Press Release

ASICS' Athlete Deena Kastor Earns Olympic Berth After Winning U.S. Trials

Boston, MA (April 22, 2008) - ASICS is pleased to announce that Deena Kastor won the women's U.S. Olympic marathon trials on Sunday, April 20 in Boston, Mass. earning a spot at the Beijing Games. Kastor, a bronze medalist at the 2004 Athens games, erased a gap of almost two minutes to pass leader Magdalena Lewy Boulet in the last three miles, crossing the finish line in 2:29.35. This will be Kastor's third Olympic Team (Sydney: 10,000meter; Athens: Marathon; Beijing: Marathon) and ASICS' third athlete to make the games. (Ryan Hall won the Men's marathon trials in November. Julie Swail won the Triathlon Olympic Trials this past Saturday. )

On a perfect morning for a marathon, with clear skies and temperatures in the high 50s, Kastor set out on a loop course that crossed back and forth over the Charles River before leading her back onto Boylston Street for the traditional Boston Marathon finish. The roads and bridges were lined with thousands of fans, many of them runners planning to run Monday's 112th Boston marathon.

Kastor was an overwhelming favorite with a personal best that was 12 minutes faster than the next-closest competitor. At the start of the race, Kastor sat back in a pack that watched Lewy Boulet move far in front. By 14 miles, Boulet had a 1:56 lead over Kastor. Kastor made her move with about 10 miles to go. Lewy Boulet's lead was 77 seconds as they passed the finish line to begin their final, six-mile loop, but it was down to 30 seconds at 22 miles and Kastor passed her at the 23.5 mile mark.

"I accomplished my two major goals coming into this race," said Kastor. "First was to make the team, to solidify a spot at the Olympic Games and the second was to win."

Wearing the favorite's bib No. 1, Kastor wore a blue ASICS singlet, white hat and her ASICS' custom made GEL-Hyper Speed 2 shoes. Before making the final turn, Kastor, grabbed an American flag and waved it as she ran toward Copley Square.

Kastor, sponsored by ASICS since 2001, is a world-renowned long distance runner who holds the American women's record in the marathon, half-marathon and 10,000 meters.

In addition, Zoila Gomez (Alamosa, CO) just missed qualifying for her first Olympic Team, running her personal best 2:33:53, she finished 4th and is an alternate to the U.S. Team.

ASICS Corporation, with more than 50 years of footwear manufacturing experience, offers a full line of performance-driven athletic shoes and technical active sports apparel and accessories. For more information, please visit www.asics.com.