Koji Murofushi shooting a TV commercial in Japan (© Courtesy of Koji Murofushi)
Hi there!
I feel so excited to start the 2003 season, for this is the first of the three consecutive seasons with the global championships - 2003 World Championships, 2004 Olympics and 2005 World Championships.
For me the World Championships is associated with special memory, because the competition at the 2001 World Championships in Edmonton remains unforgettable. First because it was the hardest competition I ever had in my career and second because the competition was against my friend Szymon Ziolkowski of Poland.
Last year, a finger injury prevented me from throwing the hammer during the whole winter season. Unlike last year, my winter training including throwing sessions went very well this year. Tibor Gecsek who retired from competition at the end of the last season came over to Japan from Hungary last February, and we trained together, which was an excellent stimulus for me.
The facilities at my alma mater, Chukyo University in Toyota, where I train most of the time are excellent. By the way, the city of Toyota is the home of Toyota motors, one of the sponsors of the World Championships in Paris.
As with two years ago when I won the silver medal at Edmonton, my first competition of the year was in the low-key meet at Chukyo University. Although it was the first competition in quite a while, I was able to throw over 82m (82.36m).
However, I am not content with the results. In this competition, all my six throws (80.29m, 80.69m, 82.36m, 81.06m, 81.49m, and 81.66m) were over 80m, a piece of statistics the Japanese media made into a headline. I was thus asked to comment on this feat.
I said that because of the nature of the event, where one big throw wins the competition, consistency is not that important in the Hammer Throw. However, the fact that I did not have any bad throws does work to my advantage.
My second competition of the year was at the Osaka GP on May 10, which I won with 82.95m. I must admit that I was a bit tense because it was the first international competition in a while and many spectators were in hand.
There is another reason why I considered the competition at Osaka important. It is because this stadium is the venue of the 2007 World Championships. Since it was the first international competition at the Nagai stadium after the announcement that the 2007 Worlds will be held there, I considered this competition to be my first step toward 2007.
Because I was in Monaco when the announcement was made, I can still recall the excitement I felt when President Lamine Diack announced the site of the 2007 Worlds last November. I strongly feel that all the athletes as well as everyone involved in the organisation of this event must try their best for the success of this important event.
On another subject, I was asked to star in a TV commercial last March for Takeda Chemical Industries, one of the major pharmaceutical companies in Japan. The product I advertise is a vitamin fortified drink called “Alinamin 7.”
Although last year’s commercial footage included some throwing scenes, this year’s version is quite different. In this year’s footage, after being energised in the giant “Alinamin 7” bottle, I jump out of the bottle, break the ceiling and then fly to work in the morning. The idea, of course, is that “Alinamin 7” will give energy to start a great day. The filming started at 6:00AM and continued late into the night.
Returning to the athletics, my next competition most likely will be the national championships in Yokohama on June 8, after which I will travel to Europe to compete in GP events.
I have always wished to pursuit the excellence in my own sports, and hope that 2003 season will be a splendid season for everyone.
Koji Murofushi
