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How did you find out about Kenyon and wind up in Gambier, Ohio?
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| I was interested in Kenyon since it was a strong Division III swimming school. As the high school recruiting process started, I did not get into a Division I school, so both Denison and Kenyon were [choices] for me. I decided on Kenyon instead of Denison, since it was a better school academically. |
I fell in love with Coach Jess [Book's] and Assistant Coach Fernando [Rodriguez's] enthusiasm and after intense research on Kenyon, I could not find a single college I loved more. I was also blown away by the fact that Coach Jess and Coach Fernando were far more interested in seeing the person I would become, rather than the swimmer I would become. |
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| How did your interest in swimming blossom? |
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I started swimming with several other sports my siblings did. I was the youngest of the five, so I pretty much did all the sports they did. Later on, when I joined middle school, swimming was [for me] the only sport that included both fun and competitiveness.
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I started swimming because, at the age of five, my mother sat me down and told me to pick one sport and that I would do [it] with my brother for the rest of my life. I pointed at the pool. So, that was it...and I couldn't be happier.
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| How do the competitive levels of your sport in the United States differ from those in your home country? |
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Competitive levels of swimming are very similar since I am from Tokyo and I got to see many fast swimmers as I grew up. I would say the United States has more swimmers who can medal than Japan in the Olympics.
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The competitive levels in the United States are exponentially superior to those in my country. By swimming in the United States, I hope to elevate my own level as a swimmer, as well as my country's.
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| In what ways has COVID-19 affected swimming in your home country? |
| Due to COVID, I personally was not allowed to swim with other universities to train, due to university protocols. That hurt me since I was only able to swim by myself, but it also allowed me to lift more often and become stronger. |
Swimming in Costa Rica is currently a lot more constant than in the United States. I really hope the United States gets safer soon. |
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| Can you share a fun fact about your home country? |
| There are more people in the city of Tokyo than in the city of New York. |
Last year my country's energy usage came 98% from renewable sources, excluding transportation. Another fun fact is we have no standing army. |
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| In your opinion, what's the one thing visitors to your home country must do? |
| You would have to visit not only Tokyo, but Kyoto, Hokkaido and Okinawa to experience different cultural differences--even within a small country like Japan. |
Leave your worries at home and do everything you can. Everything you choose to do in Costa Rica will be absolutely incredible. |
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| What has been your favorite memory, or what are you most looking forward to with Kenyon swimming? |
| My favorite memory so far is when we won the NCAC Championship against Denison the same year we beat them in a dual meet. We hadn't won the NCAC for a couple of years, so that was very big. |
Learning how to love and enjoy racing again. Coach Fernando told me I was good out of fear and that I would get great out of love. |
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