November 19, 2007	Monday	Ziqa’ad 08, 1428

TOKYO, Nov 18: Japan’s Olympic champion Mizuki Noguchi won the Tokyo international women’s marathon Sunday after an injury-hit two-year break, issuing a warning to Paula Radcliffe ahead of the Beijing Games next year.

The 29-year-old Noguchi duelled with Kenyan Salina

Kosgei until 36 kilometres (22.3 miles) but pulled ahead at the start of an uphill section to win the sun-soaked race in two hours 21 minutes and 37 seconds.

Kosgei, who won the 2004 Paris marathon and was the runner-up in the Berlin marathon last year, trailed home in 2:23.31. Italian Bruna Genovese finished third in 2:27.35.

Noguchi’s convincing victory came just two weeks after Radcliffe, the world record holder from Britain, won the New York marathon 10 months after having her first baby.

Radcliffe, the 2005 world champion aims to win her first Olympic medal in Beijing. “I was really scared at the starting line because I had been making mistakes, including injuries for two years,” Noguchi said with a big smile.

“I think this victory has opened the road to Beijing for me.” No woman has won a second straight marathon in the Olympics.

The race boiled down to a three-way affair before 20 kilometres, but another Japanese, Yoko Shibui, the 2004 Berlin marathon winner, started to fade 10 kilometres later. Shibui, 28, finished seventh.

“It’s hard to find any fault with such a brilliant run and time,” said Keisuke Sawaki, executive director of the Japan Association of Athletic Federations.

The Tokyo race was one of three marathons that the Japanese athletic association set aside as national trials to decide Olympic berths for Japanese women.— AFP