Mariko Morimoto, Athletics – In pursuit of the unfinished triple jump “Become to be 1% better than my yesterday’s self”

Mariko Morimoto
Born in 1995 in Osaka. Japanese record holder of Women’s triple jump (14m16).

Graduated from Taisei Gakuin University High School and Japan Women’s College of Physical Education. After working at Uchida Construction Co., LTD., she joined Orient Corporation from Feb. 2024.
Participated in national competitions in jumping events since her junior year. After entering university, she focused on triple jump, and in her third year in 2015, she won 2nd place at the Japan Interscholastic Championships with a jump of 12.58m. After graduating from university, she also worked as a bobsledder and participated in an international competition in 2019, showing her desire to participate in the Winter Olympics.
After winning the Japan Championship for the first time in 2019, she has won an unprecedented six consecutive tournaments until 2024. At the 2023 Games, she jumped 14.16m, setting a new Japanese record for the first time in 24 years.
In 2024, she became the first Japanese athlete to participate in the Olympics in the Women’s triple jump. In both name and reality, she is a presence that opens the way to the world of similar events.

 

Revival of “Speciality of Japan”

――What kind of event was the recent Paris 2024 Olympics for you?

It was a competition that was the highlight of my career. I think this is the result of all the hard work I have put in over the past few years to prepare for the Olympics. Partly due to the injury I sustained in early spring, I was unable to build up a foundation and was finishing things at a rapid pace, so thinking about that, I feel like I was able to do what I could.

――You became the first Japanese athlete to participate in the Olympics in the Women’s triple jump. It was a great step that Mikio Oda finally achieved on the path he blazed 96 years ago, but what were your thoughts as you approached it?

I was focusing on my own training, so to be honest, I didn’t really realize that I was the first Japanese female athlete to participate in this event. But I myself have always wanted to revive the triple jump as a speciality of Japan. Someone has to take that step, and I would be happy if the athletes of the next generation thought, “I can participate in the Olympics”.

――Is there anything that left an impression on you at the Olympics?

As I was waiting for the bus to return from the stadium to the Olympic Village, a Canadian athlete sitting behind me said to me, “Would you like to exchange the national flag pin badge?” We exchanged our pin badges, and to my surprise, that athlete won the gold medal in the Women’s hammer throw (Camryn Rogers). It was a valuable experience to be close to some really great athletes. Also, personally, I ate breakfast with coach Masaki Morinaga almost every day, and it was interesting that the coach ate baguette and mango every day. I thought what a picky eater he was.

 

Technique of controlling the run-up and jumping is important

――Please tell us about your career. What made you start track and field?

I have an older brother, and when we were in elementary school, there was a track and field meet in our city, and he won a silver medal in the long jump. When I saw that, I thought, “I want a medal, too” so that is how I started doing track and field.

――You have been participating in jumping events since your junior days, and in high school you placed 2nd in the inter-high school long jump. Why did you decide to focus on triple jump?

When I was in my first year of university, I was worried that my long jump record wasn’t improving, and that’s when my university teacher recommended it to me. I did both events in university, but the reason I decided to focus on it was simply because I had good results in the triple jump.

――What characteristics do you think make you suitable for triple jump?

I am quite tall as a Japanese, and I think my long arms and legs are suitable for triple jump. However, many foreign athletes are taller than me and have longer limbs. Of course, the taller you are, the more power you need to control your body. Venezuelan athlete Yulimar Rojas who has a world record of 15m74 has a height of more than 1m90cm, and so we start with different base.

――Given these physical differences, how do you plan to bridge them?

Triple jump is a technical event, so I believe that if I hone my skills and run-up speed, I can make use of what I have. I’m training in Germany and there’s a player on my team who’s about 1m87cm. She is also faster in the run-up sprint, but that alone doesn’t mean she can jump. The technique of how to control the run-up and jump is important, so if I can do that well, I think my record will improve even more.

