Ryosuke Irie, who has decided to be a representative even at 200 meters after a 100-meter backstroke, has participated in the Olympic Games for four consecutive tournaments.
The memory of five years ago when I thought about retiring, and the question of the "value of the players" that sprouted in the corona wreck.
There was a reason to shake everything off and keep swimming.
At the Japan Championships this time, he turned 31 years old, as some of the top athletes who have the ability to lose their motivation due to the postponement of the Olympics and couldn't exert their strength due to the pressure of a one-shot game may miss the offer. Irie, who is still on the front line, got a job offer by swimming without danger.
NHK commentator Akira Hayashi, who participated in the three Olympic Games in breaststroke, said that Irie's stable strength was "It is mental growth that has consistently maintained the condition even in the corona sickness. In the past, even if you were good at swimming, you were not good at swimming. There was a stable period, but I got stronger through various experiences. "
Irie's "experience" is a bitter memory of the Rio de Janeiro Olympics five years ago.
After a 200-meter backstroke, he finished in 8th place, and in an interview after the race, a video showing "I wonder if the expiration date has expired" was shown all over the country.
I thought about retiring at one point, but I changed my mind to "let's go to an environment where there are no Japanese people", and moved to the United States and gained strength in the two years spent in a professional team where players from each country gathered. ..
However, the Tokyo Olympics were postponed due to the corona wreck.
In the news, the plight of medical staff was reported, and in the days when I couldn't swim in the pool satisfactorily due to the state of emergency, I sometimes wondered what I could do for a swimmer who couldn't swim.
Still, I decided that "I can only swim sadly now" and start training again.
By recovering the lower back and strengthening the muscles that had hurt the time created by the postponement, it also led to an increase in the sharpness of the start and the strength of swimming.
There was also an event that supported Irie's determination at this tournament.
On the second day of the national selection, Rikako Ikee won the 100-meter butterfly revival victory and got a ticket to the Olympics.
After the race, applause from the players and coaches echoed in the unattended venue where Ikee shed tears.
"I don't know honestly when asked what I can do in sports, but watching Rikako swim encourages me not only as a swimmer but also as a human being. This is the power of sports."
After the final race, Irie smiled after being released from the pressure of the representative selection, saying, "I don't know when to quit because I enjoy swimming purely."
The fourth Olympics, which I have continued to swim and grabbed, may be a stage where Irie himself can convey the power of sports that he has noticed to someone.