Japan's Mizuki Noguchi out of Osaka marathon

OSAKA, Japan (AP) - Athens Olympics champion Mizuki Noguchi has withdrawn from the Osaka International women's marathon on Sunday because of a left hamstring injury.

The Japanese says she will instead run in the Nagoya women's marathon in March in her bid to qualify for the London Olympics.

The 33-year-old Noguchi had been hoping to run in her first marathon in more than four years in Osaka, but complained of pain in her leg last week.

Noguchi was unable to defend her title at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, also because of a leg injury.