 

“Do what you love”

――At the 2023 Japan Championships, you marked 14m16, breaking the Japanese record for the first time in 24 years.

At that time, I thought that if everything worked together, I would be able to get something in the 14m range. I was happy from the bottom of my heart to have actually exceeded 14m as a record and to have broken the Japanese record for the first time in 24 years. My team, coaches, trainers, family, and friends who have always supported me came to cheer me on, so I was deeply moved to be able to renew my performance in front of everyone.

――Looking back on your attempts at that time, what were the good points?

The best part was the flow of the run-up. The distance is about 30m to 40m, and there is an initial speed, middle, acceleration, and final phase, but everyone inevitably stalls on the last four steps. Among them, the flow from the initial speed to the middle was good, and until the railroad crossing, I felt like I was being sucked in like threading through the eye of a needle. That’s how I felt, so I thought it would come out.

――Is there anything you consciously try to do in your daily life?

I want to become 1% better than my yesterday’s self. I am always thinking about this during my training. I can talk about it now, but there was a time in early spring when I got injured and felt so depressed that I thought, “I can’t do this anymore”. That’s when my German coaches (Thomas Blanc, Ralf Jaros) told me “Do what you love”, in other words “Do what you truly love and feel passionate about”. That’s when he said to me, “All you have to do is make it 1% better”, which made me feel a lot lighter. My passion is the Olympics, and I’ve even tried bobsledding because I want to participate in the Olympics. My company and the people who support me on a regular basis understood that feeling even more than I did, and they pushed me, which is why I was able to do my best at the Japan Championship. It may look like I’m doing it alone because it’s an individual event, but I’m part of “Team Mariko” and I’m competing with everyone’s support.

 

“Win against myself” in Tokyo in 2025

――Next year the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25 will be held. Do you have a future roadmap in mind?

I will turn 30 next year, and I think it will be the culmination of my competitive career. After that, I would like to do something like Asuka Terada (100m hurdles) who is a mom athlete and forges a new path, or rather overturn conventional wisdom. I was in the same room with her during the Asian Indoor Track and Field Championships held in Iran this year, and after hearing Terada’s story from her time away from competition to her return, I wondered if that was the way to go. When you participate in track and field, you can’t help but see things from one direction, and you become more and more lonely. As my level increases, my mind and body are being stripped away. I was impressed to hear that life is not just about competition…

――What is your goal at the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25?

It is to win against myself. The 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest was a frustrating event that brought me to tears, so I hope to finish the competition with a smile on my face next time. I will be very satisfied if I get my personal best!

――The most satisfying jump in the past was when you achieved your personal best?

To be honest, I wasn’t satisfied at that time. I believe that the triple jump is a sport where you pursue perfection in the midst of incompleteness. This hasn’t been completed yet, but if I had to pick one match that I was satisfied with, it would be last year’s Asian Championships. Although I was in the lead until halfway through, I was overtaken by a Chinese player on my fifth attempt. I am satisfied that I was able to jump 14m again under such difficult circumstances. However, in order to leave a mark on the world stage, it is necessary to produce good records in the last three races. I want to be able to do that.

――Please tell us what you are looking forward to or expect at the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25.

I would like to see the National Stadium filled to capacity like the Olympics or the Budapest 2023 World Athletics Championships. My coach and teammates from Germany are also aiming for the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25, so I hope we can participate together. Also, the National Stadium is close to Orient Corporation, where I work, so I would like everyone from my company to come see it as well.

 

A unique perspective when watching football “My favorite athlete is…”

――Please tell us about your personal side from here. How do you often spend your holidays?

I guess I don’t do much… When I’m in Germany, I walk a lot, but when I’m in Japan, I pretty much stay indoors. The only time I go out is to go to a cafe with friends. At home, I’ve been watching anime lately, and I’ve also been watching Korean dramas on Netflix.

――By the way, what are you watching now?

