Interview with Tokyo Athlete Certified Athletes (18) Hitomi Hatada (Machida City, Ota Ward), Mana Oguchi (Nerima Ward) Women's Gymnastics (2017/10/18)
Hitomi Hatada player
【profile】
Hitomi Hatakeda Born September 2000, 9 Currently enrolled at Nippon Taisai University Ebara High School / Affiliated with Central Meguro
69th All Japan Gymnastics Championships (2015) 4th place on uneven bars
70th All Japan Gymnastics Championships (2016) 5th place on vault / 6th place on uneven bars
71st All Japan Gymnastics Championships (2017) Uneven bars 4st place / Balance beam 8th place / Vault XNUMXth place
NHK Cup Individual Overall 7th place (2017)
Canada International Individual All-Around Champion (2017)
Slovakia International Individual All-Around Champion (2017)
High school individual overall 3rd place (2017)
Mana Oguchi player
【profile】
Mana Oguchi Born January 2002, 1 Currently attending Teikyo High School/Belongs to Oizumi Swallow Gymnastics Club
71st All Japan Gymnastics Championships (2017) 3rd place on the gymnasium / 4th place on the balance beam / 7th place on the vault
Asian Junior Championship Individual Overall 3rd place (2017)
Slovakia International Individual Overall 2nd place, Event Vault/Yuka 2017st place (XNUMX)
[Part 1]
The certified Tokyo athletes we interviewed this time are gymnasts Hitomi Hatada and Mana Oguchi.Women's gymnastics has been attracting a lot of attention since Maa Murakami became the first Japanese athlete to win a gold medal in the women's floor exercise event at the recent World Gymnastics Championships.
Both are high school students who have grown rapidly and are on their way to becoming leaders of their generation.We will tell you about the kind of players they are in the first and second parts of the interview format.
～How I started competitive gymnastics～
When it comes to gymnasts who are active at the top level, there is a strong impression that they started competing at a young age due to the influence of their parents, such as male athletes Kohei Uchimura and Kenzo Shirai.How did Hatada and Oguchi first encounter gymnastics?
[Hatada]My parents are also gymnasts.I have been surrounded by gymnastics since I was a child, but I didn't start competing competitively until I was in the third grade of elementary school.
Although he was in an environment where he could start competing immediately, it is surprising that he did not start competing at such an early age.Were your parents not encouraging you to compete?
[Hatada]Doing gymnastics has been as natural to me since childhood as playing in the park.So I didn't think of doing it as a competition.However, in my third-grade ethics class, I studied the life of a manga author, and when I thought about what I could do in the future like that author, gymnastics came to mind.Immediately after that, I asked my girlfriend's mother if she wanted to start doing gymnastics.
The reason why the ethics class was the impetus for him was probably because Hatada was so sincere in everything he did, that something unexpected opened the door for him.
So, how did Oguchi start competing?
[Large mouth]At the age of four, my mother encouraged me to join a sports club and started doing gymnastics and swimming.
Many people, like Oguchi, start playing sports as lessons at a young age, but why did they choose to pursue gymnastics instead of swimming?
[Large mouth]The more I practiced, the more techniques I could do.That made me really happy, and I started to like gymnastics more and more.It was around the time I became an elementary school student that my desire to become better became stronger.At that time, I was invited to join the gymnastics course by a sports club, so I chose to continue doing gymnastics.
Although Hatada and Oguchi encountered gymnastics in different ways and at different times, both athletes decided to become gymnasts of their own volition when they were in elementary school and began their competitive careers.
～During my elementary and junior high school days, I continued to devote myself to gymnastics～
Players Hatada and Oguchi have been devoting themselves to competitions since they were in elementary school, when they were just having fun.Even back then, she was already practicing gymnastics six days a week.There are so many temptations to play after school and on holidays, but I wonder if it's hard not being able to play like the friends around you.
[Hatada]When I first started doing gymnastics, I learned techniques just for fun, so I didn't feel jealous of other gymnasts.I was happy to be able to learn new techniques and had a strong desire to get better, so practicing six days a week wasn't too difficult.I was especially happy when I was able to do backflips and somersaults for the first time.
[Large mouth]When I was in first grade, I was envious of everyone having fun and was sad that I couldn't play with them.However, I was not good at kicking up the horizontal bar (*1) so I couldn't do it, but I was really happy when I was able to do it.Around this time, my desire to become better at gymnastics became stronger than my desire to play.
It seems that both athletes' desire to become better and the joy they feel when they are able to perform new techniques were the driving forces behind their dedication to gymnastics even at a young age.
～My strengths in gymnastics～
Among many gymnasts, Hatada and Oguchi stand out as leaders of their generation.What are the strengths of both players?
[Hatada]When I was young, my father would teach me how to use the horizontal bar, and I would imitate gymnastics moves.After I started doing gymnastics, I realized that it was a game that incorporated the basic kata of gymnastics.Thanks to that, I didn't get off to a quick start, but I seem to have learned the basics naturally.
Hatata's acting, which is conscious of his fingertips, is something he has cultivated since childhood.
[Large mouth]When I started gymnastics, I couldn't even jump the vault, and I was often unable to do more than the students around me at the sports club.However, in terms of the flexibility of his body, he was second to none.The reason I was accepted into the athlete course at a sports club was because people recognized my flexibility.
For Oguchi, who has a reputation for his floor performance, his flexible body seems to be a major asset.
～How to spend your holidays～
Hatada and Oguchi devote themselves to gymnastics every day, but how do they spend their days when they don't practice?
[Hatada]My parents are both experienced gymnasts, so I have someone close to me who can give me advice.For this reason, I maintain my body by stretching and receiving massages on my days off so that I can perform gymnastics every day in perfect physical condition.
[Large mouth]I'm good with my hands and enjoy making detailed things, so I often gift handmade albums to friends on their birthdays.I also look after my younger siblings and play with them, which is fun and refreshing.
The support of his family and friends seems to give him the energy to devote himself to the competition.
In the first part, we asked Hatada and Oguchi about their encounter with gymnastics and when they first started competing.
In the second part, we will take a closer look at the performances of both players this season and their future goals!
(*XNUMX) A technique in which, from a dangling position, one kicks both feet close to the horizontal bar and uses the recoil when lowering them to rise up onto the horizontal bar.It doesn't rotate like Gyakugari.
I want to know more about gymnastics! !
https://www.2020games.metro.tokyo.jp/taikaijyunbi/taikai/syumoku/games-olympics/gymnastics/index.html
Japan Gymnastics Association HP
http://www.jpn-gym.or.jp/