TOKYO - Japan's former Olympic marathon gold medallist Naoko Takahashi has decided to become a vegetable farmer.

The 37-year-old, who won gold at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, will start her own farm on Japan's northern island of Hokkaido, Japanese media reported on Tuesday.

"It's a new challenge for me," Takahashi said, dressed in an orange farming suit and rubber boots and posing for pictures holding an onion and a giant radish.

"We are currently discussing what we want to grow. We are studying hard - we want our produce to be really delicious." Takahashi shot to fame with her gold medal run at the 2000 Olympics, and also her choice of supplement drink, derived from the stomach acid of killer hornets.