is a retired

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

ese

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 exercise, aerobic in nature and requires endurance, stamina as well as mental strength. Within e ...

and Olympic

gold medal A gold medal is a medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture. Since the eighteenth century, gold medals have bee ...

-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 The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad and also known as Sydney 2000 (Dharug: ''Gadigal 2000''), the Millennium Olympic Games or the Games of the New Millennium, was an international multi-sport event held from 1 ...

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 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 to the northwest, F ...

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 laureate Hideki Shirakawa. 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. 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 The , named until the 2010 race, is an annual marathon race for female runners over the classic distance of 42 km and 195 metres, held in Nagoya, Japan in early March every year. It holds World Athletics Platinum road race status. It ...

. 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 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 Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

, with an Olympic record time of 2:23:14. It remained the fastest women's Olympic marathon until

2012 in London 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...

. Following her gold medal victory, Takahashi received the 2000

AIMS Best Marathon Runner Award The AIMS Best Marathon Runner Award is a running prize which is given annually by the Association of International Marathons and Distance Races (AIMS) to the top male and female marathon runners of the year. Prior to 2013, the award was known as ...

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-Prime ...

. 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 is a long-distance runner from Japan, who is competing in the 5000 and 10,000 metres as well as the marathon race. She holds the Japanese record over 10,000 m with her best time of 30:48.89 minutes. Shibui is one of only a handful of wome ...

(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 (JOC) executive, and served as an executive member of the Japan Association of Athletics Federations (JAAF). Takahashi is related to former Morning Musume leader Hitomi Yoshizawa.

Achievements

2000 Olympic Games The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad and also known as Sydney 2000 (Dharug: ''Gadigal 2000''), the Millennium Olympic Games or the Games of the New Millennium, was an international multi-sport event held from 1 ...

- gold medal * 2001 Berlin Marathon - 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)