Toshihiko Seko Names Honami Maeda as Gold Medal Contender for Paris Olympics Women’s Marathon

The men’s and women’s marathons at the Paris Olympics will be held on August 10 and 11, both starting at 8:00 am (3:00 pm Japan time on both days). Toshihiko Seko, 68, marathon leader of the Japan Association of Athletics Federations, said, “I have the highest expectations for Honan Maeda, 28, in the women’s race. If she can run and run and run, she could even win the gold medal,” he said, predicting the first Japanese women’s marathon in 20 years.

The 42.195-km race will start from Paris City Hall, pass by the Opera House and the Louvre, turn around near the Palace of Versailles, pass the Eiffel Tower, and finish at the Place d’Ambaride, where Emperor Napoleon rests.

Seko, who competed in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics and the 1988 Seoul Olympics and was deeply involved in the training and selection of the Japanese national team as a coach, said, “It is said that the Olympics are more about competition than records. I think Paris will be a hell of a race. The Boston Marathon, which I won, has the famous ‘heart-breaking hill,’ but I don’t think it will compare to that.

The weather conditions on the day of the race are expected to be around 20 degrees Celsius and 50% humidity, and the climb up the steep hill will be difficult, but Maeda will not be intimidated by this and will find his chance to win by boldly taking on the challenge and making his move.

Maeda has the spirit of daring. In the Osaka International Women’s Race in January this year, Maeda moved ahead of the pacemaker after the halfway point and ran alone in the second half, finishing in second place and setting a new Japanese record of 2 hours 18 minutes 59 seconds. In Paris, she made her first spurt on the long uphill from 15 km to 18 km, and then again on the steep hill after 28 km, a double-decker rocket.

The main contenders for the win were Tigisto Asefa (27, Ethiopia), the world record holder with 2 hours, 11 minutes, and 53 seconds, and Perez Jepchirchir (30, Kenya), the Tokyo Olympics queen and a two-time consecutive winner. Maeda is about 7 minutes ahead of Asefa in time carried. If they were to compete properly, they would show the difference in strength. Therefore, Mr. Seko took advantage of the severe ups and downs in the race to make the Africans panic by making a big breakaway move.