Naoko Takahashi

Be sure to buy The Japan Times on Thursday and Friday this week to read our exclusive interview with Sydney Olympic women's marathon champion Naoko Takahashi.

Jack Gallagher sat down with the top female athlete in Japan recently for an interview on a wide range of subjects.

Takahashi reveals her training regimen and philosophy, talks about defending her title at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, gives her opinion on rival Paula Radcliffe and discusses how to improve conditions for runners in Japan.