2021.01.07
Battling herself, hitting targets
Zaitsu is the first woman to work in the Oita Prefectural Police’s riot squad. She set her sights on her goal after watching police officer athletes compete in the Rio de Janeiro Olympics. At the Tokyo and Paris Olympics, she wants “not just to compete, but to aim for a medal.”
Working steadily to unleash her talents
It was in her high school rowing club that Zaitsu first showed her talents, winning numerous prizes in national competitions. The words of her coach at the time remain her motto to this day: “It’s when things are tough that you need to smile.” Whenever she stumbled, she would remember those words, smile, and overcome any adversity.
After graduating high school, she joined the police, spending busy days. During pistol training, her talent for shooting was spotted, and she was chosen as a special pistol trainee. It was after two years of hard work that this talent finally came to fruition. She won the National Police Pistol Shooting Competition and was crowned the best in Japan.
Japan’s best shooter was 23 years old when she first picked up a competition pistol. However, while similar in some respects, pistols, competition air pistols, and sport pistols are very different things. “The equipment and the distance to the target are different too. I couldn’t hit anything,” she says. It was hard, but her interest in the sport overcame that difficulty. She then learned that rifle shooting has been an official event since the first Athens Olympics and is widely competed around the world. She also realized that it is very much a mental sport, so she decided it was something she wanted to master.
Overcoming anxiety, committing to competition
Within a year or two of starting to shoot rifles, she had made rapid progress. “I hadn’t considered the Olympics before, but when I saw the police officers competing at the Rio Games, I started to think about it.” However, after reaching a certain level, her scores stopped improving. It was then, facing her first setback and slump, that she met Naoki Isobe. Isobe, who is both an active competitor and a staff member of the Japanese national team, provided some invaluable help. “We all have times when our scores don’t improve. It made me feel better to be told that everyone finds their own way to solve it and move forward.”
At the 2019 All Japan Rifle Shooting Championships, she “overcame her anxiety” under the pressure of having to finish third to qualify for the Tokyo Olympic trials. She finished as runner-up by a narrow margin, but gained confidence in her ability to take a leap forward. In the following competitions, she had a series of disappointing results, but after going through that tough spell, she learned how to engage with her mind and body and devote herself to competition. If she performs well in the selection trials for the Japanese national team, to be held in 2021, she will be able to participate in overseas competitions. “At Tokyo and Paris Olympics, I want not just to compete, but to aim for a medal.”
Mika Zaitsu’s philosophy
“It’s when things are tough that you need to smile.”
Profile
| Date of birth | 1992.5.24 |
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| Hometown | Oita Prefecture Japan |
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