Tokyo national Stadium on Friday, October 18, 2 days before the race.
The women participating in the elite race were introduced first with Loice Chemnung (Kenya) and Khishigsaikhan Galbadrakh (Mongolia) taking the stage.
Chemnung, who has a personal best of 1:05:58 shared her enthusiasm commenting “I want to give my best performance”. It is her first visit to Japan, and there are expectations that she may break the course record of 1:08:03. She smiled as she shared, “I really like this city. I want to enjoy running in Tokyo. It would be wonderful if that means I set a personal best or course record.”
Galbadrakh , who participated in the marathon at the Olympic Games in Paris 2024 representing Mongolia emphasized her condition. “I have continued to practice in Mongolia following the Olympics. My condition is good.” She shared her vision of “running as a group with my competitors and focusing on the second half of the race.” She hopes to break her own Mongolian record of 1:10:32.
In the men’s field, Evans Keitany (Kenya, Toyota Boshoku Corporation), Benard Kimeli (Kenya, Fujitsu), Amos Kurgat (Kenya, Chudenko Corporation), and Yusuke Nishiyama (Toyota Motors) appeared on the stage.
Last year`s winner Keitany seemed quite confident commenting “my condition is good. I have prepared for a consecutive win.” When asked about his target time, he commented that he hopes to break the course record of 1:00:10 by “running under 60 minutes, ideally around 59:40.”
Kimeli placed second last year and will be looking for a win. He hopes to get revenge and commented “I have prepared well, and my condition is good. Last year, I wasn’t able to run very well partially due to the weather conditions. I hope to run a good race this year.”
Kurgat set a personal best at the Copenhagen Half Marathon last month with a time of 58:47. He has maintained his good form and seemed excited about the battle against Keitany and Kimeli for the top position. “My condition is good. I am also fully prepared. I hope to set a new course record.”
Among the Japanese runners, Nishiyama who represented Japan at the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Oregon in the marathon is the favorite. He shared his commitment. “My condition is okay. I’ve also been able to build up my practice. I plan to run at a fast pace, and compete without holding myself back.” He is motivated to make a comeback after not qualifying for a slot at the Olympic Games in Paris 2024. “There was a time when I felt lost because I didn’t have a goal. I’ve regained the desire to compete on the global stage again.”
Race Director Yasuhiro Oshima shared his prospects for the race. “It will be a very good race. I anticipate it will be a very aggressive race with the three Kenyan runners as a focal point. Hopefully, they will run under 60 minutes at a pace of about 2:50 per kilometer, and set a new course record.” He shared his expectation when asked about Nishiyama. “While I understand that each runner has his own objective, I hope he will not be intimidated by the Kenyan runners.”
The first Tokyo Legacy Half Marathon was held in 2022, and this marks the third event. The race was established to carry on the creativity and legacy of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games, as well as promoting the health of individuals and enriching the local community by popularizing running as a sport. The race for both the elite and general entry runners will kick off at 8:05 a.m. JST on Sunday, October 20, 2024.