Like in Ashita no Joe, I’d be fulfilled if I could run so hard that, when the fight is over, my mind just fades to pure white.Naoko Takahashi

Joe chose a world title match with champion José Mendoza over the fear of becoming punch-drunk and losing his life.

Though he lost by decision, he fought with everything he had until he burned out white-hot… This final cut from Ashita no Joe is hailed as one of the most iconic scenes in manga history.

Joe’s boxing, Naoko Takahashi’s marathon—people who have something that truly burns inside them make you feel a bit envious.

Although Takahashi has retired as an athlete, she will surely continue to share that same passion with us in many different forms!

Gratitude toward others also becomes your own strength.Naoko Takahashi

“The pay is low, but if you’re okay with a contract position, would you like to join us?” That invitation from Coach Koide was the beginning of that famous golden duo.

Later, Ms.

Takahashi said that meeting Coach Koide was “the greatest victory of my life, more than a gold medal.” Those are words very characteristic of Naoko Takahashi, who never forgot to be considerate not only to Coach Koide but to those around her as well.

Whether in a club activity or a workplace organization, we shine because of the support we receive from various people around us.

The power of a single human being is quite small, after all.

Do more than the average just to be average; only after doing twice as much as others do you finally start to get there…Naoko Takahashi

There are sometimes athletes who talk big and maybe even mouth off a bit, right? But whenever I see that, I can’t help thinking, “There’s no such thing as an unserious athlete, so even if they talk trash, deep down they’re actually a good person…” True athletes reach a place you can’t get to by being casual: not being able to eat what they want, endless running, training the body, drilling the basics until they’re sick of it, studying their opponents, and so on.

If we’re talking world-class, that goes without saying.

Coming from Ms.

Takahashi, who won a gold medal, those are words so convincing I can’t argue with them for a second!

If you keep chasing your dreams and never give up, even the darkest path will begin to shine with light.Naoko Takahashi

During her time at Gifu Prefectural Commercial High School, she competed in the National Inter-High School Championships but was eliminated in the preliminaries.

As a second-year student, she also took part in the National Inter-Prefectural Women’s Ekiden, finishing 45th out of 47 in her section.

Looking at those results, compared with other runners who blossomed early and thrived from a young age, Ms.

Takahashi might be considered a late bloomer.

Perhaps these words shine all the more because she is someone who kept layering effort upon effort.

I felt a similar resonance with AKB48’s Minami Takahashi’s famous quote, “Effort will surely be rewarded.”

Even if you get hurt, it’s far more fun than a life where you can’t even fail.Naoko Takahashi

“Failure teaches success.” was later translated as “Failure is the mother of success,” and it has continued to inspire many people.

I’ve heard it attributed to Edison.

When he was searching for a suitable filament material, Edison failed in a series of experiments with 100 different materials.

Even then, he took those failures positively, saying, “We have discovered 100 materials that are not suitable for filaments.” I sense the same kind of positivity in Mr.

Takahashi’s words, don’t you? “If only I had picked up the pace a bit then,” “If only I had gone a little wider on the outside”—surely even such regrets can be turned into the next success.

If you try to rush up a long flight of stairs, you’ll run out of steam halfway. But if you steadily climb one step at a time, it may take longer, yet you’ll make it to the top.Naoko Takahashi

I’m sure all of you reading this have various dreams as well.

It might be becoming a great actress and captivating people with your performances, becoming a renowned doctor and helping as many people as possible, or becoming an interpreter and working on a global stage.

By the way, my dream was to become a veterinarian.

But even such big dreams are reached through the accumulation of small steps.

Running 42 kilometers is also the result of putting one foot in front of the other—truly a grounded sentiment, very fitting for a marathon runner.

Let’s try to keep doing ‘just a little bit of effort’ every day.Naoko Takahashi

Marathon gold medalist Naoko Takahashi: Try keeping up a little bit of effort every day #shorts

“I don’t want to study.” “I don’t want to deal with the paperwork.” Whether you’re a student or a working adult, the feeling of “Ugh, I really don’t want to do this” comes at you like an avalanche every day, doesn’t it? You can’t completely overcome that lazy urge to “somehow avoid it,” so when that happens, remember Mr.

Takahashi’s words: “Just try a little.” You may not be able to memorize 100 English words, but maybe you can manage three a day.

A 50% boost in sales might be impossible, but perhaps 1% is doable.

Up to that traffic light, up to that intersection—maybe Mr.

Takahashi kept running by stacking up those small “just a little” efforts.