Sydney Olympic gold medalist Naoko Takahashi said Thursday she is working toward a full comeback to a major marathon race in time for the 2007 world championships in Osaka and the Beijing Olympics one year later.
"In two or three years, there'll be some big meets and qualifiers for them and I'm training now with those in mind," Takahashi said, adding she had considered ending her career last year. Takahashi, who turns 33 on Friday and will be 36 at the 2008 Beijing Games, has recovered from a right-ankle injury and is preparing to leave for training in Boulder, Colo., in June.
"I'd like to show people that I'm back to fitness this year," said Takahashi, hinting that she could select one from among such international races as Berlin, Chicago and Tokyo by mid-August.