“NumberTV” 9th episode is Judo player Natsumi Tsunoda
The 9th episode of “NumberTV” (24 episodes in total), a real documentary in which professional athletes who have overcome hardships tell in their own words the stories of the “biggest setbacks” and “resurrection” that changed their individual competitive lives. It was distributed exclusively on Lemino on November 21st. In the 9th episode, Natsumi Tsunoda, who has won three consecutive World Judo Championships, five gold medals in international Judo Grand Slam competitions, and also won a gold medal at the recent Paris Olympics. At first glance, he seems to have had a brilliant life in judo, but he talked about a series of unknown hardships behind it. (The following contains spoilers)
Won gold medal at the Paris Olympics using tomoe throwing and joint skills as weapons
“NumberTV” is a real documentary program with actor Sota Fukushi serving as the navigator, where the athletes themselves talk about the glorious “present day” of top athletes and the “setbacks” that led them to that point. It was born as a joint project between sports magazine “Sports Graphic Number” and Lemino.
The person who appeared in the 9th episode was Tsunoda, who won the gold medal in the women’s 48kg judo class at the Paris Olympics, using her tomoe throw and joint techniques as her weapons. He started judo at the suggestion of his father, and although he was always losing when he first started, the game-like training his father had suggested helped him stop hating him, and he won his first championship at the prefectural tournament when he was in junior high school. Tsunoda recalled, “Now that I knew the joy of winning, I thought to myself, “I really want to become even stronger.”
He entered Yachiyo High School, a strong judo school, and placed 3rd in the Inter-High School competition in his second year of high school. In his third year of high school, he aimed to win the Inter-High Championship, but lost in the quarterfinals, and thought about quitting judo. Looking back, Tsunoda said, “This is a result of how hard I worked, and I thought I couldn’t beat these guys.” However, with the encouragement of his instructor at the time, he decided to continue at university.
(C)NTT Docomo/Sports Graphic Number
High school teacher and Natsumi Tsunoda
Mr. Tsunoda honed his specialty ground-waza by practicing jiu-jitsu at university, and won the All Japan Student Weight Category Championship in his third year of university. My long-awaited goal is to be number one in Japan. After that, he joined a business team and became a top athlete by winning the Kodokan Cup 52kg class at the age of 24. In 2017, after winning the silver medal in the 52kg class at the World Championships, she began aiming to participate in the Tokyo Olympics.
However, he fell into a slump due to the extreme pressure of suddenly starting to be noticed by the world from an unknown existence. “When I thought, “I’m not that strong, what if I get disappointed?” or “I have to feel like my opponent is going to challenge me,” I didn’t know what kind of judo I should do.” Looking back on those days, Tsunoda says, “If I was doing judo like this, I thought maybe I shouldn’t do it.”
(C)Nanae Suzuki/Sports Graphic Number
Natsumi Tsunoda
Achieved after losing the Tokyo Olympics and even retiring
Meanwhile, with the advice of his coach, he was able to break out of his slump. Although Tsunoda has regained his strength, he now faces a fierce competition to represent Japan at the Tokyo Olympics. At the time, the 52kg class was one of the most competitive, with 2017 world judo champion Ai Shishime and 2018 and 2019 back-to-back champion Uta Abe competing against each other. ” so much so that I was told. Therefore, Tsunoda decided to switch to the 48kg weight class in order to participate in the Tokyo Olympics.
It was a once-in-a-lifetime decision, but the hardships that awaited him included a grueling weight loss and a failure to make the Tokyo Olympic team. After missing out on the Tokyo Olympics, which he had put everything into, Tsunoda reaches a certain point as retirement looms over his mind. “I was able to face (the setback) by thinking that if I gave up without doing anything, I would be betraying the people who have supported me up until now,” she said. He confessed that the presence of these people was the driving force behind his goal for the Paris Olympics.
[Produced and edited by WEB The Television Editorial Department]
(C)NTT Docomo/Sports Graphic Number
Natsumi Tsunoda
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