Sydney Olympic champion Naoko Takahashi, who finished eighth in last Sunday's Marugame women's half-marathon in her first post-Olympic race appearance, will enter a 30-km race Feb. 18 at the Ome Marathon, organizers said Friday.
The upcoming run in suburban Tokyo will be another test for Takahashi regarding her fitness to compete in a full marathon as she struggles with a knee injury and weight control problems after her gold-medal performance in Sydney last September.
"I would consider having her run in a marathon race this spring if she finishes around 1 hour, 50 minutes in Ome," Takahashi's coach Yoshio Koide said.