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Athens marathon winner Noguchi drops out of Games

Women's Olympic marathon champion Mizuki Noguchi, of Japan, on Tuesday withdrew from the Beijing Games due to injury, said public broadcaster NHK.

  • Reuters
  • Published: 23:59 August 12, 2008
  • Gulf News

Tokyo: Women's Olympic marathon champion Mizuki Noguchi, of Japan, on Tuesday withdrew from the Beijing Games due to injury, said public broadcaster NHK.

Japan's Kyodo news agency had reported the 30-year-old had undergone a second MRI scan after cutting short her altitude training in Switzerland, citing muscle soreness.

The withdrawal will be a blow for Japan, where marathon running is hugely popular and draws enormous crowds. The country has won the last two women's Olympic marathons.

This year's race on August 17 looks wide open after world record holder Paula Radcliffe, of Britain, had her preparations badly set back by a stress fracture in her leg.

But Radcliffe said she was feeling fresh and healthy but was still concerned about her leg.

Radcliffe, who holds the women's marathon world record but has never won an Olympic medal, admits she is under-prepared.

But the Briton said she was in better shape than at the 2004 Games when she failed to finish despite being among the favourites.

"I'd rather go into the race healthy and a little bit under-prepared than in the shape I was in 2004 but just not healthy and not well enough to endure the race," Radcliffe told BBC Radio.

"I'll be the freshest on the start line for sure and I think I'll probably be one of the happiest to be there because there have been those points when I really didn't think I would make it," she added.

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