Over the past two days, I swam in three races, including two relays, which made me keenly aware of the rigorous nature of competitive swimming and deepened my respect for my swimmers.
Thirty years ago, I swam in the Japan Masters and won two titles in the 100m and 200m backstroke, so I entered Pesta Sukan with a certain level of confidence and readily accepted the request to join the relay.
However, about three weeks ago, when I started training, I found the water heavy, my body sinking, and I couldn't move forward.
Was swimming always this tough?
My shoulder also began to inflame and heat up. Nevertheless, I managed to finish the races.
I hope to perform a bit better next year.
I apologize for holding everyone back in the relay.
Next week, I will be participating in a road bike time trial. It's a race covering two laps of 10 km each, totaling 21 km. Since it's a staggered start, there shouldn't be any crashes like last time. My days as an athlete continue a bit longer. The challenge of a 70-year-old Japanese man continues.
