Kyodo News Sydney Olympic gold medalist Naoko Takahashi appears set to join the ranks of other prominent figures who have attained fame and fortune after becoming champions in major sporting events.

The 28-year-old marathon champion in the 2000 Olympics and her employer, Sekisui Chemical Co., have reached a broad agreement that will give her a free hand to appear in commercials.

She will not, however, become a professional in the true sense of the word, according to sports sources. She will continue to work at Sekisui while earning money from the commercials.

Takahashi's victory last year made her a national heroine, but it did not immediately translate into many millions of yen.

Advertising agents said a single commercial will fetch Takahashi 50 million yen and forecasted that her TV appearances would add up to hundreds of millions of yen. They said her commercial value soared with the Olympic win.

Takahashi's coach, Yoshio Koide, 61, said, "Children's dreams will expand if they learn that even athletics can generate money."

Takahashi still has to clear the deal with the Japan Amateur Athletic Federation and the Japanese Olympic Committee before appearing on TV.

Yuko Arimori, who took a silver medal in the women's marathon in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics and a bronze in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, is the only athlete currently accorded professional status by the JAAF. Arimori, who also ran under Koide's tutelage, turned pro in 1996.

The JOC has managed the rights of Japanese Olympic athletes to appear in advertisements since 1979.

In the process, it has allowed some athletes to take part in commercials or had them photographed for posters, generating about 7.9 billion yen. This money has been passed on to sports organizations and used for training athletes.

JOC Chairman Yushiro Yagi said the committee does not find any problem with Takahashi doing commercials and asked that those representing her and the JAAF work out ways to avoid any discord with the JOC.

Takahashi's earnings have chiefly come from her salary at Sekisui. The gold medal brought her a bonus of 3 million yen from the JOC. She also received several millions of yen from the JOC when she participated in its commercial campaigns.

Sports sources said Takahashi was showered with offers for commercial appearances after her victory at the Olympics and that those on her side were prepared to guide her to a professional career similar to Arimori's.

Koide reportedly negotiated with Sekisui's management but had difficulty gaining its consent. Sekisui worried about the propriety of Takahashi receiving hundreds of millions of yen on the side while staying on the company payroll, the sources said.

They also said that some company officials were reluctant to see her make sales pitches for other companies.

The sources said Koide was close to leaving Sekisui and organizing his own sports club centering on Takahashi.

As a result of the negotiations, in which the JAAF also took part, Sekisui changed its stance and agreed to allow Takahashi to appear in commercials. Sources close to the talks said Sekisui was afraid of tarnishing its image if Takahashi left dissatisfied.

JAAF officials said the outcome of the negotiations was ideal because it allowed the company to retain her while also permitting her to do commercials.

Amateur sports regulations restricted Arimori from getting such treatment, but time has also brought a sense of resignation and crisis to the JOC as there are athletes who are beginning to say they want to exercise their own right to refuse or agree to appear in ads.

"I am soft on myself in many aspects compared with Arimori-san," Takahashi said, apparently realizing she will have to maintain self-awareness as a pro and be conscious of the expectations many people place on her to do well in the future.

Sports writer Akemi Masuda, herself a former marathon runner, said she agreed with Koide's remarks that athletes who go all out in competition ought to be rewarded.

Takahashi set a Japanese best time in the women's 30-km road race at the annual Ome Marathon in western Tokyo on Feb. 18, clocking a time of 1:41:57. It was her second official race since she won gold in Sydney.

In her first post-Games race Feb. 8, she placed eighth in the Marugame half-marathon in Kagawa Prefecture.