Maki Tabata
Maki Tabata (Japanese田 畑 真 纪; Maki Tabata; born November 9, 1974 in Mukawa, County Yufutsu, Hokkaidō Prefecture) is a Japanese speed skater.
Maki Tabata is one of the most successful speed skaters in the late 1990s and at the beginning of the 2000s. In 1991 she made her first internationally at World Junior Championships in Calgary. In the following championships Baselga di Pine, she won the bronze medal in the all around. In the World Cup, she debuted in November 1993 in Berlin. In her third appearance, more than 1500 meters in Innsbruck, she ran for the first time in the top 10 despite the success could Tabata until today never win a single World Cup race. It was only twice with the team successfully (2003 in Hamar and 2005 in Baselga di Pine ). Their best finish in the World Cup was in the 2001/ 02 season, a third rank on the 3000/5000-Meter-Distanz. 1999/2000 she was on the same route overall World Cup Fourth, well above the 1500 meters in the years 1999/2000 and 2003/04.
Although it has often been among the favorites, Tabata could not win a medal at the Olympics. For the first time she participated in the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer part and was 16 over 1500 meters. In their next Games in 2002 she was one of the favorites, but could not meet the expectations. She remained without medals and was even disqualified in the 1,000 - meter course. At the games in Turin, she performed four tracks, but only came to ranks 13 to 17 with the team she missed a medal in fourth just barely.
At the World Championships she won a total of six medals. Your first medal she won in the all-around world championship in 2000 in Milwaukee. In the same year she also won bronze over 3000 meters at the World Single Distance Championships in Nagano. At the 2001 World Cup in Salt Lake City, she won silver in two days over 1500 meters and bronze over 5000 meters. Two years later at the World Championships in Berlin, she was able to confirm her silver medal in the 1500 meters again. Your date last medal she won in the team at the championships in 2005, Inzell.
Four times was Maki Tabata Japanese champion. In little more fight they presented in 1998 a world record, three months later, the US-American Becky Sundstrom exceeded.
Essent ISU World Cup rankings
( As at 10 December 2006)