Japanese judoka Ryoko Tani has set her sights on claiming a third straight Olympic gold medal at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. Tani, who claimed her second gold in the women's 48-kg class final at last month's Athens Games, said Friday that one of her aims is to win an Olympic gold medal as a mother but added that she may not defend her world title next year should she give birth.
"I think I can set my sights on a gold. I'll only be a little bit past 30 years old in Beijing. I know a lot of people would support me and it would be good to be responded with a gold," Tani told a news conference held at the headquarters of her company Toyota Motor Corp.
Tani, 28, who is married to Orix BlueWave outfielder Yoshitomo Tani, did not put a time frame on when she would like to have a child but said that the time she would need to take off to rear a baby would make it difficult to win a seventh straight world title at the 2005 world championships in Cairo. Having a baby and winning a gold medal as a mother "is one of my goals," said Tani.
"But having a baby means having to take time off I would need and that would make it difficult to win again at the world championships. I'm a bit torn as to what I should do."