Ryoko Kizaki
Encyclopedia
Ryoko Kizaki is a Japan
ese long-distance runner who competes in marathon
and half marathon
races. She won the 2011 Yokohama Women's Marathon
in a personal best time of 2:26:32 hours. She is a three-time participant at the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships
and a two-time medallist at the Summer Universiade.
Born in Kyoto
, Kizaki attended the city's Miyazu High School before moving on to further study at Bukkyo University
. While there, she competed for Japan at the Summer Universiade: she was the half marathon
silver medal
list at the 2005 event
and won a second silver at the 2007 edition
, where she set a personal best of 32:55.11 minutes in the 10,000 metres. She finished nineteenth at the 2006 World Road Running Championships
, helping the Japanese team win the bronze medal
in the team competition.
In 2008, she graduated from university and joined the Daihatsu corporate running team. The following year she came seventh in both the All-Japan Corporate Half Marathon Championships and the 10,000 m at the Japanese Athletics Championships. She went on to place thirteenth at the 2009 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships
, although the Japanese women's team of Kizaki, Yurika Nakamura
and Remi Nakazato were beaten out of the team medals by Russia.
Kizaki made her debut over the marathon distance (42.195 km) at the Osaka Ladies Marathon in January 2010. She finished in sixth place with a time of 2:27:34 hours, being the third Japanese to cross the line. At the Japanese track championships she was runner-up to Kayoko Fukushi
in both the 5000 metres
and 10,000 m events. As a result, she was chosen to represent Japan in the shorter event at the 2010 Asian Games
in Guangzhou
, where she took tenth place. She was also selected for the 2010 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships
for a third time and had her best finish, coming in tenth place to take the team bronze for Japan with Yoshimi Ozaki
and Azusa Nojiri.
In January 2011, she helped Kyoto to win the Inter-Prefectural Women’s Ekiden and was fifth at the Osaka Marathon. The Yokohama Women's Marathon
the following November saw her top the podium for the first time in the event. In spite of hot conditions and poor pacing, she ran a personal best of 2:26:32 hours and defeated her more favoured compatriot Yoshimi Ozaki.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese long-distance runner who competes in marathon
Marathon
The marathon is a long-distance running event with an official distance of 42.195 kilometres , that is usually run as a road race...
and half marathon
Half marathon
A half marathon is a road running event of . It is half the distance of a marathon and usually run on roads. Participation in half marathons has grown steadily recently. One of the main reasons for this is that it is a challenging distance, but does not require the same level of training that a...
races. She won the 2011 Yokohama Women's Marathon
Yokohama Women's Marathon
The Yokohama Women's Marathon is an annual marathon held in Yokohama, Japan, and hosted by Japan Association of Athletics Federations, TV Asahi, the Asahi Shimbun...
in a personal best time of 2:26:32 hours. She is a three-time participant at the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships
IAAF World Half Marathon Championships
The IAAF World Half Marathon Championships is an annual half marathon competition organised by the International Association of Athletics Federations. It was contested from 1992 to 2005, and replaced by the IAAF World Road Running Championships, a 20 kilometres race which had its inaugural...
and a two-time medallist at the Summer Universiade.
Born in Kyoto
Kyoto
is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the imperial capital of Japan, it is now the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a major part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area.-History:...
, Kizaki attended the city's Miyazu High School before moving on to further study at Bukkyo University
Bukkyo University
is a private university in Kita-ku, Kyoto in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. The predecessor of the school was founded in 1912, and it was chartered as a junior college in 1949. Bukkyo means Buddhism in Japanese Language. And this university's philosophy is based on Pure Land Buddhism.-External links:*...
. While there, she competed for Japan at the Summer Universiade: she was the half marathon
Half marathon
A half marathon is a road running event of . It is half the distance of a marathon and usually run on roads. Participation in half marathons has grown steadily recently. One of the main reasons for this is that it is a challenging distance, but does not require the same level of training that a...
silver medal
Silver medal
A silver medal is a medal awarded to the second place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, and contests with similar formats....
list at the 2005 event
Athletics at the 2005 Summer Universiade
The athletics competition in the 2005 Summer Universiade was held on the İzmir Atatürk Stadyumu in İzmir, Turkey, between 15 August and 20 August 2005.-Men's events:-Women's events:-Medal table:-References:* - GBR Athletics* - GBR Athletics* - FIBU...
and won a second silver at the 2007 edition
Athletics at the 2007 Summer Universiade
The athletics competition at the 2007 Summer Universiade was held in the Main Stadium at Thammasat University in Bangkok, Thailand, between 9 August and 14 August 2007.-Men's events:-Women's events:-Medals table:-Results:******...
