is a retired
Japanese
long-distance runner
Long-distance running, or endurance running, is a form of continuous running over distances of at least . Physiologically, it is largely aerobic in nature and requires stamina as well as mental strength.
Within endurance running comes two d ...
and
Olympic gold medal-winning
marathoner
The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of , usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There are also wheelchair div ...
. She won the gold medal in the marathon at the
2000 Sydney Olympics and became the first woman to complete a marathon in under 2:20:00 in 2001.
Biography
Takahashi was born in
Gifu
is a city located in the south-central portion of Gifu Prefecture, Japan, and serves as the prefectural capital. The city has played an important role in Japan's history because of its location in the middle of the country. During the Sengoku ...
,
Gifu Prefecture
is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Gifu Prefecture has a population of 1,991,390 () and has a geographic area of . Gifu Prefecture borders Toyama Prefecture to the north; Ishikawa Prefecture ...
on May 6, 1972, the eldest daughter of educator Yoshiaki Takahashi and his wife Shigeko.
Her father was a kindergarten principal. She is a second cousin-niece of chemist and
Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes ( ; sv, Nobelpriset ; no, Nobelprisen ) are five separate prizes that, according to Alfred Nobel's will of 1895, are awarded to "those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind." Alfre ...
laureate
Hideki Shirakawa
is a Japanese chemist, engineer, and Professor Emeritus at the University of Tsukuba and Zhejiang University. He is best known for his discovery of conductive polymers. He was co-recipient of the 2000 Nobel Prize in Chemistry jointly with ...
.
She started running track in junior high school, and placed second in the 1500 meter and third in the 3000 meter races at the Japanese national collegiate championships while attending
Osaka Gakuin University. Following graduation, she sought out the prominent distance running coach and began training under him.
She supplemented her training regimen in Japan with altitude training in
Colorado
Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the wes ...
.
In March 1998,
running in her second marathon, Takahashi set a Japanese women's record of 2:25:48 at the
Nagoya Women's Marathon.
[ Two months later, she won the 5000 meter race in the Osaka Japan Grand Prix.] Later in December of that same year, Takahashi set a new Japanese women's marathon record when she won the Asian Games marathon in Bangkok
Bangkok, officially known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estimated populatio ...
with a time of 2:21:47 under very warm conditions.[
In March 2000, Takahashi earned a spot on Japan's Olympic women's marathon team after winning the Nagoya Women's Marathon in a time of 2:22:19.][ She went on to win the women's marathon at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, with an Olympic record time of 2:23:14. It remained the fastest women's Olympic marathon until 2012 in London. Following her gold medal victory, Takahashi received the 2000 AIMS Best Marathon Runner Award as well as Japan's ]People's Honour Award
is one of the commendations bestowed by the Prime Minister of Japan on people in recognition of their accomplishments in sport, entertainment, and other fields. The award, not restricted to Japanese nationals, was created in 1977 by the then-Prim ...
.
At the 2001 Berlin Marathon
The 2001 Berlin Marathon was the 28th running of the annual marathon race held in Berlin, Germany, held on 30 September 2001. Kenya's Joseph Ngolepus (entering as a pacemaker) won the men's race in 2:08:47 hours, while the women's race was won ...
, Takahashi became the first woman to break the 2 hour 20 minute barrier, finishing in a world record time of 2:19:46. In the women's marathon event (and not counting multiple records set by the same athlete), she still holds the 7th best time and the 3rd best Japanese marathon performance behind Yoko Shibui (2:19:41) and Mizuki Noguchi
is a Japanese professional long-distance runner who specialises in the marathon event. She is an Olympic champion over the distance.
Initially starting out as a track and cross country athlete, her first major success was becoming the Asian c ...
(2:19:12). The following year, Takahashi won the 2002 Berlin Marathon
The 2002 Berlin Marathon was the 29th running of the annual marathon race held in Berlin, Germany, held on 29 September 2002. Kenya's Raymond Kipkoech won the men's race in 2:06:47 hours, while the women's race was won by Japan's Naoko Takahas ...
with a time of 2:21:49.
During her running career, Takahashi suffered from a series of injuries. She announced her retirement in October 2008.
The Gifu Seiryu Half Marathon was launched in 2011 with the honorary title being the Naoko Takahashi Cup. Takahashi serves as the chairwoman for the race.Race Outline
. Gifu Marathon. Retrieved on 2013-05-20.
Since her retirement from competitive running, Takahashi has also worked as a sportscaster, marathon commentator, served as a Japanese Olympic Committee
The is the National Olympic Committee in Japan for the Olympic Games movement, based in Tokyo, Japan. It is a non-profit organisation that selects teams and raises funds to send Japanese competitors to Olympic events organised by the Internati ...
(JOC) executive, and served as an executive member of the Japan Association of Athletics Federations (JAAF).[
Takahashi is related to former ]Morning Musume
, formerly simply and colloquially referred to as , are a Japanese girl group, holding the second highest overall single sales (of a female group) on the Oricon charts as of February 2012, with the Oricon record of most top ten singles with an ...
leader Hitomi Yoshizawa.
Achievements
* 2000 Olympic Games - gold medal
* 2001 Berlin Marathon
The Berlin Marathon (german: Berlin-Marathon, ) is a marathon event held annually on the streets of Berlin, Germany on the last weekend of September. Held annually since 1974, the event includes multiple races over the marathon distance of , inclu ...
- world record
References
External links
*
* Takahashi taking life in stride 01-09-2003 http://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/2003/01/09/more-sports/takahashi-taking-life-in-stride/
* Takahashi setting sights on another Olympic gold in 2004 01-10-2003 http://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/2003/01/10/more-sports/takahashi-setting-sights-on-another-olympic-gold-in-2004/
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Takahashi, Naoko
1972 births
Living people
People from Gifu
Japanese female long-distance runners
Japanese female marathon runners
Olympic female marathon runners
Olympic athletes of Japan
Olympic gold medalists for Japan
Olympic gold medalists in athletics (track and field)
Athletes (track and field) at the 2000 Summer Olympics
Medalists at the 2000 Summer Olympics
Asian Games gold medalists for Japan
Asian Games medalists in athletics (track and field)
Asian Games gold medalists in athletics (track and field)
Athletes (track and field) at the 1998 Asian Games
Medalists at the 1998 Asian Games
World Athletics Championships athletes for Japan
Japan Championships in Athletics winners
People's Honour Award winners
Recipients of the Association of International Marathons and Distance Races Best Marathon Runner Award
Sportspeople from Gifu Prefecture
Berlin Marathon female winners
World record setters in athletics (track and field)