write a Diary entry about how
do you feel when you saw that your sister bas won the gold medal in athletics
Answers
Explanation:
1984 Los Angeles, 1988 Seoul, 1992 Barcelona, 1996 Atlanta, 2000 Sydney
When you retire in work, particularly if you have represented a company for a long time, there is usually a day of celebration and enjoyment. But this is never the case in sport. Only in the weeks and months after winning Olympic gold do you begin to appreciate all that you have done: how all the planning and tactics have yielded the ultimate prize. That realisation, though, can be very difficult to deal with.
If, during an Olympics campaign, you start to think for a second about what you are going to do afterwards, that can detract from what you are doing in the present. You have to channel all your energies into your immediate performance in an Olympic sport, and trust that the rest of life will take care of itself
Answer:
An interview with Japan's four-time Olympic women's wrestling champion Icho Kaori.
‘I would be the only person alive to ever have the challenge of becoming an Olympic champion in women’s wrestling five times in a row. I want to remember the joy of winning an Olympic medal!’ These are the words of Japanese freestyle wrestler Icho Kaori as she sets her sight on the Tokyo 2020 Games.
Since making her Olympic debut at the Athens 2004 Games and claiming gold in the 63kg weight class, she has gone on to become the only woman ever to win four consecutive Olympic gold medals (at the Rio 2016 Games, she competed in the 58kg weight class). She has now become a giant of the sport, at one time recording 189 successive wins. After the Rio Games, she took a two-year break from the sport, but returned to competition last year, and is now training hard in pursuit of her quest to win her fifth consecutive Olympic gold medal. Icho, who will be 36 by the time the Tokyo 2020 Games come around, is bringing all her experience to the competition. “Whatever happens at the Games, I just want to give my all right through to the very end.”
I even found myself enjoying the pain and the most gruelling training
You have already won four gold medals at consecutive Olympic Games. Could you please tell us about three moments that you remember most from the Olympics, and why they are so memorable?
I have so many memories from each of the Games I’ve competed in, and to choose just three is very difficult. I remember at the Athens 2004 and the Beijing 2008 Games, both my older sister, Chiharu, and I were competing for gold medals. After Chiharu retired, I’ve become very interested in men’s wrestling and came up with a new style of wrestling in time for the London 2012 Games and continued that style at the Rio 2016 Games. I became more and more absorbed in men’s wrestling – I wanted to learn about the various depths, difficulties and enjoyment of wrestling, and was determined to follow that path to make myself even stronger.
How was it different for you after having competed at the Athens and Beijing Games with your sister, and competing on your own at the London and Rio Games after Chiharu had retired?
When we were both aiming to win gold medals together, we supported each other both on the mat and in our everyday lives, and those days had a deep impact on me. We both vowed that we would win gold medals, and trained together towards our shared goal. Chiharu ended up winning silver medals at both the Athens and Beijing Games, so she never realised her dream, but she gave it her very best. Overall, I think she’s quite satisfied with her career. When it was all over, we both smiled and told each other that we have given everything we’ve got. That’s my lasting memory.
What impact has your Olympic success had on your daily life?
The time I spent with my sister and friends when aiming for an Olympic gold medal is irreplaceable. Sometimes the training was so hard, I felt that I just couldn’t make it on my own. At those times, I thought about my family and friends, and the training gradually became more enjoyable. At times, I was under a lot of pressure, but I find it interesting how that pressure actually served to make me stronger. The better my results were, the more fun I was having, and then time just seemed to fly by. At that time, I really felt that I was doing exactly what I wanted in life.
Enjoying pain and the most gruelling training doesn’t apply only to wrestlers, I’m sure it’s the same for all athletes. Right now, my training doesn’t consist solely of tough workouts, but basically, I like to drive myself harder as I know it will benefit me in the long run. It also helps to give me confidence for matches. When I take to the mat for a bout, I remind myself of all the tough training I’ve been through recently and that gives me confidence. Putting in the hard yards in training really is essential.
After having competed in so many previous Games, the pressure gets more intense
Do you have any stories or anecdotes about other famous athletes that you’ve met at the Athletes’ Village or at Games venues?
Usually I don’t interact very much with the other athletes, but when we first go into the Athletes’ Village, we get to meet athletes in other sports, and when I return home I think about the many times that I’ve become friendly with other athletes during medal ceremonies or other events.