``When I gave birth, I felt the most depressed. I was wondering what to do with curling,''



said Junko Nishimuro, 43, looking back six years ago.


She is the oldest member of the team and supports SC Karuizawa Club, which won her first championship at the Japan Women's Curling Championship this year, with her extensive experience.

The veteran athlete, who will represent Japan at the world championships for the first time in 18 years, has her sights set on competing in the Olympics in 2026, when she will be 45 years old.


(Nagano Broadcasting Station reporter Shuhei Matsushita)

First World Championship in 18 years

The Japan Curling Championship was held in Sapporo from January to February this year.

SC Karuizawa Club Japan Championship Winner (2024)

On the women's side, SC Karuizawa Club won the number one title in Japan for the first time in their fourth appearance.

Immediately after winning the championship, there was a player who crouched down on the ice and sobbed openly.

Junko Nishimuro player

Junko Nishimuro is the team's second player.



She is the oldest player on the team at 43 years old and is a 30-year competitive veteran.



This is her third individual title in Japan and the first in six years.

At the same time, Nishimuro earned a ticket to the world championships for the first time in 18 years, but the road to getting there was full of twists and turns.

Junko Nishimuro


: ``I'm going to the World Championships for the first time in 18 years. Everyone worked hard and won, and I felt a lot of emotions.''

[Click here for details] Japan Curling Championship Women's SC Karuizawa Club wins for the first time

The Olympics that continued to challenge

Nishimuro is from Karuizawa Town, Nagano Prefecture.

Nishimuro is a founding member of “Team Nagano”

He started curling at the age of 11 and became a founding member of Team Nagano, which was once famous as a powerhouse.



He won the Japan Championship in 2005 and competed in the World Championship the following year, but his rival Team Aomori (at the time) had a strong wall, and he was unable to qualify for the Olympics.



After competing at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, Team Nagano was disbanded due to some members going on to higher education.

At the time, Nishimuro, whose Olympic dreams were cut short, said:

``If I were to form a team again and aim for the world championships, I would have to teach and develop the players.Moreover, I am not sure if the members would give up their jobs and aim for the world championships. To be honest, I thought I had no choice but to retire."

Chasing dreams to Yamanashi

Even so, Nishimuro couldn't give up on his dream.

On the Yamanashi Prefecture team (Nishimuro is second from the left)

At the age of 29, he joined "Team Fujiyama" (at that time), which was founded in Yamanashi Prefecture, as a leader.



With the former coach of Japan's Olympic team as her mentor, she is once again chasing her dreams.

“I was so moved that I cried because I thought I could aim for the Olympics again.”

However, in the world of women's curling at the time, new powers such as Hokkaido Bank (currently Fortius) and Loco Solare emerged.

I can't seem to get to the Olympics.



In 2018, she also gave birth and began to worry about how she should face competition.

"When I gave birth, I felt the most depressed. I was wondering what I should do with curling."

“Aiming for the Olympics one more time from home”

Around that time, SC Karuizawa Club approached me.



He joined the team in 2020, making a fresh start and aiming for the Olympics as a local team for the first time in 10 years.

Last year's Japan Championship

"I'm really blessed to have teammates who tell me, ``It doesn't matter how old you are,'' and ``You can bring your kids.''

Teammates who are different in age

His teammates at the SC Karuizawa club are all players in their early 20s, more than a year older than him.

Friends of SC Karuizawa Club

Even in the midst of this, Nishimuro stands out with his passion and power, making it hard to believe that he is over 40 years old.

Its characteristic is outstanding "sweeping power".



Freely change the course of the stone.



Still, in curling, where communication within a team is essential, age differences can sometimes become a barrier.

In fact, Nishimuro was at one point worried about how to maintain distance from his teammates.

At the beginning of this season, when there was a change in members, I deliberately avoided making active calls.

``From my generation's point of view, what my seniors told me was absolute.It's hard to say anything until everyone's opinion is heard, and I couldn't express my opinion to my seniors. I was thinking of waiting for your opinion."

Words that encourage your friends

Nishimuro continued to quietly watch over his juniors.

He says that since the training camp in Canada last fall, he has gradually started to be asked for his opinion.

Japan Championship Final (2024)

At the finals of the Japan Championship, you could see him encouraging his juniors with words that only a veteran could say.

9th end with SC Karuizawa club trailing by one point.



At a crucial moment in the final stages of the match, 22-year-old skip Miyu Ueno had difficulty deciding on her strategy.

Skip Miyu Ueno (left)

Nishimuro has overcome such tense situations many times.



He uniquely conveyed the proposal to flick the opponent's guard stone.

``Why don't you just cut the front? It'll be fun.''



As if led by these words, Ueno's expression brightened.

SC Karuizawa Club achieved a dramatic victory in the 10th end, achieving their long-awaited first victory.

Junko Nishimuro


: ``I thought if I said, ``It's going to turn out like this, so it's better to do it this way,'' he would get nervous.If I just told him, ``If you do this, it'll be fun,'' (the meaning of the words) would be fine. I wonder if you can do it?”

His teammates also have full confidence in Nishimuro, a seasoned senior.

Miyu Ueno Player


: ``(Nishimuro) Junko has a lot of experience, so the information she gives us really helps the team.When she makes a shot, she says, ``Nice!'' I think she's the youngest of the lot. He will cheer up the team in any situation.”

Aiming to be “the oldest Japanese athlete to win a medal at the Winter Olympics”

The World Championship is about to begin.

Press conference with teammates ahead of the World Championships

In his first tournament 18 years ago, Nishimuro received the ``FRANCES BRODIE AWARD'' chosen by the participating players.

That experience has been one of the motivations for me to continue competing so far.

Junko Nishimuro


: ``I didn't win at all back then, but personally I think I was chosen because I was in really good shape and had a high shot percentage.Because I received that award, I was able to continue competing. , I was able to persevere even when I was feeling down.”

What he is looking beyond the World Championships is his first appearance at the Olympics, which he has been pursuing for many years.

My target is the Milan-Cortina d'Ampezzo tournament in two years' time, when I will be 45 years old.



Nishimuro's biggest dream.



Her goal is to become the oldest Japanese athlete to win a medal at the Winter Olympics, surpassing the record of Kotomi Ishizaki of Loco Solare, who won the silver medal at the last Beijing Games at the age of 43.

``The Olympics are a dream and a goal, but our team's goal is not just to participate, but to win a medal, so we want to continue aiming for the gold medal.''

[NHK broadcasts daily matches on BS]

The Women's Curling World Championship, in which Nishimuro and the SC Karuizawa Club will be representing Japan, will begin on March 16th in Canada.



NHK plans to broadcast the games on BS every day, focusing on Japan's games.