Yesterday's Olympian of the day

Naoko Takahashi

Two years ago, at the Bangkok Asian Games, a 26-year-old Japanese won the women's marathon. Running all but alone, ahead of a small field in hot and steamy conditions, she clocked two hours, 21 minutes and 47 seconds, a minute outside Kenya's Tegla Loroupe's world best time, which was set earlier in the year. She was Naoko Takahashi.

She immediately became a name to reckon with on the world stage, though some doubted her effort, saying the Bangkok course was point-to-point.

Sunday, September 24, 2000, the Olympic stage: Takahashi dispelled all doubts with a run that not only beat Loroupe, but also the Olympic record of Joan Benoit (2:24.52) set at the Los Angeles Games, and a course described as the toughest in Olympic history.

By any yardstick it was a remarkable win for the 28-year-old Asian champion, who spent most of last year nursing injuries that forced her to miss the Seville world championships.

Her last marathon loss was at Osaka in 1997.

On Sunday, for the best part of the 43 km, she did it all on her own, leading from halfway and beating back all competition. For the last 200m, the crowd did it for her as they came together in one huge roar to power the petite, smiling Japanese down the home stretch and to the gold with a time of 2:23.14, just short of the world record of 2.20.43.

"My goal has been achieved. I'm a little saddened... so, from tomorrow, I will have to reset my goals," she declared after the medal ceremony.

Sure, that goal now is a world record. And there can be no doubt that with the Olympic crown now on her head she will set her sights on becoming the first woman to break the two-hour 20-minute barrier.