Mika Yoshikawa

Born in Sagamihara,[1] she attended Kanagawa Prefectural Asamizodai High School and competed in the 1500 metres as a teenager.

A small and light runner – 1.55 m tall (5 ft 1 in) and 39 kg in weight (86 lbs) – she made her first appearance at the Japan Championships in Athletics in 2005, finishing fourth in the 1500 m final.

She broke through at the senior level the following year, winning the Japanese title, running at the World Cross Country Short Race and placing seventh at the 2006 Asian Games.

She won three further national titles from 2008 to 2010, but did not achieve the qualifying standards for the 2008 Beijing Olympics or the 2009 World Championships in Athletics.

She significantly improved her 10,000 metres personal best to 31:28.71 minutes in her win at the Japanese Championships, beating the more favoured Kayoko Fukushi and gaining selection for Japan at the 2012 Summer Olympics.