People : Compete in the world with weight lifting
Ms. Yuko Kikuta & Ms. Fumiko Jyonai

Yuko Kikuta (to the left in picture) Born in Ishikawa prefecture in 1985. Graduate of Iida Prefectural High School. Second year in the School of Social Sciences. Belongs to Professor Akira Naito’s seminar. Winner of the 2004 Junior Olympic Cup in the 69kg division. Fumiko Jyonai (to the right in picture) Born in Iwate prefecture in 1985. Graduate of Miyako-kita Prefectural High School. Third year in the School of Social Sciences. Belongs to Professor Haruo Kataoka’s seminar. Winner of the 2004 Junior Olympic Cup in the super 79kg division.

Originally, their athletic lives as weight lifters began not on their will but from the expectations of their families and people around them. Kikuta began weight lifting after being won over by her father’s request to “please do it.” Her father, who was a teacher at her school as well as the coach of the weight lifting team, actually knelt down on the ground and begged her to play! Jyonai, on the other hand, was encouraged by the former weight lifting player and coach of the judo team at her school, where she belonged. “Even about playing judo I was a bit reluctant that it wasn’t a sport for girls, so I couldn’t help feeling, why me?” says Jyonai. Yet, the capabilities that people had seen in them proved right as they went through the practices. Both won the Women’s National Championships in high school. Learning that efforts made appear as results in the game, the desire to become stronger and improve sprung in them. Because they play in different divisions, they are not like rivals where sparks fly in between. The friendly interaction between the broad-minded Jyonai and the gentle Kikuta softens the atmosphere.

The game of weight lifting consists of performing a “snatch (lifting the weight above the head in one stroke)” and “clean-and-jerk (stopping the barbell in front of the chest once before bringing it above the head)” three times respectively. It is counted as a success if you can stay still in the lifting position for three seconds then drop the weight in front of you. “When a game neared, I used to get so nervous that I couldn’t even practice. So, in the game it’s most important for me that I can convert that pressure into power,” says Jyonai. Kikuta, who describes herself as a person who doesn’t get nervous on the stage, replies with a smile that “I’ve never felt that much anxiety in a game...” yet, adds that “a game is a place where people’s speculations clash and you are demanded to make certain decisions. If you can lift a heavy barbell, the roar of the audience can help to give the opponent more pressure.” Her words reveal the world of a true athlete.

The two go through difficult practice with various tasks every day. The bright carefree smiles of the girls would look no different from that of ordinary college girls in the bustle of the campus. But, asked “your plans for the future?” they both cried in unison, “to play in the Beijing Olympics!”