Yuko Arimori

Yuko Arimori (有森 裕子, Arimori Yūko; born December 17, 1966, in Okayama) is a Japanese professional marathon runner and a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). In June 2025 she was elected president of the Japan Association of Athletics Federations.^[1]

Yuko Arimori

Yuko Arimori in November 2008
Personal information
Full name	Arimori Yūko
Nationality	Japanese
Born	(1966-12-17) December 17, 1966 (age 58) Okayama, Japan
Height	1.65 m (5 ft 5 in)
Website	animo.aspota.jp
Sport
Country	Japan
Sport	Running
Event	Marathon
Former partner	Gabriel Wilson
Medal record Women's track and field 1992 Barcelona Marathon 1996 Atlanta Marathon

Career

Arimori competed for Japan in the 1992 Summer Olympics held in Barcelona, Spain in the marathon where she won the silver medal with a time of 2:32:49, eight seconds behind Russian Valentina Yegorova who ran the race in 2:32:41. This hard-fought race was the closest finishing time in Olympic history for men or women at that time. At the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, Arimori returned to the Olympic marathon, where she won the bronze medal and finished behind Valentina Yegorova for a second time. Yegorova ran the race in 2:28:05. Arimori's time was 2:28:39. Although both runners ran four minutes faster than their previous Olympic race, they were beaten back by Ethiopian runner Fatuma Roba, who completed the race and won the gold medal with a time of 2:26:05.

Arimori was the first woman granted professional status by the Japanese Amateur Athletic Federation (JAAF), the nation's governing track and field association. She was granted this status in 1996, following her second and final appearance at the Olympic Games in Atlanta.

Achievements

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Event	Notes
1990	Osaka International Ladies Marathon	Osaka, Japan	6th	Marathon	2:32:51
1991	Osaka International Ladies Marathon	Osaka, Japan	2nd	Marathon	2:28:01
1991	1991 World Championships in Athletics	Tokyo, Japan	4th	Marathon	2:31:08
1992	1992 Summer Olympics	Barcelona, Spain	2nd	Marathon	2:32:49
1995	Hokkaido Marathon	Sapporo, Japan	1st	Marathon	2:29:17
1996	1996 Summer Olympics	Atlanta, United States	3rd	Marathon	2:28:39
1999	Boston Marathon	Boston, United States	3rd	Marathon	2:26:39
2000	Osaka International Ladies Marathon	Osaka, Japan	9th	Marathon	2:31:22
2000	New York City Marathon	New York City, United States	10th	Marathon	2:31:12
2001	Gold Coast Marathon	Gold Coast, Australia	1st	Marathon	2:35:40
2001	Tokyo International Women's Marathon	Tokyo, Japan	10th	Marathon	2:31:00
2007	Tokyo Marathon	Tokyo, Japan	5th	Marathon	2:52:45

Awards

Bronze statue of Yuko Arimori in Okayama

Arimori was voted Japanese Athlete of the Year in 1992 and 1996.^[2]

Personal life

Arimori was born on December 17, 1966, in Okayama, Okayama Prefecture, Japan.

Prior to the 1992 Olympics, Arimori participated in altitude training in Colorado.^[3] She married Gabriel Wilson in January 1998 in Boulder, Colorado, United States. They separated one month after their marriage, and Wilson revealed his extensive debts and previous homosexual tendencies, admitting "I was gay", at a press conference.^[4] They officially divorced in July 2011.^[5]

See also

• Angkor Wat Marathon, a marathon introduced in 1996 by Yuko Arimori in Cambodia