The Press Conference for Invited Wheelchair Athletes was held at the Keio Plaza hotel in Tokyo on Friday, March 1, two days before the Tokyo Marathon 2024.

In advance of the Press Conference, Tadaaki Hayano, President/CEO of the Tokyo Marathon Foundation and the Race Director for this event took to the stage. He expressed his sympathies for those impacted by the Noto Peninsula Earthquake in January, and also explained the various support to be extended to Ishikawa and surrounding prefectures. For instance, a local confection from Ishikawa will be included at Aid stations and support has been extended to runners from this area . Next, asked runners to fill in the blanks after the event catch phrase “Tokyo, My favorite place …”. “Please add a word of your choice, such as `to run` or `to eat` and enjoy Tokyo to the fullest.”

■Women’s wheelchair race anticipated to be fast and great

At the beginning of the Wheelchair Elite Athlete’s Press Conference, Masazumi Soejima, Wheelchair Race Director and four women athletes took to the stage to share their thoughts and goals for the race. Each of the four athletes commented that they “practiced well during the winter season” and that “this will be the first race of the season. ”

Manuela Schär (Switzerland) who won the previous race with a course record shared her outlook for the race. “The course is excellent, so it will be a fast-paced race with fast times. The finish is likely to be very close. I’m very excited because the race will involve strategizing.” Susannah Scaroni (USA) who placed third at the Oita International Wheelchair Marathon shared her goals for the race commenting “Practice during the winter went well and I want to confirm the results. The race will likely be very fast, and I will aim for a good time.”

Wakako Tsuchida (will raise) will be racing for the first time since the 2021 Tokyo Marathon (held in 2022), and shared “I have continued to challenge my potential as the race becomes more competitive each year. Competing against top athletes allows me to better my personal record, so I will race while also checking on my capability. I will just follow any athletes who are ahead of me.” Tsubasa Kina (Ryukyu Sport Support), who placed second in the last event, shared her enthusiasm for the race as well as her future prospects. “I am happy that so many top-level athletes have gathered in Tokyo. I want to see how well I can race within this group. I also think many things will come to light in the first race of the season.”

Race Director Soejima explained the two mechanisms at the 10km mark which have been set up to encourage a fast race. He shared specific points throughout the race that are likely to be of interest. “While the athletes are likely to be in a group, please follow closely to see who makes a move and where.”

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①Abbott WMM bonus point: the first male and female athlete to cross the 10km mark will each earn 8 Abbott points.
②Tokyo Marathon exclusive sprint time bonus: 3 top athletes who race within 21:48 for the women and 18:09 for the men will each receive a monetary award.

■Who will become the new men’s leader?

In the men’s press conference, 4 athletes who also will be racing their first event of the season took the stage. Marcel Hug, who won two consecutive events, is not participating, and expectations are high for the new leader to appear from among the world’s top athletes. Daniel Romanchuk (USA) who placed second in the Abbott WMM series 15 shared his goal. “I’m not very familiar with the course since I’m only racing for the second time in Tokyo, but it’s likely to be a fast and exciting race. I want to test the results of my winter season practice.” Joshua Cassidy (Canada) who is racing for the second time since 2019, commented “I haven’t practiced the marathon very much, but I am looking forward to seeing how I race in Tokyo while also enjoying the city.”

Tomoki Suzuki (Toyota Motors) who placed second last year set a new Japanese record in a 1500m track race held outside the country in February. He shared that he is in good condition “I have been able to practice quite well.” He has his sights for the Paris Paralympic games in August and shared his enthusiasm. “I will challenge myself and aim for a good time in the 1:21 range”. Sho Watanabe (Toppan) who placed third last year just finished a 20-day camp in Ishigakijima and emphasized “My condition is good. I have prepared for a fast race. I came here to win this year.”

Race Director Soejima encouraged the athletes by closing “I anticipate a good race with each of you racing toward your respective goals and thoughts”.

The wheelchair race will begin at 9:05 am local time on March 3 in front of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building No.1.