2022.09.28
Reaching for Greater Heights
It has been three years since our last interview with Masahiro Nonaka. Since then he has moved his base of operations back to his hometown of Oita, where his recovery from knee surgery is going well. In May 2022, Nonaka took third place in the +109 kg category at the All Japan Championships. And now he has set his sights back on the Paris Olympics. This year will be a decisive year for Nonaka, and he is afire with determination to make a full recovery.
- — How have you been spending your time since returning to your hometown?
- The novel coronavirus had started to spread around the time when I came back home, but I kept practicing while working as a trainer at a gym. Unfortunately, all competitions were either cancelled or postponed. It was hard to stay motivated, but I guess one good thing was that it allowed me to spend a long time on rehabilitation.
- — This April you were given an environment that allows you to dedicate yourself to competing through the Athnavi Team Oita Project, which matches top athletes with companies in the prefecture. Tell us about that.
- It allows me to have a stable livelihood, and I can balance work and competing since I can work in the morning and dedicate myself to practice in the afternoon. The company has a great atmosphere and I’m living an enriching life.
- — What is life like as a competitive weightlifter?
- I start preparing two months before a competition. I spend one month getting my body ready for competing, and the next month I focus on increasing my body size by making minute adjustment after minute adjustment. The shortest path to victory is gaining overwhelming strength. Before surgery, I felt I was limited with my bad knee, but now I believe I can evolve further.
- — There are two years until the Paris Olympics. What do you need to do to be in the Olympics?
- The last time I was in an international competition was my senior year at university. I have two rivals in Japan who have about same level of ability as me. I just need to stick to what I have been doing without making any big changes. I fell behind with my injury, but not so much that I can’t catch up. I want to make adjustments so I can demonstrate my full strength at competitions. I took third place at the All Japan Championships this May, but I didn’t perform up to my best lift of 175 kg in the snatch and 223 kg in the clean and jerk, so my goal is to first get at least second place in the All Japan Championships next year. This year will be a decisive year for me.
10 Questions ~Shinken Wanna Know!~
- Do you have any rituals when competing?
- I wear different shoes when I do snatch and clean and jerk lifts
- What food do you like to eat?
- Double cooked pork
- What food do you dislike to eat?
- Bananas, kiwis, grapes, peaches, bamboo shoots, and crabs. Actually, I have some food allergies
- What do you like to do?
- Reading manga. My latest enthusiasm is “ONE PIECE”
- What made me happy recently?
- I got a boat license
- What do you do in your time off?
- I go to hot springs. I’m striving to become a “Beppu Hatto Onsen-do Meijin” (certified “Hot Spring Master” who has visited 88 hot springs in Beppu)
- What is your favorite saying or phrase?
- Nisshin geppo (keep progressing without ceasing)
- How do you see yourself in 10 years?
- Away from the front lines but still involved in weightlifting
- What do you want to get the most?
- A motorbike, because I got a motorbike license lately
- What three things do you need in life?
- Tenacity, luck, and friends
Profile
| Date of birth | 1996.7.17. |
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| Hometown | Oita Prefecture Japan |
| Results |
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