TANIGAWA Ageha

General
RETIREMENT THOUGHTS
She struggled to deal with the additional pressure once she joined the Japanese national team, which culminated in her contemplating quitting the sport following a disappointing performance at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. She was ultimately encouraged to continue in the sport by her family and her teammates. "When I was selected to represent Japan, I felt pressure for the first time in my swimming life. I've always hated losing and have a lot of pride, but I couldn't break away from the idea that, 'I'm a national team swimmer, so I must never lose in a competition'. I couldn't show my strength and failed in the qualifying round [at the 2020 Olympic Games], which was very frustrating. While I was feeling really depressed, the younger swimmers were getting better and better, and I wondered what I was doing. Last year [2021], I was seriously thinking about quitting swimming. When I really couldn't see my future in swimming, my mother must have thought that I would quit swimming. However, [Japanese swimmers] Yui Ohashi and Sakiko Shimizu kindly consulted me many times. I realised once again that I was able to continue swimming, which I have loved since I was four years old, thanks to the support of my mother and those around me. I thought swimming was the only way to repay those people. I made up my mind that I would definitely become stronger, and I was able to get back on my feet." (kindaipicks, 27 Apr 2022)