Japanese record-holder Toshinari Takaoka and two-time Olympic medalist Eric Wainaina of Kenya were among the 11 runners invited to this month's Tokyo International Marathon, the Japan Association of Athletics Federations said Wednesday.
Takaoka, who set a men's national record of 2 hours, 6 minutes, 16 seconds at the 2002 Chicago Marathon, will bid for a place in this summer's world championships in the Feb. 13 race after failing to qualify for last year's Athens Olympics.
Japan-based Wainaina is a member of the Konica Minolta athletics team and won the silver at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, four years after taking the bronze at the Atlanta Olympics. He was seventh in Athens.