Yuko Arimori

Yuko Arimori

Yuko Arimori in November 2008
Personal information
Full name Arimori Yūko
Nationality Japanese
Born (1966-12-17) December 17, 1966
Okayama, Japan
Height 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in)
Website animo.aspota.jp
Sport
Country Japan
Sport Running
Event(s) Marathon
Former partner(s) Gabriel Wilson
Medal record
Women's track and field
1992 Barcelona Marathon
1996 Atlanta Marathon

Yuko Arimori (有森 裕子 Arimori Yūko, born December 17, 1966 in Okayama) is a Japanese professional marathon runner and a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

Career

Arimori competed for Japan in the 1992 Summer Olympics held in Barcelona, Spain in the marathon where she won the silver medal with a time of 2:32:49, eight seconds behind Russian Valentina Yegorova who ran the race in 2:32:41. This hard-fought race was the closest finishing time in Olympic history for men or women at that time. At the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, Arimori returned to the Olympic marathon, where she won the bronze medal and finished behind Valentina Yegorova for a second time. Yegorova ran the race in 2:28:05. Arimori's time was 2:28:39. Although both runners ran four minutes faster than their previous Olympic race, they were beaten back by Ethiopian runner Fatuma Roba, who completed the race and won the gold medal with a time of 2:26:05.

Arimori was the first woman granted professional status by the Japanese Amateur Athletic Federation (JAAF), the nation's governing track and field association. She was granted this status in 1996, following her second and final appearance at the Olympic Games in Atlanta.

Achievements

Year Competition Venue Position Event Notes
1990 Osaka International Ladies Marathon Osaka, Japan 6th Marathon 2:32:51
1991 Osaka International Ladies Marathon Osaka, Japan 2nd Marathon 2:28:01
1991 1991 World Championships in Athletics Tokyo, Japan 4th Marathon 2:31:08
1992 1992 Summer Olympics Barcelona, Spain 2nd Marathon 2:32:49
1995 Hokkaido Marathon Sapporo, Japan 1st Marathon 2:29:17
1996 1996 Summer Olympics Atlanta, United States 3rd Marathon 2:28:39
1999 Boston Marathon Boston, United States 3rd Marathon 2:26:39
2000 Osaka International Ladies Marathon Osaka, Japan 9th Marathon 2:31:22
2000 New York City Marathon New York City, United States 10th Marathon 2:31:12
2001 Gold Coast Marathon Gold Coast, Australia 1st Marathon 2:35:40
2001 Tokyo International Women's Marathon Tokyo, Japan 10th Marathon 2:31:00
2007 Tokyo Marathon Tokyo, Japan 5th Marathon 2:52:45

Awards

Bronze statue of Yuko Arimori in Okayama

Arimori was voted Japanese Athlete of the Year in 1992 and 1996.[1]

Personal life

Arimori was born on December 17, 1966 in Okayama, Okayama Prefecture, Japan. She married Gabriel Wilson in January 1998 in Boulder, Colorado, United States. They separated one month after their marriage, and Wilson revealed his extensive debts and previous homosexual tendencies, admitting "I was gay", at a press conference.[2] They officially divorced in July 2011.[3]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Arimori Yuko". Biography. International Association of Athletics Federations. 2009. Retrieved 26 June 2012.
  2. ↑ Wilce, Matt. "Big in Japan: Arimori Yuko". Metropolis. Metropolis KK. Retrieved 26 June 2012.
  3. ↑ ゲイ発言も…離婚の有森裕子さん [Gay revelations... Yuko Arimori divorces]. MSN Sankei News (in Japanese). Japan: The Sankei Shimbun & Sankei Digital. 26 June 2012. Retrieved 26 June 2012.
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