Like most people in Japan, I remember vividly where I was on March 11, 2011. I was training in Phoenix, Arizona, for the 2011 World Athletics Championships. I watched in disbelief as the tragedy unfolded in the Tohoku region on TV, feeling utterly helpless. I was frustrated that there was nothing I could do to help except keep trying to reach my family and friends on the phone.
I remember feeling that this was the first time since I had become an athlete that I felt so powerless. As an athlete, if you lose a competition, you train harder. If you are not among the best, you stay motivated and try harder until you achieve your goals.
That is why, on that sad day in 2011 when sport had taken me away from Japan, I made a decision to bring sport and its power back to the affected areas.