Strength of Mind Over Pressure: Shoko Miyata, the New Queen of Women’s Gymnastics, Becomes Heroine in the Paris Olympics!
Juntendo University sophomore wins her first All-Japan Championships with her world-class vaulting ability!
In order to compete in the world, stability is the most important thing. I gave a good performance, which was me all the way through.
The new queen looked back confidently.
Shoko Miyata, 19, won the women’s final of the All-Japan Gymnastics Championships on April 13, winning her first title in all four events by more than two points over the runner-up.
Miyata was the sole runner-up in the Paris Olympics selection race. Ms. Nijiko Tsurumi, who has competed in two Olympic Games, analyzes Miyata’s strengths.
She is stable in her performance and has strong legs. Her strength lies in her vault and floor, where she makes use of her high jumping ability. What makes her jumping stand out is her landing technique. The landing is an area where points are easily deducted, and no matter how difficult the technique is, if it is not executed properly, the score will not improve. Ms. Miyata has an excellent feel for the air, and her landing technique is top-notch. This is similar to Maai Murakami, who won the bronze medal in the Tokyo Olympics.
There are signs of improvement on uneven bars, which has been a problem for her for many years. In preparation for the All-Japan Championships, she has been practicing three bars in a row without fail, every day. The intense practice paid off, and at the All-Japan Championships, she placed 2nd overall on the parallel bars.
She said, “Compared to the world, I feel that the difficulty of the parallel bars is still not high enough. I feel that my posture in the inverted bar, as well as my knees and toes, are still not quite consistent. However, if we can improve these areas, we can expect more points. She has always had the mental strength to win under pressure. As an ace, I look forward to her further evolution.
There is no doubt that the new queen, who is in the midst of her awakening, will make a great leap forward in Paris.
From the May 3, 2024 issue of “FRIDAY
PHOTO： Afro
