Office for Sports Promotion

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government provides support to improve the competitiveness of Tokyo athletes so that they can play an active role on the international stage including the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Established a certification system.

On this page, we will interview certified athletes on the theme of ``Let's grow ourselves through sports and think about a better relationship between sports and society.''

6th Hiroko Makino (Nakano Ward/Shinjuku Ward) Swimming (competitive swimming)

Hiroko Makino Born August 1999, 8.She is a student at the Secondary Education School attached to the Faculty of Education, University of Tokyo.Her team is Tokyo Dome.Her events include individual medley and butterfly.She placed 20th at the World Junior Championships (6), 2013nd at the Junior Pan Pacific Championships (2), and won the Japan High School Championships (2014, 2015).
Set a Tokyo short course record of 2017:400 in the 4m freestyle at the Tokyo New Year Swimming Championships (04.65).

Rivals but friends.
While working hard with people of the same generation,
I want to prepare well so that I can perform on the big stage.

Start keeping a ``practice notebook'' so you don't have the same regrets twice.

The Japan Championship was held in April 2016, where participation in the Rio de Janeiro Olympics was at stake.Hiroko Makino, a second-year high school student, competed in the 4m individual medley and the 2m individual medley, and although she reached the finals in both events, she still met the condition of being ``the top two at the Japan Championships who broke the standard record.'' I couldn't.
　Four years ago, when I was in the first year of junior high school, I competed in the 4m individual medley at the Japan Championships, which also served as a selection for the London Olympics, and came in 1th in the preliminary round.He just missed the semi-finals and had to go up to the audience seats to watch the final race, but at that time, he was still thinking, ``This is a very tense final,'' and he didn't really understand the race. He said he had finished it.

Then came the second Olympic Trials.The events that Makino competes in include working adults and college athletes with high reputations, and ``somewhere in my head, I thought it would be difficult'' to beat them out and make the national team. So, even though I was swimming well up until the preliminaries and semi-finals, I wasn't able to focus on the finals.Looking back, I think I was defeated emotionally before I even swam.''
　The regret came later.Four high school students from the same generation, who had always traveled together to international games, earned the right to participate in the Rio de Janeiro Olympics.
　``I cried a lot. I cried when I remembered it, and cried when I felt frustrated. Even when I didn't win a medal at the World Junior Championships, all the athletes I always went to with me were doing well, but I didn't get the result. At that time, I was so frustrated that I cried a lot, but not since then."

In order not to forget his frustrations and avoid repeating the same thing again, he started keeping a ``practice notebook'' some time after the tournament. ``Up until then, I had never written in a diary, but by writing down my reflections on the day's practice in a notebook, I was able to gain confidence and look back.I started this myself to avoid making the same mistakes. Ta".
　At the summer inter-high school championship held after the Rio de Janeiro Olympics, Makino won both the 200m individual medley and 400m individual medley, setting new tournament records.

Choosing a junior high school to pursue both swimming and studies

I started swimming at the age of 3, following my older brother to the pool he went to.When she was in the first grade of elementary school, she moved from Osaka to Tokyo and she joined a neighborhood swimming club. Since her sophomore year, she has competed in the individual medley event at the National JOC Junior Olympic Cup. When she was in the 1th grade she gained attention by setting new school records.
　He was in the third grade of elementary school when senior players from the same club participated in the Beijing Olympics.He was cheering for Kosuke Kitajima while watching the live performance on TV, and was excited and moved by Kosuke Kitajima's gold medal.Makino, who loved watching sports, said that around that time he started thinking, ``I wish I could compete in the Olympics someday.'' ``When I was in elementary school, I enjoyed swimming because the more I swam, the better my record was, so I swam without any pressure.''

For junior high school, she went to the University of Tokyo's Faculty of Education Secondary Education School, which is known for its unique six-year integrated education system, because she wanted to study hard as well as swim.Her favorite subject is mathematics.She says that balancing swimming practice and studies is not a problem at all.After school, she practices at the club until around 20 pm.After that, she goes home, eats dinner, and then sits at her desk for about two hours, which has become her daily habit.
　In the summer of his first year of junior high school, he won the two individual medley events at the All Japan Junior High School Championship.He also won the 1m individual medley at the Asian Championships, but in his second year, he hit his first hurdle.Even when I swim, I can't get the best time. "I was very depressed and wondered if it was over for me."In order to get out of his current situation, he decides to change his environment and transfers to the swimming club he currently belongs to.He trusted his coach and focused on practice, receiving good inspiration from the growth of players in his grade, and little by little, his records began to improve. In his third year, he broke new junior high school records several times and won championships at the junior high school and national polity championships.At an international competition, he participated in a freestyle relay with his peers and set a new junior high school record.

I want to work hard with my peers who are both rivals and friends.

This past year, rival swimmers of the same generation, who are expected to perform well at the Tokyo Olympics, have been in the spotlight. ``It's more that I don't want to lose, but when everyone gets a good result, I feel like I should do my best!'' We're usually good friends, and when I hear everyone's cheers during competitions, I get motivated. I'm alone when I'm there, but I feel like I'm not alone because I have people who support me and friends who work hard with me.All the junior high and high school students on my team are really close, and the atmosphere during practice is very cheerful.Swimming is an individual activity. Although it is a competition, I think there is also an aspect where we can improve each other through teamwork.”
　He has read all volumes of the basketball manga ``Slam Dunk'' owned by his father. ``The players collide with each other, fight, and all sorts of things happen, but in the end the team comes together as one.It's amazing how they overturn everyone's expectations and win against a team that people say they can't beat. Naato.”

Now, practicing is just fun. ``Even though it can be tough at times, I still love swimming. When I'm swimming, I don't have to think about anything, and I can relieve stress by swimming engrossed.''
My goal this year is to compete in the world championships.In addition to the individual medley, she is also aiming for the 200m butterfly, which has been gaining momentum recently. ``I still have the problem of getting tired at the last minute, so I want to build up the stamina to fight until the second half.I want to work steadily until the Tokyo Olympics, prepare everything I can, and gain confidence.Then I want to win a medal. I want to.”

Individual medley x Balancing competition and study

The individual medley is an event in which one swimmer swims ``butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, and freestyle.'' There are two distances: 200m and 400m. It is said that practicing even the first stroke is difficult, but Makino practices all strokes every day.In addition to swimming, he also wants to study hard, so he chooses his own college and never forgets to prepare and review his lessons even when he's tired from practice.An all-rounder who likes to challenge various things.He tackles both the things he is good at and the things he is not good at with a greedy attitude.In his studies, he is good at science and mathematics, but weak at civics.He is good at butterfly swimming.

Tokyo x swimming race

There are many facilities in Tokyo where you can go swimming.If you select "swimming" and the sport in the "facility search" section of this website, a list of about 260 facilities across Tokyo will be displayed.You can also search by specific area to find facilities in the area you want to attend.

https://www.sports-tokyo.info/facility/

[Life skills learned through sports]

By being interested in and taking on challenges in a wide range of fields, he is honing his ability to apply what he has learned and noticed from each field to new uses.I am good at using my time because I am working on various things within a limited amount of time.I also like reading, which broadens my horizons.I am learning a lot every day and developing my strength as a person.