, where she set a personal best of 32:55.11 minutes in the 10,000 metres. She finished nineteenth at the 2006 World Road Running Championships
2006 IAAF World Road Running Championships
The 1st IAAF World Road Running Championships were held in Debrecen, Hungary on 8 October 2006, the women's race starting at 11:00 and the men's race at 13:00. This was the first time the title of World Road Running Champion had been competed for, with this competition replacing the IAAF World Half...
, helping the Japanese team win the bronze medal
Bronze medal
A bronze medal is a medal awarded to the third place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The practice of awarding bronze third place medals began at the 1904 Olympic Games in St...
in the team competition.
In 2008, she graduated from university and joined the Daihatsu corporate running team. The following year she came seventh in both the All-Japan Corporate Half Marathon Championships and the 10,000 m at the Japanese Athletics Championships. She went on to place thirteenth at the 2009 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships
2009 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships
The 2009 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships was held in Birmingham, United Kingdom on 11 October 2009. It was the final event of the International Association of Athletics Federations' 2009 World Athletics Series.-Organisation:...
, although the Japanese women's team of Kizaki, Yurika Nakamura
Yurika Nakamura
is a Japanese long-distance runner. Nakamura grew up in the Hyōgo Prefecture.She finished seventh at the 2006 World Road Running Championships, helping the Japanese team win the bronze medal in the team competition. In 2008, she won the Nagoya Marathon in her marathon debut. In the 2008 Summer...
and Remi Nakazato were beaten out of the team medals by Russia.
Kizaki made her debut over the marathon distance (42.195 km) at the Osaka Ladies Marathon in January 2010. She finished in sixth place with a time of 2:27:34 hours, being the third Japanese to cross the line. At the Japanese track championships she was runner-up to Kayoko Fukushi
Kayoko Fukushi
is a Japanese long-distance runner who specializes in the 5000 and 10,000 metres. Fukushi represented Japan at the 2004 and 2008 Summer Olympics....
in both the 5000 metres
5000 metres
The 5000 metres is a popular running distance also known as 5 km or 5K in American English. It is one of the track events in the Olympic Games and the World Championships in Athletics. "5000 metres" refers to racing on a track and "5K" usually refers to a roadrace or cross country event...
and 10,000 m events. As a result, she was chosen to represent Japan in the shorter event at the 2010 Asian Games
Athletics at the 2010 Asian Games
Athletics at the 2010 Asian Games was held in Guangzhou, China from 21 to 27 November 2010. A total of 47 events were contested, 24 by men and 23 by women - matching the Olympic athletics programme...
in Guangzhou
Guangzhou
Guangzhou , known historically as Canton or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of the Guangdong province in the People's Republic of China. Located in southern China on the Pearl River, about north-northwest of Hong Kong, Guangzhou is a key national transportation hub and trading port...
, where she took tenth place. She was also selected for the 2010 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships
2010 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships
The 2010 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships was held in Nanning, China on 16 October 2010. The competition took place on the city streets, beginning and ending at Wuxiang Square, with a total prize purse of US$245,000 at stake....
for a third time and had her best finish, coming in tenth place to take the team bronze for Japan with Yoshimi Ozaki
Yoshimi Ozaki
Yoshimi Ozaki is a Japanese long-distance runner, who specializes in the marathon. She won the 2008 Tokyo Women's Marathon in a personal best time of 2:23:30 hours...
and Azusa Nojiri.
In January 2011, she helped Kyoto to win the Inter-Prefectural Women’s Ekiden and was fifth at the Osaka Marathon. The Yokohama Women's Marathon
Yokohama Women's Marathon
The Yokohama Women's Marathon is an annual marathon held in Yokohama, Japan, and hosted by Japan Association of Athletics Federations, TV Asahi, the Asahi Shimbun...
the following November saw her top the podium for the first time in the event. In spite of hot conditions and poor pacing, she ran a personal best of 2:26:32 hours and defeated her more favoured compatriot Yoshimi Ozaki.
Personal bests
- 5000 metres5000 metresThe 5000 metres is a popular running distance also known as 5 km or 5K in American English. It is one of the track events in the Olympic Games and the World Championships in Athletics. "5000 metres" refers to racing on a track and "5K" usually refers to a roadrace or cross country event...
- 15:35.12 min (2009) - 10,000 metres - 32:16.40 min (2010)
- Half marathonHalf marathonA half marathon is a road running event of . It is half the distance of a marathon and usually run on roads. Participation in half marathons has grown steadily recently. One of the main reasons for this is that it is a challenging distance, but does not require the same level of training that a...
- 1:10:16 hrs (2009) - MarathonMarathonThe marathon is a long-distance running event with an official distance of 42.195 kilometres , that is usually run as a road race...
- 2:26:32 hrs (2011)