Withdrawals leave Fujiwara as Japan's hope in Tokyo

Ken Marantz / Daily Yomiuri Sportswriter

As if losing Haile Gebrselassie wasn't bad enough, the Tokyo Marathon now has to deal with the breakup of the Fujiwara act.

Defending champion Masakazu Fujiwara withdrew Friday from Sunday's race, leaving unrelated two-time runnerup Arata Fujiwara to lead Japan's hopes in the men's race.

An organizing committee official said Masakazu Fujiwara was suffering from a fever, quoting his coach as saying, "He wasn't able to achieve what he wanted to in his final preparations and decided to withdraw."

The announcement came a day after the shocking news that world record-holder Gebrselassie had pulled out due to a knee injury suffered in training.

For Arata Fujiwara, second to Masakazu last year, the loss of his namesake means a change in how he has imagined the race, that is also a domestic qualifier for this summer's world championships in Daegu, South Korea.

"In my image training, I pictured running next to Masakazu," Fujiwara said at a prerace press conference Friday. "I really wanted to battle it out with him. It's disappointing, but it doesn't lessen my desire [to win]."

Last year, Masakazu broke away from the lead group at 40 kilometers and won in 2 hours 12 minutes 19 seconds, 15 seconds ahead of Arata.

The top Japanese finisher Sunday who breaks 2:09:30 will earn an automatic spot on the team to Daegu.

Last year, in a sign of the current Japanese slump in the men's marathon, Fujiwara was the only Japanese runner to run under 2:10, clocking 2:09:34 in winning the Ottawa Marathon in May.

His career best of 2:08:40 came in placing second in Tokyo in 2008.

"My target is 2:07 and to win the race," said Fujiwara, who failed to finish the New York City Marathon last November.

"I'll try to conserve energy through 30 kilometers. After that, anything can happen. I don't have a plan. I'm prepared for whatever happens."

Other Japanese chasing the berth, as well as the 8 million yen first prize, will be Satoshi Irifune, Tomoyuki Sato, Keita Akiba and Yuki Kawauchi, who was fourth last year.

Leading the foreign contingent in the wake of Gebrselassie's absence are Kenyans Felix Limo, Paul Biwott and Salim Kipsang, Ethiopians Yemene Tsegay and Hailu Mekkonen, and Eritrea's Tadesse Abraham.

Kipsang, the 2009 champion with a career-best of 2:07:09, has not competed since finishing ninth in last year's race.

"In the last two years I have not improved much," Kipsang said. "I hope to run under 2:10; 2:07 or 8 would be very good."

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Haile offers apologies

World record-holder Haile Gebrselassie offered his apologies for withdrawing from Sunday's Tokyo Marathon and said he hopes to enter next year's race--a scenario his manager said has a good chance of occurring.

"He feels very sorry he's not here, he has been looking forward to come and compete here after he won in Fukuoka [in 2006]," Jos Hermens of Global Sports Communication said in Tokyo on Friday.

Hermans said Gebrselassie's preparation was going well when he fell during a training run last week and suffered a deep bone bruise in his left knee.

"It will take several weeks or a month to recover," Hermens said.

"He promises he will come back [to Japan]. Maybe next year, but with the Olympics [in 2012], you never know."

Hermens said that ideally, Gebrselassie will run September's Berlin Marathon to achieve a time that will qualify him for Ethiopia's team to the London Olympics.

That would allow him to run in next year's Tokyo Marathon, which would fit in perfectly with his schedule leading up to London, the Dutch manager said.

Gebrselassie, a two-time Olympic gold medalist and four-time world champion in the 10,000 meters, is entered in next month's Vienna Half-Marathon, but the agent thinks that is doubtful.

When he does return, he'll be ready, Hermens said.

"Please don't write him off," Hermens said. "He's been around 20 years. He's a special man. He's very disciplined."