Pro surfer Ichikoh Watanabe’s goal is to medal at the Olympics like Kanoa Igarashi

My mother’s words changed my life as a competitor.

There is a high school student who is leading a new wave in the surfing world. Watanabe Ikko, 16, won the All-Japan Classification Championships in July last year in the shortboard category, the largest ever held in Japan.

I started competing when I was 6 years old. After graduating from junior high school, I moved out of my parents’ house and now live alone in a seaside town. As long as the waves are good, I practice four hours a day, even in the middle of winter.

In July of last year, he also obtained his professional certification, which he had longed for. The turning point was a comment from his mother.

I had failed the pro test in March before that. I was attracted by the cool jumps and started competing, but I failed at every single one of my attempts, so I wondered whether I should use a solid turn in the July exam, and for the first time in my life I consulted my mother. She told me, “It doesn’t matter if you make mistakes, just stick to what’s cool with you. I was blown away, and I did all of my air moves.

Her goal for the future is to compete on the world’s highest stage.

I want to be an Olympic medalist like Kanoa Igarashi (25). I want to do it for sure!

Will she be able to ride the big wave and capture her dream?

From the January 20 and 27, 2023 issues of FRIDAY