The days without air-conditioning are getting too hot and humid to sleep, but you may have a different reason for not being able to sleep. Yes, the Paris Olympics will open on Friday, July 26.
Various competitions will be held until Sunday, August 11, and we will focus on sport climbing, which became an official event for the first time at the last Tokyo Olympics. What is the current situation of Miho Nonaka, who won the silver medal in the women's combined event at the previous Olympics and was selected for the national team at the recent announcement, and what is on her mind as she prepares for the start of the competition?
Miho Nonaka / Professional Climber
Born in 1997 in Tokyo, Japan, he discovered climbing at the age of 9. He first represented Japan at the age of 16 in 2013, competing in the Lead World Cup, and won his first Bouldering World Cup in Mumbai in 2016. . He is currently preparing to compete in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Official Site
Congratulations on your participation in the Paris Olympics. How do you feel now?
Nonaka: First of all, I feel relieved. It was the last competition to decide the Olympic team, and I was very nervous that it would be the last time I would be able to compete, whether laughing or crying, so I am glad that I was able to make the right decision. I had experienced the Tokyo Olympics and wanted to participate in the Paris Olympics, so I am very happy to have won the right to compete.
It has been less than a month since your last competition before the Paris Olympics, but you are still in a flurry of preparations.
Nonaka: I am back in Japan to recover my body, but I am also training for Paris in a month, so I don't feel like I have settled down.
Have you changed your mindset in any way since you won the silver medal at the last competition held in Tokyo?
Nonaka: I myself have not changed, but I have felt a change in the way people look at me. I am seen as a medalist for the Tokyo Olympics. I have to build my body for the competitions, not to keep up my performance throughout the season, so when people look at me during my off-season, I feel that I am weak (laughs).
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What is your usual schedule like?
Nonaka: Basically, I focus on climbing. I climb four to five days a week, with one day for physical training, and other rest days for interviews and vacations. It depends on what I'm training for at the time, but some days I finish in two hours, while other days I spend about five hours climbing. Physical training is two hours every week.
When a beginner tries climbing, it is such a hard sport that your hands start shaking after an hour or so. How do you spend your time during rest periods?
Nonaka: I live by feeling, so when I feel tired, I take care of myself at home. When I feel like resting but still want to get the blood flowing, I go for a walk for about an hour or go shopping.
What is it about climbing that attracts you so much?
Nonaka: I think the appeal of climbing is that it never ends, in a positive sense. The challenges are endless and fun, and even after you complete them, new challenges are created. This is true of the artificial rocks at the gym, but there is another kind of fascination with the outer rocks as well. They have been there since long before I was born, and climbers of all ages can climb the same rock. . It's very romantic, isn't it? The rocks have been worn away and changed with the passage of time, but I think that's what makes climbing so enjoyable.
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Since becoming an official sport in the Olympics, I feel that climbing has gained more recognition than before, but has the number of people competing increased?
Nonaka: I feel that awareness has increased. When I started, people didn't understand the word "climbing," but now everyone knows what it is. The number of people who come to the gym has also increased. There were only a few kids and myself back then, but now there are more kids' schools.
Is the excitement overseas even greater?
Nonaka: Yes, that's right. Climbing has always been strong in Europe, and there are natural crags, and the scale is large. The number of gyms is increasing, and there are more customers than in Japan.
I saw that you have mentioned that you would like to build your own climbing gym. What kind of gym would be ideal for you?
Nonaka: I want to create a place to focus on children who will become athletes and change the era of climbing. Overseas, there are national training centers where they can practice, but top Japanese climbers climb with other customers during regular facility business hours. The level of general climbers in Japan is very high, and regular gyms are doing their best, but the environment is not yet conducive for them to become strong enough to compete and win. I feel that the taste is inevitably geared toward general sales, and there is no environment geared toward the top. I think we can create a better environment, and I hope we can work on that.
I'm sorry to change the subject, but you appeared in the campaign for Beats' recently released "Solo 4" and "Solo Buds". I get the impression that you have been a fan of Beats for a long time, but what do you like about it?
Nonaka: "Beats" are great because I can wear them for a long time without getting earache. . I often use them while traveling, such as on the way to the gym. I often use them while traveling, such as on the way to the gym.
The campaign is called "Stands Out. Stays On", and the Japanese copy is "Stands Out. Stays On", which means "Stands Out. Stays On" in Japanese, and the Japanese copy is "Stands Out. Stays On" in Japanese, which means "Stands Out. Stays On" in Japanese, which means "Stands Out. What kind of individuality do you think you have?
NONAKA: This is a difficult one (laughs). This may be a change of subject, but some time ago I was pondering about my way of thinking. At that time, I realized that I was justifying my way of thinking, and I was afraid. I wanted to have the mindset that "everyone sees things differently," but I was thinking that what I thought was right. I was afraid of being like that. If you call it individuality, then maybe you are right, but I believe that everyone is unique, and I do not feel that I am special.
You mean you don't like to be bound by stereotypes, like that person is like this person?
Nonaka: That's what I think. If that way of thinking can be seen as individuality, then perhaps it has become my personality.
Climbing seems to be different for each person depending on their physical condition, but is it still physical for you, Nonaka?
Nonaka: I believe that the physical element of climbing is a part of one's personality. Many female climbers use their lightness, softness, and skill to attack, but I tend to use my power to overpower them, which may or may not be a good thing. I think this is an advantage that other players do not have.
Lastly, I would like to ask you how you feel about the Paris Olympics.
Nonaka: I won a silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics, so my next goal is to win a gold medal at the Paris Olympics. The most difficult thing is whether or not I can give my all on that day, and I believe that if I can clear that, the results will follow.
What are your plans for the final preparations for your first match?
Nonaka: There is only so much I can do, but I will train until the last minute and try my best to say that I am even stronger than I was even a month ago.
