残念です。
試合の途中から、失格にさえならなければまず勝てる！と思っていたのですが、その気持ちの緩みがよくありませんでした。
最終的に、終了間際に口に入れた量が相手より少なく、記録で並ばれてしまいました。
そして、勝敗はその後の5本勝負で決まりました。
１０分の試合の勝者を５本のホットドッグで決めるというのだから、この一本の重みはすごいわけです。
にもかかわらず、５本勝負の内容より１０分の内容を気にしています。
それは僕が、記録にこだわる選手だからだと思います。
イメージとしては、陸上競技です。
１００メートルの走者が同タイムでゴールした時、３０メートル走で１００メートルの走者の優劣を決める事ができるでしょうか？
３０メールの勝者と１００メートルの勝者が決まるだけです。
違う競技で決着をつけた事になります。
僕としては、１０分の試合で、いかに自分のもてる力を発揮するのかが大切なわけです。
だから５本のプレイオフにもたくさん反省点はあるけれど、そもそも１０分で決着をつけられなかった事が問題だと思っています。
もちろん、同条件でプレイオフしているわけですから、結果は受け止めなければなりませんが、この先のためにも結果ではなくプレイの質を考えなければなりません。
その場合、１０分の延長で闘っているというより、別の試合で決着をつけたという意識を持つ必要があるわけです。
だから、じゃんけんでも決着をつけても、５本勝負で決着をつけても１０分の意味は僕の中ではかわりません。
すべきことは１０分間の反省です。
昨年あれだけがんばれたのに、今年は自分に甘かった。
昨年に比べると、試合後も身体が楽で、当日の精一杯ができていない事を嫌でも感じました。
前回のように、もてる力をいっぱいに使って勝てなかった試合とは違い、
とても反省点の多い試合ですから、冷静に今大会を分析し、今後にいかしたいと思います。
昨年は判定、今年は引き分けプレイオフ、
モヤモヤさせてしまってすみません。
来年はハッキリとした実力差をみせつけ、文句のなしで世界一の証明をします！
本当に応援ありがとうございました。
I’m really disappointed.
From part way through, I was thinking “as long as I don’t get disqualified somehow, I can win this!” but the relaxation this thought brought on had a negative effect.
In the end, the handful I pushed into my mouth at the last moment was smaller than what my opponent pushed into his, and we were tied.
This meant that the winner had to be decided in a five hot dog eat-off.
When you’re deciding the winner of a 10-minute competition with just five hot dogs, the weight on each of those five hot dogs is enormous.
But despite this, it is not the five hot dog competition, but the 10-minute competition that is playing on my mind. This is because I am a competitor who focuses on records. The image is the same as for track athletics. If 100-metre runners crossed the finish line with exactly the same time, would you decide the winner of the 100-metre event with a 30-metre dash!? All this achieves is two separate results – tied 100-metre winners and a 30-metre winner. This creates results for one sport based on an entirely different event!
To me, what is important is to see how well you can bring out your potential in a 10-minute competition. Of course I have lots of regrets about my performance in the five hot dog competition, but above all I think the fact that the champion of the 10-minute competition was not resolved is a problem.
Of course both competitors took part in the play-off under the same conditions, so I need to accept the result, but for the sake of my future, it is not such results but the quality of my performance that I need to focus on. In this case, I think the correct approach is to look at the situation as this: we decided the winner through a different event (rather than that we decided the winner in an extension of the 10-minute battle).
So for me, deciding the champion in a five hot dog challenge is no different to deciding the champion by playing “rock, scissors, paper”.
What I need to do is review my 10-minute challenge.
After trying so hard, giving it all I had last year, I ended up being too soft on myself this year. Compared to last year, I physically felt better after the game this year, and also felt that I hadn’t given it my all on the day, as much as I hated to admit it to myself.
Unlike last time, when I lost but I had done my absolute best on the day, I have numerous regrets about this time, so I intend to calmly analyse every aspect, and learn from this for the future.
Last year the winner came down to the referee’s judgement, and this year it was a draw, followed by a playoff. I’m sorry to put you through what are no doubt very frustrating battles to watch. Next year I will come back and show you all a world number 1 performance, where the difference in ability is clear, leaving no room for complaints!
Thank you sincerely your ongoing support.