“Love Next Door”!! I highly recommend it!! I got hooked on Korean dramas because of “Crash Landing on You”. Up until then, I hadn’t watched it that much, but a friend of mine told me that the actors were cool and that it was unusual and interesting, so I decided to watch it and… I became totally obsessed with it!

――Do you have a favorite actor?

I don’t have a favorite, but can I tell you my favorite football player?

――Wow, so sudden! Who is it?

Julian Brandt, who plays in Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund!

――You have a bitter taste! Why do you like Julian Brandt?

In track and field, the basic idea is to run in a straight line, but in football, you can run in various directions. I watch it from the perspective of the amazing techniques that sometimes come out, and the perspective of “How can I move my body like this?” The player who really caught my eye at the matches I went to was Julian Brandt because of his technical skills.

――Not many people watch football from that perspective.

In football, you kick the ball by supporting it with your pivot foot, right? It’s similar to the stepping motion of a triple jump. I look at it from that perspective. Sorry for being so peculiar. When I look at photos of football players kicking a ball, I see that the muscles around the knees are really strong, and if they aren’t stiff, they won’t swing like a pendulum. I learned a lot.

――That’s a great perspective… Getting back to the topic, what kind of anime do you watch?

I was watching the TV animation “Blue Rock” before the Olympics. It is about football again. I thought to myself, “I’m going to become an egoist too”, and I was getting excited. Also, if it’s a comedy series, I was watching something like “MASHLE”.

 

Who are your good friends and who do you recommend?

――If you had to name an athlete you are close with in track and field, who would it be?

It would be Sumire Hata in long jump. My high school teacher, Yuji Sakai, coaches Hata, so we’re good friends because of that connection. I’m two years older than her, but when we’re together, people often say, “She looks more like an older sister”. She is sturdy and reliable.

――Please tell us what you usually talk about in the range that can be revealed.

As far as what I can reveal, it’s pretty limited! At the Olympics, we shared the same room in the Olympic village, and even ate breakfast together. I will talk about the competition too. Sumire Hata also updated her Japanese record last year, but it’s easy to talk with her about what we’re thinking of the competition and our worries.
Sumire Hata first participated in the World Athletics Championships at Oregon 2022. I think it’s because she is a leader in the jumping events that she inspires high jumper Nagisa Takahashi and pole vaulter Misaki Morota to “go out on the world stage”.

――Do you have other athletes that you recommend?

Misaki Morota, who practices at the same ground when she is in Japan, is diligently improving her jumping skills and has broken the Japanese record twice. At last year’s Asian Games, there were a lot of spectators in China, and we were completely away from home, but even within that, we had the strength to break the Japanese record. I think her goal is probably to surpass the Japanese record and advance to the finals at the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25.

Another person to mention is Katsutoshi Uno, who also belongs to Orient Corporation. He is really a fun guy…！ He’s only 23 years old, so I am quite a few years apart, but we’re still very close and he calls me “Mari-nee, Mari-nee”. He is a like a younger brother to me. He graduated from Juntendo University, and practice at a high level with Rachid Muratake (110m hurdles) and others. He has recently achieved a personal best in the 100m, and I am looking forward to his future.

――Who has influenced you the most?

Meeting the two German coaches has influenced me very much. They live every day with the idea that “Life is beautiful”, but I had never thought of it that way. When I take a step back from the competition, I realize that there are many things to be grateful for and to enjoy, such as, “The weather is really nice today”. Meeting these two people had a positive influence on me because it gave me the opportunity to think like this.

――Finally, please give us a message for our readers who are looking forward to the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25!

World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25 will be held in Tokyo where top athletes from around the world will compete since 2007 in Osaka. I think it will be a culmination event for me as well, so I would be happy if many people came to watch it and filled the National Stadium to capacity! I will do my best!!

Instagram：morimari__

text by Moritaka Ohashi
photographs by Uta Mukuo