Father of 2011 tsunami victim to carry Olympic torch

Sample newspaper article

Father of 2011 tsunami victim to carry Olympic flame

東日本大震災の津波が襲った宮城県石巻市立大川小で、6年生の次女真衣さん＝当時(12)＝を失った鈴木典行さん(54)が、東京五輪の聖火ランナーに内定したことが12日、分かった。「走ることで、大川小の教訓を発信したい」。娘が使っていた学校の名札を胸に着け、走るつもりだ。

12日午前、県から鈴木さんの元に「ランナーに内定したので通知書を送りました」とのメールが届いた。真衣さんにはすぐ、心の中で「一緒に走るぞ」と伝えた。典行さんは「うれしい。選ばれるかドキドキしていた」と話した。家族や友人にも連絡し、「おめでとう」と祝福する返事が届いたという。

(KYODO)

Words and phrases

東日本大震災 (ひがしにほんだいしんさい) the Great East Japan Earthquake

津波 (つなみ) tsunami

襲(おそ)う to hit

宮城県 (みやぎけん) Miyagi Prefecture

石巻市立 (いしのまきしりつ) Ishinomaki municipal

大川小 (おおかわしょう) Okawa Elementary School

6年生 (ろくねんせい) sixth grade

次女 (じじょ) second daughter

真衣 (まい) Mai

当時 (とうじ) at that time

失(うしな)う to lose

鈴木典行 (すずきのりゆき) Noriyuki Suzuki

東京五輪 (とうきょうごりん) Tokyo Olympics

聖火(せいか)ランナー torch runner

内定(ないてい)する to get an unofficial offer/ an informal appointment

12日 (じゅうににち) the 12th

分(わ)かる to be revealed

走(はし)る to run

~することで by ~ing

教訓 (きょうくん) lesson

発信(はっしん)する to disseminate

~したい to want to~

娘 (むすめ) daughter

使(つか)う to use

学校 (がっこう) school

名札 (なふだ) name tag

胸 (むね) chest

着(つ)ける to wear

~するつもり intend to~

午前 (ごぜん) morning

県 (けん) prefecture

~の元(もと)に come to ~ specifically

通知書 (つうちしょ) notice

送(おく)る to send

メール e-mail

届(とど)く to arrive

すぐ immediately

心(こころ)の中(なか)で in one’s heart

一緒(いっしょ)に together

伝(つた)える to tell

うれしい happy

選(えら)ばれる to be chosen

ドキドキする be nervous

話(はな)す to say

家族 (かぞく) family

友人 (ゆうじん) friend

連絡(れんらく)する to contact

おめでとう congratulations

祝福(しゅくふく)する to congratulate

返事 (へんじ) response, reply

Quick questions

1) 鈴木さんはなぜ次女を失ったのですか？

2) 聖火ランナーとして何を発信したいと思っていますか？

3) 内定のメールが届いたとき、鈴木さんは何をしましたか？

Translation

A father who lost his 12-year-old daughter in the massive tsunami that struck her school during the Great East Japan Earthquake was informally appointed as a torch runner for the Tokyo Olympics. The second daughter of Noriyuki Suzuki [54], Mai, was a sixth-grader at Ishinomaki Municipal Okawa Elementary School in Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecure.

“I want to run to disseminate the lesson learned from (the incident at) Okawa Elementary School,” he said. He intends to run wearing his daughter’s school name tag on his chest.

On the morning of Dec. 12, Suzuki received an e-mail from the local municipality saying, “You have been sent this notice as you have been informally appointed as a runner.”

He immediately said to Mai, in his heart, “We’ll run together.” “I’m happy. I was nervous as to whether I’d be chosen,” said Noriyuki. He also contacted his family and friends and said he received congratulatory replies of “Congratulations.”

Answers

1) Why (How) did Mr. Suzuki lose his second daughter?

東日本大震災の津波が彼女の小学校を襲ったから。

Because the tsunami during the Great East Japan Earthquake hit her school.

2) As an Olympic torch runner, what does he hope to disseminate?

大川小の教訓。

The lesson of Okawa Elementary School.

3) When the unofficial offer arrived by email, what did Mr. Suzuki do?

心の中で真衣さんに「一緒に走るぞ」と伝えた。

He told Mai in his heart, “We’ll run together.”