Mai Ito

Injuries blighted her early career but with a 10,000 metres win at the 2006 Japanese Collegiate Championships (in her final year of study) she her begin to establish herself.

[4] In 2008, she joined up with the Otsuka Pharmaceutical corporate running team and began training under their director Kono Tadashi.

[9] At the end of the year she set a best of 70:03 minutes to come fourth at the Sanyo Half Marathon.

[11][12] In a quick field at November's Yokohama Women's Marathon she was the fifth-placer and second Japanese with a time of 2:27:06 hours.

[13] Ito started 2013 with a personal best at the Berlin Half Marathon, taking third place with seventy minutes exactly.