Re Interview

Keiji
Kondo 近藤 桂司

2023.3.31

Navigating the Unexpected, Arriving at a New Reality

COVID-19 robbed athletes of everything, including opportunities to compete. But for Keiji Kondo, the challenges of the pandemic were also an opportunity to get back to basics, reengage with his sport and rediscover what he enjoys about it. As long as he has the drive and the stamina, he’ll keep striving for new personal bests.

―What was the pandemic like for you?

I thought it would be all over quickly, and was grateful to have some proper time off. I went fishing with friends and did other things to relax. Later on, while I was gradually able to return to training, there were fewer competitions being held. Things slowly got back to normal, but I had a job outside the sport too, and for a while I couldn’t participate in any competitions. On many occasions I thought about quitting. The toughest thing was not being able to compete and achieve results. I kept training, but my heart wasn’t in it, and I often got frustrated. I sought advice from several people, including a teacher at my old high school. The turning point came when I observed some of my younger colleagues at a tournament focused solely on the competition and enjoying what they did: it really moved me, and made me want to rediscover the enjoyment of my sport from the bottom of my heart. Things were different after that. I read back over my “rifle notes,” which I’d been writing ever since I started competing as a senior high school student, and at the next major tournament I found that rather than losing my touch, I was able to approach the competition with a fresh mindset.

―What does rifle shooting mean to you?

I think that as long as I’m solid both mentally and physically, I can keep improving. The more experience and opportunities to compete I have, the more I’ll be able to take account of factors such as wind and weather conditions. I tire of things easily, and I never thought I’d be able to keep competing for so long. I think this shows how enjoyable rifle shooting really is. Even now I often think about shooting during break times at work, and there’s nothing quite like the joy I get from producing good results out of the raw tension that competition brings, which is something you can’t get out of everyday life. As long as I keep enjoying myself, there’s no way I’ll retire. I want to stay in the game as long as I can, and even when I step back from competing, I want to stay involved in the sport.

―Tell us about your activities and vision going forward.

I used to just compete without worrying about anything, but once I joined the workforce and was receiving support from my employer, I started feeling pressure to perform well at all costs. But now I want to train myself to fill the gap in technical skills between me and the shooters who represent Japan, improve my mental toughness, perform well at a number of competitive events, and establish a positive flow that I hope will lead to top placings at major tournaments. I want to enjoy competing, while chasing even better performances and continuing to be grateful to all the people who support me.