{"id":6049,"date":"2025-06-06T11:01:19","date_gmt":"2025-06-06T02:01:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sports-tokyo-info.metro.tokyo.lg.jp\/tokyoforward2025-legacy\/?post_type=supporter&p=6049"},"modified":"2025-07-04T10:37:17","modified_gmt":"2025-07-04T01:37:17","slug":"tamesue-dai-en","status":"publish","type":"supporter","link":"https:\/\/www.sports-tokyo-info.metro.tokyo.lg.jp\/tokyoforward2025-legacy\/en\/entertainer\/tamesue-dai-en\/","title":{"rendered":"Dai Tamesue\uff08Former Track and field athlete \u30fbRepresentative Director of Deportare Partners\uff09 | Overflowing with curiosity. A running philosopher explores “humanity"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dismantling the Sense of Privilege
\n“Optimization” for a society that has struggled<\/h2>\n

\u2015You won bronze medals at the World Athletics Championships at Edmonton 2001 and Helsinki 2005. What kind of preparation do you feel led to that success? <\/strong><\/p>\n

Tamesue<\/strong>\u3000At that time, there was a growing momentum for Japanese track and field athletes to go out into the world, and I was one of them. The season starts in March, and after a series of competitions in Europe, there will be a national championship in June and the World Athletics Championships. I think my success was led by entering that world schedule.<\/p>\n

\u2015How was your performance in the race?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Tamesue<\/strong>\u3000Especially in the Edmonton 2001 race, I also broke the Japanese record, and I think I ran very well. At Helsinki 2005, I qualified in 8th place. Luckily, it rained, and I feel like I succeeded due to a series of coincidences. From the current basic point of view, I think I could have done a little more because I have learned a new way of training, but I think I was able to do the best race at the time.<\/p>\n

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Two-time bronze medalist at the World Athletics Championships.
\nChanged the history of track and field in Japan<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u2015How do you think your results and experiences at the World Athletics Championships influenced your career?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Tamesue<\/strong>\u3000If you don’t win a medal at the World Athletics Championships, you won’t be able to talk about it in interviews like this, so I’m very grateful for that (laughs). Another good thing was that I was able to throw away all kinds of distractions and experience performing in an instant. On the other hand, the disadvantage is that if you focus on the competition and optimize yourself there, you will become a bit of a unique figure in the real world.<\/strong> <\/span>We were in a very competitive and extremely ambitious world, so we felt like \u201cwe didn’t want to do anything wasteful\u201d, and \u201cwe wanted to give it our all\u201d. This is likely to cause friction in the real world, isn’t it? After that, a sense of privilege inevitably develops. I had the hardest time dismantling this consciousness.<\/p>\n

\u2015What kind of measures did you take to adapt yourself to society? <\/strong><\/p>\n

Tamesue<\/strong>\u3000As I faced society, I began to think about whether it was an environmental problem or my own problem.<\/strong> <\/span>At first, I thought it was because of the environment, but when things continuously go wrong, I realized that it was my own problem. However, it was not all bad, and it led to meeting people who felt the same way. There were a lot of entrepreneurs, but they also have an attitude of trying to create value without making any compromises. It might have been good to know that.<\/p>\n

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I am often confused by the gap between the competitive world and the real world and
\nstruggled to adapt<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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“What you can’t do now” is not “what you can’t do in the future”<\/h2>\n

\u2015What kind of child were you ?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Tamesue<\/strong>\u3000 I used to hang out with my friends a lot, and I might have been a little bully. I also liked books, and I often read adventures such as “Robinson Crusoe” and “The Drift of Fifteen Boys.” I also read the Sherlock Holmes series.<\/p>\n

\u2015How did you first encounter track and field ? <\/strong><\/p>\n

Tamesue<\/strong>\u3000When I was in the third year of elementary school, I joined a local track and field club. My mother wanted me to exercise, so at first, I did swimming, gymnastics, and karate. But I’m not good at things that fit the mold (laughs). I was very fast on my feet, so I really enjoyed the track and field club that my mother took me to. One of the reasons was that my sister had already joined before me.<\/p>\n

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Childhood days when he was a little bully.
\n* Bottom photo: Dai Tamesue in a yellow uniform<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u2015What kind of mindset did you have when you started competing? <\/strong><\/p>\n

