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A path to Tokyo that a new hero of Japan fencing circle, Toshiya Nishida imagines Vol.2 "Meeting with Ota Ota the biggest thing"

At the fencing world championship held in Leipzig, Germany last July, there are young people who have emerged to become leading the Japanese fencing world. It is Toshiya Nishi who won the silver medal by male Fleure individual. In this competition, Saito defeated the world's powerful giants such as Giozo (Italy) of the Rio Olympic gold medal one by one with weapons of good taste as a weapon, and rushed up to the stage of the final with just the rushing bamboo momentum . Saito's momentum did not decline after the tournament, and in the All Japan Championship held in December, he dismissed domestic rivals and won his first victory. What is the path to the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games that the 20-year-old youngsters who grew fast last year envisioned last year? In the first episode, I met with fencing and the fascination of fencing. In the second episode, I asked about the chance of becoming the world and the characteristics / tasks of my own fencing.

Icon segawa.taisuke1Taisuke Segawa | 2018/05/19
In the final match of the All Japan Championship at the end of last year, I had a great reversal victory against Matsuyama Kyosuke, but what kind of strategy was that?

Matsuyama is an all-round player who can do anything from fine techniques to dynamic movements. And he is very smart. To put it briefly, I challenged the game with a strategy to decide the skill at the counter, but when the game started, Matsuyama began to attack more than I thought, and I corresponded to it I could not do it. While I felt that "It is different from usual", I got a score of 1-9, but when I thought that "I will never get done if I go down", so the "judgment" I decided only to say "I will never drop down if I say" I am "first." At the same time, I tried to focus only on attacks that I am good at left-handed athletes and remove the sword from the outside and push the other. Perhaps when Mr. Matsuyama just changed the strategy, something changed something psychologically. I do not know the details because I did not ask him, but I came to accept my attack. I am wondering if that was a big point for me to make a big reversal.

Do you think that this reversed victory is your own growth?

No, I think that the place I was doing as my subject went out as it is. It was my task after the end of the world championship to run by the opponent on the first entry, but that bad thing came out.

Please let me know a bit more about the subject. Does that mean there is a problem in responding to different things from expectations?

Of course, that too. One thing is that you can not respond to the opponent changing the way of fighting. Until now I was a Noranker, but as I got results at last year's world championships, I began to be studied around and my opponent began to punch my weaknesses. It can be said that I can not accommodate you there. As we said earlier, how to enter the game is a big issue. Until now I had a tendency to go to the finals tournament after fighting the prelimary league but as a result of being a ranker it will start from the finals tournament and it is difficult to enter that way inside of myself I think in mind, there is a sense that it will not be able to engage in the game mentally, that the engine will not hang.

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It is surprising because mental seemed to be strong.

However, it is often said that "strong against victory" or "strong in production". The coach also seems to be talking in the wind like "Doing something on a big stage is always a shunk," he said. However, as it happened to have gotten results in the game, I was just saying so, and I think that mental part is still an issue as myself, including how to enter the game.

So please let me know the play style and strengths of Nishi.

I think that it is part of footwork that I am superior to other players. From the movements using the feet, we create opportunities by themselves and set off attacks, so we have the advantage of being able to ride on speed and to push. After all, although this may be the same for everyone, I am not going to lose to the strength of losing to anyone. "I definitely do not want to give up to the end." I think whether the character from when I was young is appearing as I am always actively attacking.

Although it is said to be a losing personality, when did it start to aim for the world with fencing? Did you have any big chance?

It was the encounter with Ota Ota, again, the biggest thing. At the time of the third grade of elementary school, the national convention was held in Kyoto, Mr. Ota was born in Kyoto, a triumphant event was held. The person who hit the lottery content was able to play with Mr. Ota. Because I was out of the lottery, I was watching at the venue, but the child who happened to win a lottery broke the tool and I could not play the game with Mr. Ota. So when Mr. Ota called for a substitute "Someone would like to do!", When I raise my hand first, there is only me (laugh). I was able to play the game against Mr. Ota really lucky. At that time game, I felt Mr. Ota played a game properly, I am very happy. I have never heard of him, and I do not know how I was thinking at that time. However, if you are overcome by adults, you know that even while you are a child. "Oh, are you outraged?" But Mr. Ota played a feeling that he did it firmly without pulling out his hand. I felt the feeling of speed, aura and nursing, with my skin even while I was a child, asked the fencing players to show that they should be like this, I heard a dream from the Olympic story It was. Besides, I simply lost and regretted. So at that time, Mr. Ota became one goal, standards, and I got the goal of the Olympic Games. Even on that one day my view of life changed a lot.


I do not think that it is the sensitivity of the third grade of primary school. Do you still remember Ota of that time at that age?

I clearly remember. Sense of speed, presence when confronting or aura.

Do not you feel the aura you felt at that time from other players now?

As expected there is not it anymore. Now that the position has changed, I feel confident that I am doing it on the front line, so I am challenging with the feelings and the preparedness to win. I do not mean to lose to the surrounding players. Therefore, I think that what I feel against players fighting against now is completely different from what Ota felt from Mr. Ota when I was in the third grade of elementary school.

Is it that the feeling that this player is unlikely to do is confusing and understanding in a moment?

I agree. But, my mentality and prejudice are big. When play begins, I feel that "this player has momentum" or "This player is not bothered." So, you also know that I'm scared. Because I know best about myself. When you are licking your opponent looks so big. Even just a big player seems bigger, I feel scary, and on the contrary,
"Oh, there is a time when you do not feel the body gaps than you thought". Depending on the condition of the day, what I feel to others also changes, and I think that the atmosphere I feel for me also changes.


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Interview / text / photo:Yasuyuki Segawa