Kosuke Hagino, a gold medalist at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics, held a retirement interview and looked back on his competitive life, saying, "I have expressed myself by swimming with all my strength while exposing my weak self. I think it was a cool swimming life." rice field.
Hagino announced his retirement at a press conference in Tokyo on the 24th.
Hagino is said to be the toughest swimmer in the Rio de Janeiro Games, and the winner won the gold medal in the 400-meter individual medley, also known as the "King of Swimmers."
However, after suffering from sluggishness, after taking a rest for a while and leaving the competition, he participated in the 200m individual medley at this summer's Tokyo Games, which was his third Olympic Games, but did not reach the podium. It was.
Hagino revealed to the press that he had already decided to retire before the Tokyo tournament, saying, "I've been thinking about what it means to swim in the face of many pains. After a rest, I said," Swimming again. I wanted to confront Tokyo, but in terms of physical strength and energy, I may have lost the place to cling to anything. "
Regarding the Tokyo Olympics, which was the last race of active duty, "I was the only one in my competitive life to look back on my path before the race. Looking back, I remember the races, rivals, and teachers of the past. I felt like I was able to find the number one treasure that couldn't be changed. "
He recalled his competitive life, saying, "I have expressed myself by swimming with all my strength while exposing my weak self. I think it was a cool swimming life."
Since he plans to go on to graduate school in the future, he said, "I would like to continue thinking about the meaning of swimming. I would like to challenge various things and do my best in my second life."
Studied under coach Norimasa Hirai and grew into a top swimmer
Kosuke Hagino is 27 years old from Tochigi prefecture.
He has been active on the world stage with his amazing stamina cultivated through rigorous practice and the relaxed swimming created by the lean form.
In the 2012 Olympic Games, he participated in the 2012 London Games for the first time in his third year of high school, and won the first bronze medal for a Japanese player in this event in the men's 400-meter individual medley.
After entering university, he studied under coach Norimasa Hirai, who raised Kosuke Kitajima, and further developed his skills to become a top swimmer who will lead the Japanese swimming team.
At the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games, he won three medals in total, including gold, silver and bronze, including the relay event, including winning a gold medal in a 400-meter individual medley.
After that, he fell into a slump due to an operation on his right elbow, which was an old wound.
In March, I decided to take a rest and left the competition for a while.
Approximately three months later, he resumed full-scale practice, but he could not regain the swimming that he had in his heyday in terms of both technical and physical strength. I played in the 3rd consecutive tournament by narrowing down to.
The last race of active duty was the final of the men's 200m individual medley at this Tokyo tournament, and the result was 6th place and I could not get the medal for the first time in the third Olympic Games, but it is the same after the race We hugged and praised our rival Daiya Seto, who was born in 1994.