Rei Ohara finished runner-up behind Ethiopia's Fatuma Sado in Sunday's Osaka Women's Marathon.
Ohara covered the 42.195-kilometer course in the western Japan metropolis in 2 hours, 25 minutes, 46 seconds. It was Sado's first victory in the race that starts and finishes at Yanmar Stadium Nagai.
"I was not able to break away," Ohara said. "At the very end and other times, too, I felt I was weak in some areas."
The Osaka event is a qualifier for this year's Marathon Grand Championship. Ohara, however, had previously booked her spot in that race to decide Japan's team for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Japan's Madoka Nakano placed fourth and qualified for the MGC, which will take place in Tokyo in September. Kayoko Fukushi, who was running her first marathon since the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, retired after the 35-km mark.
