SUZUKI Ayuko

Olympic Games

Year	Location	5000m
2016	Rio de Janeiro, BRA	Round 1 (15:41.81)

World Athletics Championships

Year	Location	5000m	10,000m
2017	London, GBR	Heats (15:24.86)	10th (31:27.30)
2015	Beijing, CHN	9th (15:08.29)	-

Legend
SF - Semifinal, QF - Quarterfinal, 1R - 1st Round, Qual. - Qualification, QR - Qualification Round, DNF - Did Not Finish, DNS - Did Not Start, DQ - Disqualified, NM - No Mark, [Relay athlete without time] - Did not run in final

Ayu-chan (japanpost.jp, 01 Apr 2020)

Athlete, Office Worker

Economics - Nagoya University, Japan

Japanese

Japan Post [Japan]

Masahiko Takahashi [club], JPN

In March 2021 she was diagnosed with biceps femoris tendinopathy in her left leg. The condition causes inflammation of the biceps femoris tendon, and forced her to withdraw from the 2021 Nagoya Women's Marathon in Japan. (nikkansports.com, 05 Mar 2021)

In January 2020 she damaged a muscle in her right thigh during a training camp in the United States of America. She returned to competitive action in October that year. (sponichi.co.jp, 14 Apr 2020; nhk.or.jp, 07 Aug 2020; hochi.news, 21 Oct 2020)

She sustained an injury at the end of 2016, and returned to competitive action in May 2017. (sportiva.shueisha.co.jp, 25 Jun 2017)

She suffered a stress fracture in her left foot one month before the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. The stress fracture developed into a bone fracture during the Games and she was forced to withdraw from the 10,000m event. She also failed to qualify for the final of the 5000m after finishing 12th in the second heat. (sanspo.com, 03 Jul 2017; japanrunningnews.blogspot.co.uk, 17 Aug 2016; ctv.co.jp, 26 Jan 2020, 26 Jan 2020)

She suffered a stress fracture to the scaphoid bone [navicular bone] in her right foot in both 2007 and 2008. She underwent surgery and returned to competitive action in 2009. (sports.yahoo.co.jp, 31 Jul 2015; japanpost.jp, 02 Apr 2018; tv-tokyo.co.jp, 09 Jul 2016; sponichi.co.jp, 14 Apr 2020)

She took up athletics in grade two of primary school, and began marathon running in 2018. (nikkansports.com, 18 Jan 2016; ctv.co.jp, 26 Jan 2020)

She also played basketball at middle school, but chose to focus on athletics as she thought it would be more difficult to become a professional basketball player. She was also inspired by Japanese runner Yuriko Kobayashi. (sports.yahoo.co.jp, 31 Jul 2015; olympicchannel.com, 08 Mar 2020)

To win a medal in the marathon event at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. (sports.yahoo.co.jp, 31 Jul 2015; sportsbull.jp, 20 Apr 2020)

High school coach Teruhisa Natsume, coach Masahiko Takahashi. (tv-tokyo.co.jp, 09 Jul 2016; ctv.co.jp, 26 Jan 2020; sponichi.co.jp, 14 Apr 2020; sportsbull.jp, 20 Apr 2020)

She takes a black garlic that her grandmother grew with her when she competes overseas. (sportsbull.jp, 13 Apr 2020)

"Of thy sorrow be not too sad, of thy joy be not too glad." (japanpost.jp, 01 Apr 2020; olympicchannel.com, 08 Mar 2020)