[Achievements of Keio Students and Keio University Alumni at the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games] Medalist Interview

2025/02/20

Image: Paris Olympics Bronze Medal Match (Photo: Kyodo News)

I have been wrestling since elementary school. At that time, Japanese women's wrestling was very strong, and my seniors were winning gold medals at the Olympics, so they became role models for me. Because of that, I had been saying I wanted to go to the Olympics since then, but it wasn't until I entered the JOC Elite Academy when I started high school and began living at the National Training Center that I felt I could truly aim for it.

There, by seeing actual Olympians and practicing with those seniors, I learned how seriously I had to train. After becoming a high school student, I steadily improved my level and was able to succeed globally, which made me start thinking that the Olympics weren't so far away and that I might have a chance.

For the Paris Olympics, I was originally aiming for the 62kg class, but I lost in the domestic qualifiers. That was rock bottom for me, the most painful time.

However, a spot opened up because the athlete in the 68kg class lost in the bronze medal match at the World Championships and failed to meet the criteria for automatic selection. What had been a hopeless situation turned into a chance for me, and I was able to become positive again. From there, I tackled the selection matches once more; it was tough, but it was fun. The period of despair was definitely the hardest.

I was at the venue of the World Championships watching the match she lost. When she lost, I felt that you really never know what will happen in life, and that this was something I had to seize. I had always intended to compete in any weight class, so I had no hesitation at all about moving up a class.

There were about two months until the selection match in Japan, so I gained about 4kg during that time. So when I secured my spot, I wasn't quite 68kg, but I was moving well in that state, so it felt fine.

The playoff for the 68kg class representative spot was also an intense match, and I was overtaken with 10 seconds left. I don't remember that moment very well. I was panicking, but I think a part of me felt there was still time to do one more thing, decided what I needed to do, and stayed positive. Then, I turned it around again and grabbed my ticket to Paris.

Since I changed weight classes right before the event, I had almost never competed against the world's 68kg athletes. There was the Asian Championships before the Olympics, and the Mongolian athlete I faced there—whom I would later face at the Olympics—was the only opponent I had ever fought. Of the 16 participants, the rest were athletes I had never even touched.

That had the advantage of them not knowing me either, but it was an unknown world in terms of what kind of athletes they were and how much power they had. I wanted to know the power difference when moving up a class, including the European athletes, but that couldn't be helped.

Instead of actual matches, I researched these unknown athletes by watching videos of various players and repeatedly doing mental training on how to fight each one.

In reality, I lost in the quarterfinals at the Olympics, so my analysis might have been insufficient in some areas, but I believe that competition isn't just about the difference in skill. I don't want to think that everything I've done was meaningless, so in my mind, I gave it my all.

I was truly aiming for the gold medal, so losing in the quarterfinals was frustrating. However, looking back, moving up a weight class and winning a bronze medal in 10 months could be considered a job well done. While gold would have been a perfect score, I'm glad I could get the bronze.

After losing in the quarterfinals, I went through the repechage to the bronze medal match. I didn't know until that evening if the athlete I lost to would make it to the finals, so I was quite depressed until then. But once I knew I could go to the bronze medal match, I was able to switch my mindset quite quickly. I felt that even if it wasn't the finals, getting a medal is wonderful, so I should make the most of that chance.

Standing on the podium while the American national anthem played was a complex mix of emotions—frustration on one hand, but also the joy of being one of the four people able to stand there.

The number of spectators at the Olympics is completely different from other international tournaments, and it felt different from both the World Championships and domestic competitions. The amount of media is also different. Also, because I was there, there were things I didn't fully realize, but I learned through social media from people in Japan that it was being covered extensively by the Japanese media. We athletes try to compete with a calm mind as if it's not the Olympics, but even so, the atmosphere was so different that it constantly reminded you it was the Olympics.

The Olympic Village was on a different scale compared to the villages I experienced at the Youth Olympics or Asian Games. You are constantly reminded that this is the Olympics. There are Olympic rings everywhere, and famous athletes from various countries are walking around.

Since returning from the Olympics, there was a celebration for the 90th anniversary of the Wrestling Club, and everyone seemed very happy. I heard that for the Wrestling Club, it was the first medal since Yushu Kitano (1952 Helsinki Olympics Silver Medalist) and the first ever for a woman. Seventy-two years doesn't quite sink in, but it is an honor, and as the first female student to do so, I feel very honored. I'm very happy.

Since I enrolled, I had been saying I would become Keio's first Olympic gold medalist in wrestling. Although the medal color is bronze, as a Keio students, I am honestly happy that I could compete in the Olympics and win a medal. I want to continue to be active after graduation, just like the Olympians who were active this time.

At SFC, I am currently studying Islam. I hadn't thought about it at all when I enrolled, but I chose SFC because I wanted to find things I was interested in over the four years.

Rather than spending my student life at a university specialized in wrestling, I wanted to gain a slightly different perspective. After enrolling, I started competing against Muslim wrestlers in international matches, which made me wonder what Islam was and led me to study it. I don't think I would have had this chance if I hadn't entered SFC.

The great thing about SFC is that when you become interested in something, you can take courses in it. Studying Islam allows me to have various perspectives while competing against different countries and athletes. I've started to think about what kind of thoughts each person has while they fight.

Looking around the venue, I see that even a single routine can be based on a different way of thinking due to religious differences. I feel like I'm seeing various worlds through wrestling, not just Japan.

I believe that being active in the Keio University Athletic Association means practicing the balance of academic and athletic excellence, so I feel I must work hard not only in my sport but also in my studies. Because I am a Keio students, I feel I must take pride in my lifestyle and discipline, and I do think of myself as being different from other wrestlers.

However, balancing it with academics isn't that easy, and there were times during the Olympics when I could hardly come to school, so right now I am working hard on both wrestling and my studies.

The Wrestling Club is also getting stronger, which I look forward to. The number of participants in the All-Japan Championships is increasing, and I feel Keio is gaining momentum. I would be happy if my success could serve as an encouragement. I want to work hard and improve together with everyone while I am at Keio.

At the end of last year, I competed in and won the All-Japan Championships (Emperor's Cup) while no other Paris Olympic medalists participated. I moved back to the 62kg class, so managing my condition was difficult, but my movement wasn't bad during the matches.

I entered because I had to win the All-Japan to get a ticket to international tournaments. Having become a medalist, it wasn't an easy decision to compete, and I thought about it until the last minute, but I decided to go for it. Because I won an Olympic medal, people are watching, and I was prepared for the fact that I couldn't afford to lose. Feeling that pressure, I fought seriously and was able to win, so I'm glad.

While the 62kg class emphasizes speed, the 68kg class is a heavy weight, so I worked a lot on countering power-based wrestling. That has become an added weapon for me, and I think that experience is paying off. I will continue to work hard with the goal of winning a gold medal at the LA Olympics in three years.

(Composed from an interview. Interviewer = Keio University Vice-President [Athletic Association] Keita Yamauchi)