Yoko Shibui, who finished third at last October's Chicago Marathon, has injured herself while training in Kunming in southwestern China and returned to Japan a week earlier than expected for treatment, coach Hideo Suzuki said Friday.
It is unclear whether Shibui will run in Nagoya in March in her bid to earn a spot at the World Championships in Paris in August, as the nature and extent of her injury are unknown.
"At this stage, I cannot say anything about it," Suzuki said after Shibui returned from China on Thursday.
Shibui is aiming to secure a medal as a top Japanese finisher at the World Championships to book a place for the 2004 Olympics in Athens.
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