Koji Murofushi of Japan finishes third in the men's hammer throw (© Getty Images)
How are you all doing?
With the World Championships in Paris now history, the 2003 track and field season has entered its final phase. The season will soon be coming to an end. Today, I would like to write about my preparation for the World Championships in Paris and also touch on the upcoming hammer throw competition in Szombathely, Hungary, which is part of the World Athletics Final.
My preparation for the World Championships in Paris was far from an ideal. In fact, I had two major obstacles to overcome before I could compete in Paris. Until a few days before the qualifying round in Paris, I was not even sure if I could compete at all. My first injury was with my lower back. It was followed by another injury; this time with my right elbow and a finger.
On the last Saturday of July, about a month before the Championships, during the weight training session, I injured my lower back. Initially I could not even run; throwing the hammer was out of question. I was in deep trouble. I thought I was doomed. However, very fortunately for me, the injury was not serious, and I made remarkable recovery. I was able to throw the hammer again in ten days.
Then just when I thought that I had overcome the lower back problem and was ready to make the final preparation for the World Championships, another disaster struck me. One week before the scheduled qualifying round of the hammer throw competition, I slipped during the throwing session under the rainy weather. I fell and hit my right elbow, forearm and hand hard against the ground.
For a few days, my right hand third finger, which directly hit against the ground, felt numb. Because I could not even hold the hammer, let alone throw it, I seriously had to consider the possibility of pulling out of the World Championships all together.
However, because everyone around me promised me to do their best to prepare me for the competition, I made a decision to do my best to get ready for the Championships. I believe that advises from my doctor in Nagoya and the miracle doctor in Tokyo accelerated my recovery. Perhaps one of the most important factors for my speedy recovery was all the encouragement I could sense from my fans in Japan.
Although I knew that I could not be 100% for the Championships, I was determined to do my best in Paris. The result, as you know, was a bronze medal. Of course, I wanted to win gold, but considering all the circumstances during the last one month, I am very grateful for how it turned out at the end.
It was because of all the help I have received during my troubled days, I was able to behave in the way the real athlete should behave. I was truly happy to have been able to compete in Paris.
My next goal is the hammer throw competition in the World Athletics Final, which is scheduled to take place in Szombathley, Hungary. My right elbow has recovered almost completely. I hope that this meet will be very successful one, especially because the meet director happens to be my friend Tibor Gecsek, one of the all-time great hammer throwers. As in the World Championships in Paris, I am hoping for the splendid competition with all my rivals. I will do my best.
Bye for now.
Koji