Tamesue<\/strong>\u3000At first, I was happy to be praised, and I wanted to become popular. Gradually, however, my curiosity turned into how fast I could go.<\/strong> <\/span>If you train with ingenuity, you will get faster. It was interesting to think about various things while training. Of course, there were times when things didn’t go well, but I still thought that \u201cthere might be another shot\u201d, or that \u201cI could grow even more\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u2015How did you overcome when your time became sluggish? <\/strong><\/p>\n

Tamesue<\/strong>\u3000I was trying to overcome it by steadily solidifying the basics, trying different methods, and so on. I always had the idea in my head that it was stopped for some reason, but if I removed it, my time would improve more, and I felt like I was finding hope in that.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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When he was in junior high school, he won the national championship.
\nFrom this time on, he enjoyed the process of becoming faster by making improvements<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u2015Why did you believe so much in your potential? <\/strong><\/p>\n

Tamesue<\/strong>\u3000I think there is some innate nature. I’ve always had a habit of thinking, “I can do better” when I try out things. Then there’s the experience. When I was in junior high school, I became the best in the country, and I was able to convince myself that what I thought I couldn’t do now was just how it looked under the current conditions, and that it would be different if I went ahead.<\/strong><\/span> “What I can’t do now” and “What I can’t do in the future” no longer coincide. I think it was important for me to have that kind of belief.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWhat we can\u2019t do now\u201d is not \u201cwhat we can\u2019t do in the future.\u201d
\nIt\u2019s a belief he has gained from his own experience<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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A system to support “fun sports” that Japan lacks<\/h2>\n

\u2015Since your retirement, you have been focusing on promoting track and field.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Tamesue<\/strong>\u3000I am working because I want more people to think that “track and field is great”. When I was still active as an athlete, I also did street track and field, but after retiring, I started thinking about how to create “fun track and field”.<\/strong> <\/span>Towards the end of my competitive career, when I was gradually moving away from the top, I realized that all roads were in a system that led to the top athletes. But that’s the world for a limited number of athletes, isn’t it? That’s why I don’t just want to be a top athlete, but I also want to make sure that people who quit along the way can enjoy it.<\/strong> <\/span>Currently, I am also teaching hurdles in elementary school physical education classes, but in fact, most of the children do not want to jump hurdles. And they don’t want people to see. I am trying to find ways for these children to have fun working on it.<\/p>\n

\u2015What kind of ideas are you using?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Tamesue<\/strong>\u3000For children who are not good at exercising, it is very hard to be forced to do something in front of everyone.<\/strong> <\/span>Therefore, it is important to know how to disperse the “focus” of the class.<\/strong><\/span> Create a situation where each person is focused on himself and not looking at others. I’ve been conscious of that. As a result, rather than teaching hurdle techniques, I feel like I’ve been thinking about \u201chow to tackle children who are not good at hurdles\u201d.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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I was conscious of creating an environment where even children who are not good at it can easily work on it.
\n(The photo seems to be Dai Tamesue\u2019s first hurdle challenge)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u2015What do you think needs to be improved in the sports world in Japan?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Tamesue<\/strong>\u3000First of all, the great thing is that you can be discovered and have opportunities to grow as long as they have talent, no matter where you are in Japan. This is something that is rare in the world.<\/strong><\/span> In other countries, there may not be a competitive environment, and the people born with sports talent may not be discovered. Japan has physical education classes and attracts attention for its success even in elementary and junior high school competitions. Japan has a system in place to discover talent.<\/strong> <\/span>It may be the best talent discovery system in the world. On top of that, I think it is a country that produces Olympic athletes at a low cost. Although the burden on schoolteachers is heavy, the system of club activities is well established.
\nOn the other hand, the challenge is how to create “entertainment” and “fun sports”.<\/strong><\/span> Operations, which tend to rely on subsidies, tend to be inward-looking and stability-oriented, and have little outward development potential. We imagine and create the “fun” of human beings. Beyond that movement, we will be looking for friends to create “fun” together, such as sponsorships and securing independent financial resources.<\/strong> <\/span>I think we need to change the direction.
\nAlso, after the age of 18, the number of people who leave sports increases dramatically. Japan created the system where everyone plays sports until the age of 18, and the best people rise to the top. There is no structure to support the people who spill out of it to enjoy playing sports. The support of the “enjoyer” is extremely weak.<\/strong> <\/span>In that respect, there is no retirement in Europe. No matter how old you are, there are many environments where you can engage in sports. I think Japan needs a system that makes it easy for people in their 30s and 40s to start playing new sports.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cThe support of the enjoyer is extremely weak\u201d.
\nThe challenge is lack of touchpoints to easily enjoy sports.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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In April 2024, the official \u201cBread Eating Competition\u201d was jointly held with Kimuraya main store.
\nCreate touchpoints from a unique perspective<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Sports experience that fosters “non-cognitive skills”<\/h2>\n

