Mei
Kodama 兒玉 芽生

2020.11.24

Take adversity as an opportunity and turn it into an advantage

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced a one-year postponement of the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics. While many athletes are having a hard time getting into good condition, Mei Kodama turned her adversity into an advantage. “We had to suspend training because of the pandemic, but it helped me achieve a good record,” she said firmly. Kodama won the women’s 100-meter sprint title at the 2020 JAAF Athletics Championships. She clocked in at 11.35 seconds, taking third place on Japan’s all-time list and getting closer to booking a berth in the Tokyo Olympics.

Two months of track and field training inside her head

During the time that athletic track fields were closed due to the coronavirus pandemic, Kodama focused on strength training. She also repeatedly watched the video of Yoshihide Kiryu running 100 meters in 9-plus seconds for the first time as a Japanese sprinter, and compared his performance with her own. She asked herself questions, read university research papers, and sought advice from her coach on questions she could not resolve. Kodama said this was a period when she “did track and field inside her head.”

In high school, she was running with a forward leaning posture. This form kept her legs from going forward smoothly, and she had to gather speed with force. In university, she was told to move her pelvis and keep her body upright, but failed to make sense of the advice. “Previously, I didn’t know what was the right answer, so I couldn’t imagine the running form that was recommended,” Kodama said. “But I compared the pelvis motion I had pictured in my mind with the running form of Kiryu, and found my own answer. I really watched his performance over and over again.”

The running form she pictured starts with taking a balanced, stable posture to move her legs forward. By putting her center of gravity over the foot that is going forward, she can make the most of reaction forces that are created the moment the foot pushes against the ground. This allows her to run without wasting energy. When training resumed in July, “I had pictured my running form in my mind, and this helped improve the quality of my sprinting each time,” Kodama recalled.

The Tokyo Olympics coming within range

Her remarkable advance this year started with her winning the women’s 100-meter sprint at the Seiko Golden Grand Prix. At the 89th Japan National University Championships in October, Kodama won a triple crown in the 100-meter, 200-meter, and relay events. She also won the 100-meter title at the subsequent JAAF Athletics Championships, putting herself at the center of attention before the upcoming Olympic year. “This year, I got results and created opportunities,” said Kodama. “My priority is to participate in the Tokyo Olympics. But in the next Paris Olympics, I will prepare myself for a battle, rather than just aiming to participate.”

“Now, I’m telling myself I can run faster. I’m alone on the starting line, but I have never felt loneliness because I have friends supporting me,” Kodama continued. “In a sprint, you can get results only from what you have done. It’s a game of 10 seconds, so you don’t have time to be conscious of your rivals’ plans. It finishes in a moment, but I really like this instantaneousness.”

Mei Kodama’s philosophy

Turn a crisis into an opportunity