The Japanese unarmed martial art of karate is one of the most popular martial arts practised in the world. In Japanese, it means empty hands.
Tsuneari Yahiro is an Australian karate champion; he began learning karate when he was nine with his elder brother.
“One day, when I came back from school, my father told me to get in a car. Then he drove us to a karate dojo (training venue),” Mr Yahiro said.
The 33-year-old has been almost unbeatable in Australia since.
“When I was a kid, yes, I had times that I wanted to quit. But I was too competitive to do so. I didn’t like losing and that made me keep going.”
In 2016, with impressive achievements already made, Mr Yahiro was losing his motivation and thinking about his retirement from the sport. But that same year, karate was announced to become one of the newly added sports to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
"I thought it was fate", he says, and decided to postpone his retirement and start preparations for the Tokyo Olympics.
Focus on what you can do
At the Tokyo Olympics, karate will be competed at the Nippon Budokan which is a very special venue for Japanese martial artists, almost a ‘sacred site’ for them.
Karate is not going to be included in the Paris Olympics in 2024. For all karate champions representing their countries, the Tokyo Games will be the first and the last chance to compete for Olympic medals.
The Nippon Budokan, the spiritual home of martial arts in Japan. Source: The Nippon Budokan
“It’s different from other international competitions. The significance of being part of the Olympic team and representing Australia is of a different magnitude. I’m determined to compete honourably and achieve results (for Australia),” Mr Yahiro said.
Like other Olympic athletes around the world, he had to face the lockdown and the one year postponement of the Games due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“As I was already chosen for the Olympics unofficially before the pandemic, I didn’t have to worry about the selection process too much. That lifted the pressure off,”
“What I tried to do was to concentrate on what I can do, which is making myself ready for the best performance. Not being able to travel means that I was able to take good care of myself and recover from my injuries too.”
Japanese-Australian Karate champion Tsuneari Yahiro (left) is representing Australia for the Tokyo Olympics. Source: Tsuneari Yahiro
Tips to win – Relax
He says he's is grateful that he could compete at the Tokyo Olympics finally, after five years of preparation.
“The most important thing is for me to make sure that I’ve done all preparations, everything I can. After that, I’d like to enjoy the once-in-a-life experience, without getting too tense. I’ll embrace everything including the air at the venue.”
He says being able to focus and relax during a match is very important to win. You have to figure out the best next move with faints and careful observations of the opponent.
“You need to be one step ahead. To do so, you can’t be nervous and stiff.
“I’m confident I’ll bring back a medal (to Australia). I promise that I’ll do everything I can. Please look forward to it.”
Mr Yahiro will leave Australia on the 7th of June to compete in France first then head to Tokyo for the Olympic Games.
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