The World Judo Championships 2022 will start in Tashkent, Uzbekistan from October 6th.
In order to get the right to participate in the Olympic Games, which is a dream, there is a man who is on the edge of a cliff, where a gold medal is an absolute requirement.
Soichi Hashimoto (31 years old) is the oldest member of the men’s team in the 73 kg weight class, who has experience as a world champion.
“When I lost at the Tokyo Olympics, I was honestly thinking of retiring.”
Hashimoto’s 73-kilogram class is dominated by Shohei Ono, who achieved consecutive victories at the Tokyo Olympics.
Hashimoto sank to the bottom of despair when he lost the seat of the Tokyo Olympics representative to Ohno, who was his biggest rival at the same age.
No matter how strong they are, only one person can represent Japan on the Olympic stage.
That was the fate of the strong Japanese judo. The presence of Ohno, a huge obstacle, tormented him to the point of crossing over the word “retirement”.
a man loved by everyone
There were people who reached out to Hashimoto.
“The same goes for the locals, and many people said, ‘Please try again. I want to see you doing judo.’ It gave me strength.”
The existence that rekindled the fire in Hashimoto’s heart. Those are his friends from Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka Prefecture, who have watched over and supported him since he was a child.
Hashimoto visits PATIS Akiyama, a local cake shop with a childhood friend
Before the tournament, Hashimoto visited the local cake shop “PATIS Akiyama” (Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka Prefecture) where his childhood friend is.
The shop owner praises him, saying, “(Since long ago) he’s really good at getting into people’s arms.” When the staff asked about Hashimoto’s dream of becoming famous and introducing this restaurant, the owner said, “That was one of my goals.”
When a childhood friend said, “He said, ‘Akiyama’ will be written here (on the back) of his judo uniform,” Hashimoto said, “I’ve eaten a lot of sweets and cakes here so far, so I introduced it in the game. I always said it would be nice if I could do it,” he laughs.
The owner’s wife is also happy, saying, “I’m happy that it came true. You’re doing what you say you’re going to do.”
Hashimoto visits Ikuikukan Dojo, where he grew up in his childhood
Takashi Sugiyama, head coach of Ikuikukan Dojo, where Hashimoto grew up as a child, said, “I think he’s a player who works really hard (from the old days), so I want to support him. He has a really good personality. He’s honest. He has a good personality, and I think that’s what attracts people around him.”
――The teacher, do you like Hashimoto-kun?
I like it, of course. Because he is the number one player who truly represents Ikuseikan.
A junior at the Ikuseikan Dojo said with a twinkle in his eye, “I want to become a player who can play an active role in the world like Senpai Hashimoto!”
Surprisingly, people gather around Hashimoto, not only in his hometown.
Hashimoto does stair training at Ikegami Honmonji Temple several times a week.
The person who was training with me that day was mixed martial artist Shigehiro Akiyama. He said that he saw Hashimoto’s SNS and said, “Let’s run together.”
Now that circle has spread to athletes in other genres.
“He’s friendly, isn’t he? He’s a good-natured boy, so we get along well.” (Akiyama)
A gold medal is an absolute requirement for this tournament without a champion
Hashimoto, who wants to make his dream come true for everyone who supports him, decided to push forward to the Paris Olympics two years later.
Olympic representative selection will begin in earnest at this world championship, and Ohno, who has won consecutive Olympic titles, will not participate.
For Hashimoto, whose gold medal is an absolute requirement, it can be said to be a perfect chance to lead to the future of the Paris Olympics.
It will be the world’s best decisive battle to challenge with all my body and soul.
At the men’s national team training camp held in August, Hashimoto continued to push himself endlessly while other national team players took intervals.
“My dream is to win the Olympics. This world championship will be very important, so I will do my best to win the gold medal.”
to the best daddy in the world
There is another reason why Hashimoto is pushing this far.
The long-awaited eldest daughter was born in November last year.
This year’s selection weight division, which he participated in for the first time as a father, was a big game that had a ticket to the world championship, but he immediately turned his daughter’s encouragement into strength.
“During the senbatsu, I heard my daughter crying during the match and thought I should do my best.”
This big match that I can’t lose for my family.
Of course, what I want to dedicate to my beloved family is the title of “World’s No. 1”.
“It’s the best comfort for me right now, so I think it would be nice if I could show him a cool dad. Of course, the result is a gold medal. By reclaiming the throne, I’ll secure the right to participate in next year’s world championships and lead to Paris. sea bream”
(Posted on FNN Prime Online October 3rd. The original article ishere）
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