Sydney Olympic champion Naoko Takahashi said Thursday she is ready to make a fresh start when she hits the road in Tokyo on Nov. 20 for her first full marathon in two years.
"I've given my all to do what I thought I should do for the upcoming race, though it may not be perfect," Takahashi said after returning to Japan from her training base in Colorado.
Takahashi, who became the first Japanese woman to win an Olympic marathon gold medal at the 2000 Games, chose the Tokyo International Women's Marathon for her comeback race after her shock defeat in the same race two years ago killed her hopes of defending her Olympic title in Athens.