On Friday 17 April the Embassy of Japan in South Africa hosted a special sporting event honouring the Olympian, Haruka Kitaguchi. The 28 year old Japanese is currently training in South Africa. Ms. Kitaguchi secured the gold Olympic medal in javelin throw in the 2024 Olympics in Paris. She achieved the winning distance of 65.80 m with her very first throw.
The afternoon placed a strong focus on women’s excellence in sport, with Kitaguchi’s journey to gold at the 2024 Summer Olympics serving as the central inspiration. Mr. Fumio Shimizu, the Japanese ambassador to South Africa, also placed emphasis on the strong sporting culture in South Africa. He highlighted how the two countries can forge ties to strengthen certain sporting disciplines.
High profile dignitaries
High profile dignitaries attending included the South African minister of sport, arts and culture, Mr. Gayton McKenzie and Mr. Barry Hendriks, president of the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC). Both gentlemen addressed the gathering. They echoed Mr. Shimizu’s vision of South Africa and Japan working more closely together to strengthen both cultures in collaboration in sport.
Ms. Kitaguchi inspires
The second part of the afternoon was set aside for Ms Kitaguchi to answer pre-submitted questions by local athletes in attendance. These athletes included local school and university javelin throwers, middle distance runners and judo specialist.
The first question directed to Ms. Kitaguchi was who inspires her. Her immediate response was: her mother. Although her mother was not a field athlete, she practiced judo. She confirmed that her mother instilled in her the discipline to be an elite athlete. Ms. Kitaguchi said that she only started excelling in her sport in her late teens and encouraged javelin throwing athletes to take part in a variety of sports. This is necessary to develop the different stages in the throw of the javelin. She even joked that judo should be part of their training as throwing humans is similar to throwing a javelin.
Handling pressure in a competition environment
Ms. Kitaguchi’s advise on handling performance stress during competition is connecting with friends she made in her sport. Our very own Jo-Ané du Plessis (née van Dyk) and Ms. Kitaguchi have been friends since the age of sixteen. Jo-Anè won the silver medal at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris with a distance of 63.93 m.
Message to young athletes
In her final message to young athletes Ms. Kitaguchi encouraged perseverance. All athletes go through tough times with injuries or performance struggles. Ms. Kitaguchi’s encouragement and advice: don’t give up. Stand up, work hard and you will reach success.
This special event hosted by the Japanese Embassy and embraced by the South African sporting structures is a benchmark. It is an example of how political and sporting structures can collaborate to inspire our youth across countries, cultures and sport.
Photos by: Lulu’s Sport Pics
