Nobuko Fujimura ( ja, 藤村信子; born 18 December 1965) is a Japanese female former

long-distance runner Long-distance running, or endurance running, is a form of continuous running over distances of at least . Physiologically, it is largely Aerobic exercise, aerobic in nature and requires endurance, stamina as well as mental strength. Within e ...

who competed in the

marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of , usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There are also wheelchair div ...

. She won the

Hokkaido Marathon The Hokkaido Marathon held in Sapporo, Hokkaidō, Japan, is one of the prominent marathon races of the year. The staging area as well as both the start and finish lines are in Odori Park starting between Nishi 3-chome and Nishi 4-chome and the fin ...

in 1993 and the

Tokyo Women's Marathon The Tokyo International Women's Marathon was a marathon for female elite runners held in Tokyo from 1979 until 2008 in November. It was first held in November 1979, and this race was the first women's marathon officially sanctioned by the Inter ...

in 1996. She represented her country at the

World Championships in Athletics The World Athletics Championships (until 2019 known as the World Championships in Athletics) are a biennial athletics competition organized by World Athletics (formerly IAAF, International Association of Athletics Federations). Alongside the Ol ...

(1997),

IAAF World Cross Country Championships World Athletics Cross Country Championships is the most important competition in international cross country running. Formerly held annually and organised by World Athletics (formerly the IAAF), it was inaugurated in 1973, when it replaced the Int ...

(1994), and was a bronze medallist at the

1994 Asian Games The 1994 Asian Games ( ja, 1994年アジア競技大会, ''Senkyūhyakukyūjūyon-nen Ajia kyōgi taikai''), also known as the XII Asiad and the 12th Asian Games ( ja, 第12回アジア競技大会, Daijūni-kai Ajia kyōgi taikai), were held from ...

Career

Born in

Kameoka is a city in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 87,518 in 29,676 households and a population density of 390 persons per km². The total area of the city is . Geography Kameoka abuts Kyoto to the east and is loca ...

, she attended Kyoto Prefectural Minamidan High School and took up

running Running is a method of terrestrial locomotion allowing humans and other animals to move rapidly on foot. Running is a type of gait characterized by an aerial phase in which all feet are above the ground (though there are exceptions). This is ...

there, initially doing the

400 metres The 400 metres, or 400-meter dash, is a sprint event in track and field competitions. It has been featured in the athletics (sport), athletics programme at the Summer Olympics since 1896 for men and since 1964 for women. On a standard outdoor runn ...

. She moved up to longer distances after she began studying at

Osaka University of Health and Sport Sciences Osaka University of Health and Sports Sciences is a private university in the town of Kumatori in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. The school was established in 1965. Notable alumni * Nobuko Fujimura, athlete * Siro Fujise, baseball player * Yoshikazu ...

. Following her graduation she joined the

Tsugumichi Suzuki is a Japanese long-distance runner. He competed in the men's 10,000 metres at the 1968 Summer Olympics The 1968 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1968), officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad ( es, Juegos de ...

-led

Daihatsu , commonly known as Daihatsu, is a Japanese automobile manufacturer and one of the oldest surviving Japanese internal combustion engine manufacturers. The company's headquarters are located in Ikeda, Osaka Prefecture. Historically, Daihatsu was ...

corporate running team. Her running professional career began in earnest in her mid-twenties. She ranked in the top ten at the

Gold Coast Half Marathon The Gold Coast Marathon is an annual road marathon on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia, first held in 1979. Marketed as "Australia's premier road race", the marathon is the only race in Australia to hold World Athletics Label status. ...

in 1991 and 1992. The 1993 season marked a breakthrough, as she took fourth at the high profile

Osaka Women's Marathon The is an annual marathon road race for women over the classic distance of 42.195 kilometres which is held on the 4th or 5th Sunday of January in the city of Osaka, Japan, and hosted by Japan Association of Athletics Federations, Kansai Tel ...

with a personal best of 2:30:02 hours before winning the

.Nobuko Fujimura

Association of Road Racing Statisticians The Association of Road Racing Statisticians is an independent, non-profit organization that collects, analyzes, and publishes statistics regarding road running races. The primary purpose of the ARRS is to maintain a valid list of world road record ...