\u2015In your book, “Is Sports Necessary for Life?”, you had a conversation with Takahiko Moribayashi, who won the Koshien (annual nationwide high school baseball tournament). as the coach of the Keio High School baseball team. What do you think you can learn from sports? <\/strong><\/p>\n

Tamesue<\/strong>\u3000Recently, “cognitive ability” and “non-cognitive ability” are often talked about in the educational world. Cognitive ability is measurable, and this can be learned in school. On the other hand, non-cognitive skills include the ability to accomplish things, the ability to cooperate with others, and the ability to reconcile. As a means of enhancing this, sports are a very good tool.<\/strong><\/span> Global studies have also cited “sports experience” and “leadership experience” as factors that increase non-cognitive skills that affect lifetime wages. I think that the experience of not going well or the experience of bringing together friends with different goals can be cultivated especially in team competitions.<\/strong><\/span>
\nHowever, sports have a great physical impact, so there are people who fit and people who don’t. However, it is also true that there is a culture that forcibly imposes sports on people who do not fit in, because “sports are educational.” Therefore, I think it is necessary to strike a good balance between those who want to enjoy sports and those who use it as an education.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u2015What do you feel you have learned through sports?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Tamesue<\/strong>\u3000First of all, \u201cthe ability to narrow down your efforts\u201d. I think I’ve learned where to focus my efforts and how to allocate my efforts to avoid wasted effort.<\/strong><\/span> The other thing is simple, but I was able to gain the ability to \u201cconcentrate on something\u201d through sports.<\/p>\n

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In a conversation with Takahiko Moribayashi,
\nhe talked about the value of sport in life<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u2015Is there anything that left an impression on you from your conversation with Takahiko Moribayashi?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Tamesue<\/strong>\u3000Takahiko Moribayashi does not teach directly to the athletes themselves, but through university student coaches.<\/strong> <\/span>One of the characteristics at Keio is that the university student coach talks to the high school students and tells them what Takahiko Moribayashi would do when he heard the report. It’s like logistical support, and it’s similar to management. I learned a lot from that, and I felt that it was “Reiwa era style guidance.”<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u2015Rather than being guided by the director, you let the students think for themselves.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Tamesue<\/strong>\u3000That’s right. Let them express their opinions and think for themselves. In today’s education, there is an emphasis on inquiry-based learning, but the most difficult part is “finding a theme that you are passionate enough to really want to explore.”<\/strong><\/span> It doesn’t matter if it’s sports or art, but if there’s something that kids are passionate about, they can naturally go into inquiry-based learning from there.<\/p>\n

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Can you find something you\u2019re passionate about?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

The last sanctuary of the AI period is “humanity”<\/h2>\n

\u2015The media of “Tamesue University” advocates “playing humanity,” but what does “humanity” mean to you?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Tamesue<\/strong>\u3000Originally, the core of our activities was to “understand humans and open up their potential,” but I feel that the evolution of AI such as ChatGPT has changed the question from “What is human?” to “What is humanity?”<\/strong><\/span> From now on, I feel that it will become ambiguous that something is more superior or outstanding to others. For example, even people who are not good at singing can hear well by making corrections. Therefore, it is an image of a world where only “how to sing with taste” will be evaluated.<\/strong><\/span>
\nWe have an animalistic primitive part and an intellectual part, but that intellectual part is beginning to be replaced by AI. That’s why I think that the area that can be called “humanity” sandwiched between them will be the final sanctuary.
\nI believe that even with the development of AI, the value of human beings and the things that only humans can do will remain. When I say, “something that only humans can do,” I feel that I tend to focus on the functional aspect, but that’s not the case. I think that the sense of asking questions, exploring, and realizing that even meaningless things are important is what makes us human.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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