Naoko Takahashi, who used an unusual beverage to fuel her run into marathon history on Sunday - juice from giant killer hornets - said yesterday: "I think I can run another one to two minutes faster."
Takahashi became the first women to break the barrier of two hours and 20 minutes in the Berlin marathon, shattering the existing world best by nearly a minute with a time of 2:19.46.
"It tastes like any other sport drink," the petite Japanese Olympic champion said. "You can get it in shops everywhere in Japan. It's a popular drink," Takahashi said of the beverage made from the juice of the eight-centimetre long insects, known as Mandarina Japonica.
Japanese scientists have found the juice can give an astonishing boost to human performance. They said it reduced muscle fatigue and improved the body's efficiency by increasing the ability to metabolise fat and thus reduce the build up of lactic acid.
Because it is 100 per cent natural, it is claimed that it does not break rules on performance-enhancing drugs.
"I've been drinking it for the last five years," said Takahashi (29), who runs up to 80 kilometres a day in training. "It enables athletes to give everything."
Meanwhile, Indian discus thrower Seema Antil, who won the world junior championship title in Chile last year, has tested positive for the banned stimulant pseudo-ephedrine, the Amateur Athletic Federation of India (AAFI) has announced.
She will be stripped of her gold medal and has been issued with a warning, the AAFI secretary Lalit Bhanot said.
"Seema Antil has been warned for using pseudo-ephedrine. A and B samples have been tested and both samples confirm the presence of ephedrine, which is commonly used as a medicine to cure cold," the AAFI said.
"She appealed to the IAAF for leniency as she is a young athlete, but they said it cannot be accepted," Bhanot said.
Her positive test comes amidst allegations of widespread doping in Indian athletics. A court is currently hearing a petition that many competitors are on performance-enhancing drugs and that more than 200 positive tests were returned at a laboratory under the state-run Sports Authority of India.
In Belgium, controversial doctor Georges Mouton has had his detention extended for breaking doping laws and illegal practice, according to media sources in Brussels.
Mouton, known as 'Doctor Syringe' and medical adviser to several top cyclists and athletes, was arrested last Wednesday accused of supplying sportsmen with the blood-boosting drug EPO and also DHEA, which rejuvenates the body.
It was announced in Sydney yesterday that Australia and the United States have signed an agreement to conduct drug tests on each other's athletes.
The two countries will test visiting athletes for performance-enhancing drugs as well as share information and technology on doping.
