Her Olympic marathon success (silver in 1992, bronze in '96) has made her a superstar in a country that worships sprinters and marathoners.

Arimori became a national heroine when she won the silver medal in Barcelona in 2:32:49 over a course with a difficult final four miles. She then won the bronze in Atlanta in 2:28:39 after overcoming several injuries in the intervening three years.

She had introduced herself with a sixth in the 1990 Osaka Ladies Marathon (2:32:51) and returned to the race the following year to establish a national record (2:28:01) while finishing second. She was fourth in the World Championships in Tokyo (2:31:08) later that year.

She took a respite but now resides and trains in Boulder, Colo., with an eye toward the Olympic Games next year in Sydney, when she will be 33. Boston will be her first marathon in two years.