<h3>A unique blonde Olympic medalist appears! 
From how she deals with her mental health to her thoughts on the next Olympics, which she calls &#8220;the culmination of her career. 
She also revealed her thoughts on the next Olympics, which she describes as &#8220;the culmination of all my hard work.</h3>
<figure id="attachment_465905" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-465905" style="width: 2500px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="6b2ae60c"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2026/04/548865c91b5823bd1b857ce3a7692d81.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-465905" class="wp-caption-text"> She also talks about her thoughts on the next Olympics, which she describes as &#8220;the culmination of her career. I&#8217;m not at all&#8230;&#8221; (Anna Nakagawa)</figcaption></figure>
 I have become more conscious of how I can be in a good mood on the day of the games. As a result, I realized that it directly affects my performance in matches. I value being in a good mood both in the short and long term&#8230;
 -I was able to learn the importance of resting and switching things up as my fencing-soaked days reached their limits and began to take a toll on my body.
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<a href="https://friday.kodansha.co.jp/article/465869"> Guest: Misaki Emura (27), women&#8217;s fencing sabre fencer</a>
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<h2> Focus on &#8220;now,&#8221; &#8220;here,&#8221; and &#8220;myself</h2>
Nakagawa: Even so, I think you still get nervous before a competition, but what do you usually do?
Emura: I use a method that I learned from my mental health teacher. He, too, emphasizes the importance of being in a good mood. The first thing he taught me was to write down the value of a good mood. In my case, it could be that my legs move well or that I don&#8217;t get tired easily. There should be various advantages for each person.
Nakagawa I want to write them down now too.
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Emura When I get frustrated, I become aware of that state. And don&#8217;t think it&#8217;s no good just because I notice it. Anyway, I remind myself of the value of a good mood.
Nakagawa You try not to deny yourself. Concentrate on switching over.
Emura When I think that it is a loss just to be irritated, I can switch over. Another method is to concentrate on &#8220;now,&#8221; &#8220;here,&#8221; and &#8220;myself. It is not about the past or the future, but about &#8220;now,&#8221; &#8220;here,&#8221; and &#8220;myself,&#8221; because only I can control these things. There is no point in thinking about the future, like &#8220;What if we lose?
Nakagawa: Mr. Emura is in a captain&#8217;s position in the group. Isn&#8217;t it difficult to be a top player and also coach the younger players?　Don&#8217;t you feel that you still want to be active and aim for the top, and that you can&#8217;t simply hand over the position to your juniors?　This was my story when I was a member of the bureau (laughs).
Emura That is an ongoing issue for me as well. While I still feel that we cannot afford to lose, we also need to raise the morale of the team. It will be tough if everyone doesn&#8217;t think a little more about the overall situation. There were times when I was really mentally drained by that. It is no good if I disrupt the pace, so I am practicing three specific ways of thinking to reduce stress.
Nakagawa: Please tell us about them.
Emura: &#8220;Support rather than expectation,&#8221; &#8220;Understanding rather than agreement,&#8221; and &#8220;Difference rather than right and wrong. These are the three. For example, when I give someone attention or guidance, I do not &#8220;expect&#8221; that they will improve afterwards. And even if you don&#8217;t agree with the other person&#8217;s argument, you should show &#8220;understanding. There is no end to disputes over right and wrong, so the first step is to acknowledge the &#8220;difference.
Nakagawa: This is a method that all middle managers should know. Frankly speaking, there was a time when I thought the easiest stance to take when dealing with junior staff and subordinates was &#8220;indifference.
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Emura: Confronting others takes a lot of energy. It also takes a lot of energy to deal with people who are younger than you.
Nakagawa I wondered if I would become a noisy old lady if I pointed this out.
Emura There are times when I wish I had never said anything. So, I don&#8217;t mean to draw a line, but I feel that I am comfortable working in a group if I keep the balance that I have just described.
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<h2>The next Olympics will be the culmination</h2>
Nakagawa: Finally, are you strongly aware of the next Olympics at this point?
