Mizuki Noguchi Returning To Competition

She has been fighting injuries for the past four years.

Thirty-three-year-old Japanese marathoner Mizuki Noguchi will be donning her racing flats after a four-year hiatus. Noguchi was the Olympic champion in 2004. Organizers of the Nagoya Women’s Marathon say she will compete on March 11.

The Nagoya Women’s Marathon is the last chance for Japanese athletes to qualify for their Olympic team.

Noguchi had pulled out of last month’s Osaka International Women’s Marathon, citing hamstring issues. She has been plagued by persistent injuries for the past four years.

The Japanese marathon ace is reportedly working on making the Olympic team by completing high-altitude training in the Rocky Mountains in the United States.

At the 2003 World Championships in Paris, Noguchi took silver in the marathon.

She missed out on defending her gold medal at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing due to back problems. At the 2004 Olympics, Noguchi held off an extremely competitive field that included the likes of world-record holder in the marathon, Paula Radcliffe as well as Catherine Ndereba who went on to claim a silver in that race.

For More: Reuters