Japan's former Olympic marathon champion Naoko Takahashi left for the mountains of southwest China yesterday to begin her assault on next year's Beijing Games.

The 34-year-old has had mixed results since taking gold at the Sydney Games in 2000 and is anxious to begin preparations for Beijing early by seeking out a secret training camp in China.

Takahashi, whose shock failure to qualify for the 2004 Olympics in Athens plunged her future into serious doubt, will scour the mountains around Kunming for a high-altitude venue.

Takahashi is famous for her brutal training regime but she faces a battle even to make Japan's Olympic team. Her absence in Athens was soon forgotten when fellow Japanese Mizuki Noguchi destroyed world record holder Paula Radcliffe on her way to winning marathon gold.

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