Judo Grand Slam Tokyo 2022 will be held on December 3rd and 4th.
Mirai Takaichi (maiden name Tashiro Komatsu), who has represented the women’s 63kg class for two consecutive Olympics, won the Kodokan Cup in October, which was her first match in 1 year and 3 months since the Tokyo Olympics.
Grand Slam Tokyo announces marriage in November, and it will be the first match to face as Mirai Takaichi.
He talked about his heartbreaking Kodokan Cup, his marriage, and his thoughts on the Grand Slam Tokyo, which will lead to next year’s World Championships and the 2024 Paris Olympics.
ーLooking back on the Kodokan Cup in October when you won the championship
I thought that it was a match where I could confirm my own judo and my feelings while playing the match in the midst of anxiety. Maybe you think “I can’t do it anymore” or “I can still fight”. I thought it was one or the other.
I was playing with the belief that it was important to put everything on the line for each match and not look ahead to the next one. As a result, I won the championship with one all, but looking at the contents, it was not strange to lose, and the coaching was taken first, so it was not the content of 100 points at all.
Rather, I thought that there were many things to reflect on, so I think that in a sense it will be a potential for growth in the future.
-How did you feel when you cried after winning?
Tears came out without permission.
It wasn’t that I was particularly happy, but when I burst into tears, I thought, “I must have been in pain.”
-About marriage
I signed up at the beginning of this month. It seems that the bib is already a name on the family register, so it’s a fresh start. In a way, it was an event that I was prepared for, so I felt like I would do my best.
– About Grand Slam Tokyo in December
I think it will be an important match after all. In a way, it’s a start, and it hasn’t been many years since I got injured, so that part.
It feels like a different battle than the Kodokan Cup with Japanese players. I don’t think you’ll know unless you try. But I think we need to fight tenaciously. I feel that a tougher battle is about to begin.
I know that it will definitely be a tough battle, so I have a strong feeling of how much I can demonstrate my strength there.
I’m starting with Takaichi, so I want to do my best.
