"Madness" cannot be cultivated through training, and the reason I left the ring.

One day in 2011. After losing by decision, I realized on the train ride home that my vision was impaired.
Along with the despair of "Ah, I've done it again...", I found myself thinking about trivial things, like what I should do about work tomorrow.

The next day, I went to the hospital for an examination and found that my retina was severely detached and torn. I was immediately hospitalized for surgery.
This was my fourth surgery in total, as I had already had two on my right eye and this was my second on my left eye.

My doctor told me, "Any more than this carries a risk of blindness," and at 30 years old, I had already passed my peak.
Perhaps it was a good time to retire. That was when my life as a professional athlete came to an end.

Since I was a child, I was fast, and it was rare for me not to come in first in footraces. I was the type who could grasp techniques quickly and handle anything with dexterity. My physical ability was decent, and overall, I was able to succeed quickly.
I was, of course, a starter in basketball, which I started in junior high, and in high school, I was the runner-up in the Inter-High School qualifiers for handball.

And in the martial arts I started in college, I was able to reach the top 8 in the All-Japan tournament.
That "dexterity" became my confidence, and I set out on the path as a professional athlete.

However, the professional world was not easy.
It is a world where people who are serious continue to put in effort that could be called "madness," and on top of that, they possess talent.
Also, when it comes to martial arts, you need a literal "madness" to beat people down.
It was a place where someone as dexterous as me could not possibly survive.

Honestly, I don't remember much about my life after retiring.
There were no peaks or valleys; the days just passed by monotonously.

And so, it leads to my quiet "now."

#MySportsHistory