Kaori Sakamoto won the bronze medal in the women&#8217;s figure skating competition at the Beijing Olympics. The whole country was moved by the birth of a new heroine in the world of skating, but what came to my mind was the memory of a legend.
That legend was Shizuka Arakawa.
<figure id="attachment_230685" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 1854px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-230685"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="6fda39b8"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2022/02/aflo_3875352.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-230685" class="wp-caption-text">Shizuka Arakawa reporting her joy in Japan after winning gold in Torino (AFLO)</figcaption></figure>
<h2>Shizuka Arakawa competed in Torino at the &#8220;last minute.</h2>
The Torino Olympics were held in 2006. The &#8220;All Japan Figure Championships&#8221; were held in December 2005, the year before the 2006 Olympics, with the right to participate in the event at stake. There were only three slots available for Japan. Japan had only three slots, and if they placed in the top two of the championships, they would be able to qualify for the Olympics.
The results of this championship were Akie Muranu in first place, Mao Asada in second, and Arakawa in third. Normally, these results would have led to the participation of both Murashu and Asada in the Olympics, but due to the age limit, Asada was unable to go to the Olympics at that time. The selection process was difficult, and after much deliberation, the third-place finisher, Arakawa, was chosen to compete.
Immediately after the championships, Murashu and Arakawa held a press conference to announce their participation in the Olympics. It may be rude to call it a &#8220;lucky break,&#8221; but it is true that there was an atmosphere of &#8220;Arakawa is lucky&#8221; among the reporters. There were even some heartless comments such as, &#8220;If Mao could compete, we could expect a gold medal.
In fact, at that time, I think only a minority of people expected Japanese athletes to place high in the Turin Olympics. In addition, most people did not think that Arakawa, who had finished third in the Japanese championships, would be successful in the Olympics.
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However, here we are. The result was as you all know. Arakawa won the gold medal and became the face of Japan. It reminded me that the real stars of the sport are the ones who, with luck on their side, show their true colors in the most crucial moments.
<h2>It is said that he never speaks his mind&#8230;</h2>
Before she won the gold medal, Arakawa had a reputation among reporters.
 She never speaks her mind.
It was true that her press conferences were often a bit boring. This was also the case with the press conference after the All-Japan Championships. But then&#8230;. Immediately after the press conference, she came up to me, whom she had become acquainted with through several interviews, and said, &#8220;I&#8217;ve finally had a chance to see how hard it is to be a journalist.
 I finally understand how hard it is to be a journalist.
What did she mean? In fact, she graduated from Waseda University in 2004, and wrote her graduation thesis on the theme of &#8220;sports mass media.
 I wrote my graduation thesis on sports mass media. I wrote my thesis on sports media, and I finally understood how difficult it is for reporters to get the true feelings out of athletes.
Oh, I didn&#8217;t know that. &#8220;Oh, really?&#8221; I could not help but react to the sudden news.
 I regret that I have been so rude to the media. I&#8217;d like to become a sports commentator in the future, so I wanted to apologize for everything I&#8217;ve done.
&#8220;Oh, I see. I want to go into sports commentary in the future. But I don&#8217;t think you were rude to me, so don&#8217;t worry about it. I&#8217;m the one who should be thankful that you took the trouble to tell me (laughs). (laughs) But more importantly, do your best in Turin so that you don&#8217;t leave any regrets behind.
 &#8220;Yes, I understand. Thank you so much for everything!
I was a little taken aback by the big smile on her face. I still remember how she bowed with a cheerful expression, showing her white teeth.
After winning the gold medal at the Torino Olympics, she retired from amateur sports altogether. As you know, she turned professional and became active not only in the sports world but also in the entertainment industry.
It&#8217;s not that she was rude or speechless. She just kept thinking about figures. But in the midst of writing her thesis, she realized her new dream and changed the way she acted toward it. This must have led to his greeting to the reporter, and his strong desire to win a gold medal to realize his subsequent dream, which enabled him to seize the glory of becoming the first Japanese man and woman to win a gold medal in figure skating.
It was Shizuka Arakawa who taught me that people can change so much when they find a new dream. Many Olympians, including Kaori Sakamoto, grasped their dreams at this Olympics. They will probably go on to pursue new dreams. As a journalist, I would like to see how they will turn over a new leaf or two. As a reporter, I am really looking forward to it.

 Takashi Yoshida

 In the women's figure skating competition at the Beijing Olympics, Kaori Sakamoto won the bronze medal. The whole country was moved by the birth of a new heroine in the world of skating, but what came to my mind was the memory of a legend. That legend was Arakawa.

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