. Retrieved 2018-01-28. She returned an improved runner to Osaka the next year and knocked nearly four minutes from her best with a time of 2:26:09 to place second behind

Tomoe Abe is a retired Japanese ultramarathon and marathon runner who won the bronze medal in the marathon at the 1993 World Championships with a time of 2:31:01. Her personal best time is 2:26:09, achieved when she won the 1994 Osaka Ladies' Marathon ...

. She was chosen for two international teams that year, first at the

1994 IAAF World Cross Country Championships The 1994 IAAF World Cross Country Championships was held in Budapest, Hungary, at the Kincsem Park on March 26, 1994. A preview on the event was given in the Herald, and a report in ''The New York Times''. Complete results for senior men, ...

, where she placed in the top 100 in the women's race, and then in the marathon at the

, where she claimed the bronze medal behind Chinese opposition. Her 1995 was highlighted by her first marathon on foreign soil, and she finished in third at the Paris race. An attempt to gain selection for the

1996 Atlanta Olympics The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...

failed as he was eighth at the Osaka Marathon, where performances were used by the national selectors. Despite this disappointment, the season proved to be a career high as she finished third at the 1996

Boston Marathon The Boston Marathon is an annual marathon race hosted by several cities and towns in greater Boston in eastern Massachusetts, United States. It is traditionally held on Patriots' Day, the third Monday of April. Begun in 1897, the event was i ...

, and won the

in 2:28:58 hours, which was also the national championship race. Fujimura was chosen to represent Japan at the

1997 World Championships in Athletics The 6th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Amateur Athletic Federation, were held at the Olympic Stadium, Athens, Greece between August 1 and August 10, 1997. In this event participated 1882 athletes from 19 ...

and her tenth place finish, combined with the performances of winner Hiromi Suzuki and fourth-placer Takako Tobise, led the Japanese women to the title at the

1997 World Marathon Cup The 1997 World Marathon Cup was the seventh edition of the World Marathon Cup of athletics and were held in Athens, Greece, inside of the 1997 World Championships. Results See also *1997 World Championships in Athletics – Men's Mara ...

. Fujimura's career quickly tailed off after the 1997 season. She was 15th at the Osaka Marathon in 1998 and was close to the 3-hour mark at the Naha Marathon the next year. Her last outings at major races were 33rd in Tokyo in 2002 and a DNF at the 2003 Osaka Marathon. Following the end of her professional running career, she became a

physical education Physical education, often abbreviated to Phys Ed. or P.E., is a subject taught in schools around the world. It is usually taught during primary and secondary education, and encourages psychomotor learning by using a play and movement explorati ...

teacher at Fuchu Nuran High School, coaching

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping events ...

. She later moved to Nankan High School and also served on

Ritsumeikan University is a private university in Kyoto, Japan, that traces its origin to 1869. With the Kinugasa Campus (KIC) in Kyoto, and Kyoto Prefecture, the university also has a satellite called Biwako-Kusatsu Campus (BKC) and Osaka-Ibaraki Campus (OIC). Tod ...

coaching staff. 部活動一覧
. Kyoto-be. Retrieved on 2018-01-28.

International competitions

National titles

*Japan Marathon Championships: 1996

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Fujimura, Nobuko Living people 1965 births People from Kameoka, Kyoto Sportspeople from Kyoto Prefecture Japanese athletics coaches Japanese female long-distance runners Japanese female marathon runners Asian Games bronze medalists for Japan Asian Games medalists in athletics (track and field) Athletes (track and field) at the 1994 Asian Games Medalists at the 1994 Asian Games World Athletics Championships athletes for Japan Japan Championships in Athletics winners Tokyo Marathon female winners 20th-century Japanese women 21st-century Japanese women