Fukushi won two silver medals at the 2002 Asian Games and then won the 10,000 m gold medal at the 2006 edition. She is a former world record holder in the 15 km road race and is the Japanese record holder in the 5000 m, 10,000 m, and 10K road distance. Fukushi is also a six-time national champion over the 5000 m.[1] In addition, she has run more sub 34 minute 10,000 m runs in competition than any other woman in the world (as of 2014 this mark stands at 44).[2]
Fukushi was fourth over 5000 m at the 2000 World Junior Championships in Athletics and had a breakout year two years later. After a fifteenth-place finish in the senior section of the 2002 IAAF World Cross Country Championships, she broke national junior records (over 3000 m, 5000 m and 10,000 m) and then went on to record an out-right national record of 8:44.40 minutes in the 3000 m that July.[3]
Despite her continental success, she failed to break through on the global scene, just finishing in (or near) the top ten at the World Championships in 2007 and 2009, and an eleventh-place finish at 2008 Beijing Olympics. She made her marathon debut at the 2008 Osaka Ladies Marathon and led the race up to the 30 km mark. However, her pacing collapsed soon after that point and she ended up in 19th place with a time of 2:40:54 hours, over fifteen minutes adrift of the winner.[9]
She came back to the half marathon in July 2010 and won at the Shibetsu Half Marathon, although her time of 1:12:25 was below her best.[10] Fukushi's track form deteriorated somewhat that year – she attempted to defend her Asian title at the 2010 Asian Games but came fourth over 10,000 m and fifth in the 5000 m. She anchored the Kyoto team to victory at the Inter-Prefectural Women's Ekiden in January 2011, increasing her team's lead in the final 10 km leg of the race.[11]
Her 2011 season began with a third career win at the Marugame Half Marathon.[12] Her main competition that year was the 2011 Chicago Marathon, where she was among the leaders at the halfway point and went on to take third place in a new personal best time of 2:24:38 hours.[13] In her first race of 2012, she was the pre-race favourite for the Osaka Ladies Marathon but finished seventh after a slow second half.[14] Having missed out on Olympic selection for the marathon, she focused on the track instead. She was runner-up in both the 5000 m and 10,000 m at the Japanese Championships and was selected to run both events at the 2012 London Olympics. She placed tenth in the 10,000 m final, but failed to progress beyond the heats in the shorter distance.[15]
World medal
Fukushi returned to the marathon at the start of 2013 and she was leading with two kilometres to go at the Osaka Women's Marathon. She faltered badly in the final stages, turning a 19-second lead to 23-second deficit behind Tetyana Hamera-Shmyrko. Still, her runner-up finish in 2:24:21 hours was a personal best.[16] This gained her selection for Japan for the 2013 World Championships in Athletics marathon, where she won her first major medal over the distance – a bronze. Although she was aged 31, she was the youngest of the medallists alongside Edna Kiplagat and Valeria Straneo.[17]
Her foremost race the following season was the 2014 Berlin Marathon, but her time of 2:26:24.7 hours only brought her sixth place in the high calibre contest. She did not compete at a major tournament for a whole year, finally returning for the 2015 Chicago Marathon, where she was fourth. She aimed to make the Japanese Olympic marathon team and assured her place with a victory at the Osaka Women's Marathon. She defeated the opposition by over six minutes and set a new personal best of 2:22:17 hours, moving her into the Japanese all-time top seven women.[18]
