A 23-year-old surprise packet from Japan has been crowned the queen of the Gold Coast marathon.
Yuki Nakamura smashed the women’s race record in just her second marathon ever, with a 2:24:22 run that eclipsed American Lindsay Flanagan’s race record of 2:24:43, which was set in 2022.
It was the third fastest women’s marathon time on Australian soil, the other two fastest achieved by the gold and silver medalists at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.
Nakamura, who went into Sunday’s race at the lower end of the top 10, said she was shocked but over the moon to have crossed the finish line first.
“I was aiming for a 2:26 result, that was my objective, however, to come here and win the race, I am so happy with the result,” she said.
“In the beginning, it was faster than I anticipated but I was feeling great and enjoying the ambiance of the Gold Coast, so I just went for it and then I realised there was nobody else around and I was winning.
“At the 30km mark I wanted to drop off the group, but then it was downhill, so I tried to hang in there and catch up on the speed and when I got to the 35/36km mark it was good and I made my move.
“I have no idea how this feeling is, however later on I will feel the power of standing on the top step of the podium,” she said.
Kenya’s Timothy Kattam won the men’s event, finishing the 42.2km race within an impressive 2 hours and eight minutes.
The men’s champion admitted he surprised himself with his first run in Australia.
“This is my first time coming to Australia, I am so grateful for today’s race, it was fantastic; I like the course, everything was well, I am very happy for the day,” he said.
“It was about the win, [and] we were very tight over the ASICS athletes, it was a very tough race.
“[Our team tactics] come out during training and that is what motivates us,” he said.
“The pace was 3:01, 3:02, but then it went to 3:07 and that is when I decided to make a move, to control the speed.
“This is a very good season for me; today I wanted to try for a podium, but I didn’t expect to win today’s race and I am very happy, and I am looking to be back in Australia next year,” he said.
The best Australian in the men’s race was Liam Boudin (2:13:56) who was eighth overall in his debut marathon, while Victorian Sarah Klein (2:31:58) was the first Australian woman across the line and fifth overall in the women’s race.
