Joji
Nitta 新田 城二

2019.10.30

Moving forward steadily at his own pace

It has been four years since he shifted from swimming to triathlon, a grueling sport involving three disciplines: swimming, biking, and running. He seems, however, to be just going through these disciplines in a matter-of-fact manner. As Nitta characterizes himself as having neither strengths nor weaknesses, he, a balanced type athlete, can perform at a high level in all these three, although he does not significantly stand out in any one of them.

Aiming for his own goal

Nitta began swimming at the age of three. He then began competing in swimming races (individual medley races) when he was a second grader. He made high-ranking times in prefectural races in his elementary and junior high school days, and even participated in an interscholastic athletic meet and a national athletic meet during his third year in high school.

He thought he would quit swimming after high school graduation. However, his strong muscles and cardiopulmonary function were recognized, so he went on to the National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Kanoya, which has produced many highly ranked athletes in Japan.

Challenges promote growth

His major turning point was when he participated in a triathlon meet as a graduate student. The meet was designed to record official times and encourage top athletes to shift from their sports to triathlon with a view toward the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. Although he failed to meet the set time standards, this opportunity enabled him to decide to “challenge himself and take on a new sport” because he was suffering from the inability to reach national levels in swimming.

“There is a world unknown to me. I was greatly excited just to imagine myself taking on this challenge.” “Technically speaking, energy supply systems are all different. Swimming uses the anaerobic system while triathlon requires the endurance system in which you have to improve your stamina. A lighter weight helps you run faster while less fat leads to slower swimming speeds and weaker pedaling power. Building a body optimized for the three types of sports was difficult, but fun.”

Nitta has no personal coach. He came up with a training program by himself by making full use of the knowledge he gained from swimming, asking athletes and coaches specializing in athletics and biking for advice, and learning training methods from experienced triathlon athletes. In his first meet, he did not even know how to transition from swimming to biking and then to running, and lost lots of time. However, he has been improving his record through a trial-and-error process.

Becoming a local triathlon evangelist

In 2018, Nitta began working at a local hospital. He says, “I want to further grow in my hometown. I want to challenge myself to expand my physical boundaries and take part in the Olympic Games in Paris and Los Angeles following the Tokyo Olympics.” And he has another clear goal: “Triathlon is a lifelong sport. I want to let as many people as possible know the attractions of triathlon. That’s my giving back to Oita Prefecture.”

Joji Nitta’s Philosophy

Never stop growing.