Emura Of course, it is the biggest one.
Nakagawa: How are you adjusting your mindset right now?
Emura: The result is important, but the most fulfilling moment for me as an athlete is when I am enjoying the moment when I am competing. The bigger the stage, the more fulfilled I feel. I regret that I was not able to do so in Paris. I have not won a gold medal in the Olympics. There has been no gold medal in the history of Japanese women&#8217;s fencing. I think I would like to accomplish something that others have not achieved. This may be my last Olympics in terms of age and career. I will think about what to do after the Olympics, so I would like to make it my last attempt as a culmination of my career.
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Nakagawa: A little over two years to go. Do you feel it is long?
Emura: I think it will go by quickly. The way I feel about time has changed from when I was cramming in practice and pushing myself hard.
 Nakagawa, Anna
 In talking with Emura this time, I was particularly struck by his words, &#8220;I want to enjoy the real thing.
 He said, &#8220;The most fulfilling situation is when you are enjoying the moment when you are fighting.&#8221; Only those who have put in the appropriate amount of effort and time in preparation can reach that level.
 I too, right before a nerve-wracking job, think, &#8220;Okay, I&#8217;m ready to enjoy the rest of it! But if I am left with even the slightest anxiety or worry, I will not have the presence of mind to do so.
 If I try to force myself to enjoy myself, I may even end up looking like a goofy, joking person.
 Before heading off to an important performance, people around you may say to you, &#8220;Have fun!&#8221; but in fact, I believe that is a very difficult thing to do and a feeling that can only be experienced by those who have prepared without regret.
 I felt her strong determination for her third Olympics from her calm smile and straight eyes.
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 Misaki Emura / Born in Oita Prefecture. After graduating from the Faculty of Law at Chuo University in 2009, she became Japan&#8217;s first professional fencing athlete. She won a bronze medal in the team competition at the Paris Olympics in 2012, and was the first Japanese female fencer in the history of women&#8217;s sabre to be ranked No. 1 in the International Fencing Federation rankings for the 2024-2025 season.
 Nakagawa: Born in Tokyo, Nakagawa spent her childhood in Finland and Puerto Rico. Spent her childhood in Finland and Puerto Rico. Joined NHK as an announcer in 2004 and worked as a local anchor for &#8220;Sunday Sports&#8221; and the Paris Olympics.&#8221; After leaving NHK in the spring of 2013, she joined the entertainment agency Horipro and worked as a freelance announcer and TV personality.
<figure id="attachment_465908" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-465908" style="width: 2500px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="8fc4aef0"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2026/04/1416f212b0acf66189d99d48a3616200.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-465908" class="wp-caption-text"> Anna Nakagawa&#8217;s FRIDAYReport] I want to meet, hear, and learn from that top runner.</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_465909" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-465909" style="width: 2500px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="922a4967"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2026/04/1a9e432e92b102f5be402d5217a40dbf.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-465909" class="wp-caption-text"> Anna Nakagawa&#8217;s FRIDAYReport] I want to meet, listen to, and learn from that top runner.</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_465910" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-465910" style="width: 2500px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="0b49b760"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2026/04/464e933a91b6cbfa35febf34b315510e.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-465910" class="wp-caption-text"> Anna Nakagawa&#8217;s FRIDAYReport] I want to meet, hear, and learn from the top runners.</figcaption></figure>
 From the May 1-8, 2026 issue of FRIDAY

 Hitomi Tanaka

 Miku Ogawa

 Sayoko Saki

 e.m.

 Our guest for the second installment is Misaki Emura, a women's sabre fencing champion. In the second part, we asked her how she deals with herself when she gets nervous or frustrated before a competition, how she thinks about reducing stress in her position of coaching junior athletes and raising team morale, and about the next Olympics.

Nakagawa Anna’s FRIDAYReport] Fencer Misaki Emura reveals her thoughts on the “culmination of her career at the next Olympics

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