is a Japanese former women's

racing cyclist Cycle sport is Competition, competitive physical activity using bicycles. There are several categories of bicycle racing including road bicycle racing, cyclo-cross, mountain bike racing, track cycling, BMX, and cycle speedway. Non-racing ...

. Born in the northern island of

Hokkaido is Japan's second largest island and comprises the largest and northernmost prefecture, making up its own region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō from Honshu; the two islands are connected by the undersea railway Seikan Tunnel. The la ...

, she originally trained to be a

speed skater Speed skating is a competitive form of ice skating in which the competitors race each other in travelling a certain distance on skates. Types of speed skating are long track speed skating, short track speed skating, and marathon speed skating. ...

, but switched to cycling when she was 22. She won the first

Japanese National Road Race Championships The Japanese National Road Race Championships are conducted every year under the auspices of the Japan Cycling Federation. Men Elite U23 Women See also *Japanese National Time Trial Championships The Japanese National Time Trial Champions ...

for women held in 1998, a title she ended up winning eleven straight times. From 2002, she became the first Japanese to participate on the women's pro tour in Europe, riding for French, Italian, and Dutch teams. She won the Trophée des Grimpeurs in 2002. She represented Japan at the

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...

, and

2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Na ...

. She retired in 2008 and currently serves as an adviser for women's

keirin – literally "racing cycle" – is a form of motor-paced cycle racing in which track cyclists sprint for victory following a speed-controlled start behind a motorized or non-motorized pacer. It was developed in Japan around 1948 for gamblin ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Oki, Miho 1974 births Living people Japanese female cyclists Cyclists at the 2000 Summer Olympics Cyclists at the 2004 Summer Olympics Cyclists at the 2008 Summer Olympics Olympic cyclists for Japan Cyclists at the 1998 Asian Games Cyclists at the 2002 Asian Games Cyclists at the 2006 Asian Games Asian Games competitors for Japan 20th-century Japanese women 21st-century Japanese women