Yukiko Akaba

Yukiko Akaba (Japanese赤 羽 有 纪 子, Yukiko Akaba; born October 18, 1979 in Haga, Tochigi Prefecture) is a Japanese long-distance runner.

In the Universiade she won silver in the half marathon in 1999 and 2001, bronze in the 10,000 m. After studying at the Jōsai University, she joined the corporate team of Hokuren, but first had to suffer injury-related setbacks. In 2005 she married her fellow student Shuhei Asari ( the family name of his wife accepted ), from which it was henceforth trained. In August 2006 she became a mother, but soon took again the training on. In 2007, she led the anchor leg Japan to victory at the Chiba Ekiden and was 31:23,27 min with the fastest Japanese woman of the year in the 10,000 m.

In 2008 she won the Japanese Half Marathon Championships companies and qualified as a national vice champion in 5000 and 10,000 m over both distances for the Olympic Games in Beijing. There, however, they came after they had just endure a febrile illness, over 10,000 m only on the 20th Place and retired about 5000 m in the run- off. In the World Half Marathon Championships in Rio de Janeiro, she was ten and was the best runner of the Japanese team that won the bronze medal.

The following year she was at her debut in the 42,195 - km - distance second in the Osaka Women's Marathon and subsequently nominated for the marathon of the World Athletics Championships in Berlin. After winning the Sendai Half Marathon, she was national champion in the 10,000 m in summer. At the World Championships, however, she suffered a burglary and ran a rank 31. In the World Half Marathon Championships in Birmingham she did not come on the 26th square.

In 2010 she remained in Osaka until kilometer 25 in the top group, but then fell back because of the effects of a knee injury and gave up. At the London Marathon she finished sixth.

2011 she succeeded her biggest success with a win in Osaka. At the London Marathon she finished sixth, the marathon of the World Championships in Daegu she was in fifth, the best non-African runner.

Yukiko Akaba is 1,58 m tall and weighs 43 kg. Because of Japan still unusual connection between motherhood and high-performance sporting career her family life became the subject of a television program.

Personal Best

  • 5000 m: 15:11,17 min, November 27, 2005 Yokohama
  • 10,000 m: 31:15,34 min 27 June, 2008, Kawasaki
  • Half Marathon: 1:08:11 h 16 March, 2008, Yamaguchi
  • Marathon: 2:24:55 h 25 April, 2010, London
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