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Takahashi takes Japan's first Olympic marathon gold
= = SYDNEY, Sept 24 (AFP) - Naoka Takahashi became the first runner from Japan to win an Olympic gold medal in the marathon on Sunday, when she destroyed a world-class field in the heat of the Sydney sunshine to take the women's 42.2-kilometre (26 miles 385 yards) race. Takahashi pulled away from her opponents with some fearless front running in the latter stages, crossing the finishing line in Stadium Australia in an Olympic record 2hr 23min 14sec, a world-class time despite the tough course in gruelling conditions. It was the first ever Olympic athletics gold for a Japanese woman, and the first athletics gold for either of the sexes since the 1936 Berlin Games. The silver medal went to Romania's Lidia Simon, last year's World Championship third-placer. Simon was unable to stay with her Japanese rival's relentless surges, and despite a late rally, finished in an 2:23:22. Kenya's Joyce Chepchumba held on strongly in the later stages to win the bronze medal in 2:24:45. An estimated quarter of the population of Japan, where marathon running is almost regarded as a national sport, will have risen early to watch Takahashi's golden run. Only in 1936, when Korean-born Kitei Son won the Berlin Olympic marathon, has a runner representing Japan ever taken gold in the classic distance event. But Son always maintained that although he was wearing a Japanese vest, in his heart he won that medal for Korea. Takahashi had come to prominence when winning the 1998 Asian Games marathon by 13 minutes, and this performance was no less uncompromising, eliminating her biggest rivals early in the piece. Tegla Loroupe, the fastest woman in the field, was effectively out of the race by the time the field left Centennial Park, barely 10 kilometres into the race. Off the back of the pack by 200 metres and gently jogging, it was clear that the winner of major city races in New York, London and Berlin would not become the first Kenyan to win an Olympic marathon here. The decisive move at the front came relatively early in the race. Early in the second hour of running, Takahashi took off. At first, only her team mate, Ichihashi, last year's world silver medallist, could match the burst, but they were soon joined by Romania's Lidia Simon and Alina Gherasim, Eri Yamaguchi, the third Japanese, and Esther Wanjiru, the 1998 Commonwealth 10,000m champion. Takahashi kept the pressure high, putting in the race's fastest 5km stretch up to the 25km mark - 16min 38sec. The lead pack was soon whittled down to three by halfway, reached in 1hr 11min 47sec, with Simon and Ichihashi for company, and Wanjiru running alongside Adriana Fernandez, of Mexico, some 50 metres adrift. Further back lay Fatuma Roba, Ethiopia's defending champion, and Chepchumba, Loroupe's training partner and the two-time winner of both London and Chicago races. Now the race was in its final stages, with five stiff hill climbs to negotiate. Up the first, on to Anzac Bridge, Takahashi attacked again, dropping Ichihashi and, for a moment, Simon, too. But the tough little Romanian battled back on to terms, as Ichihashi began to fade. From further back, Chepchumba and Roba were beginning to pick off those runners who had been too bold too soon. At 30km (1:41:41), the leading duo held a 41sec lead over Ichihashi, who was soon to be passed for the bronze medal position by Chepchumba. The pattern of the race was becoming familiar to Japanese observers, who have seen Simon win the prestigious Osaka Marathon for the past three years by out-kicking runners from Japan over the last 5km. Takahashi knew that too well, and as the temperature out on the course soared above 20 degrees, the 28-year-old from Chiba, near Tokyo, made things hotter still for Simon. On the third climb, the Romanian was finally broken, Takahashi removing her wraparound shades as if to signal that she was truly getting down to business, the gap back to Chepchumba in third now more than a minute. What followed was effectively a victory parade in front of roadside spectators, sometimes five deep.
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