[Interview] 2014 WYYC 3A Champion Hajime Miura

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[2014 World Yo-Yo Contest Champion Interview]

2014 WYYC 3A Champion Hajime Miura (sOMEThING)

3A World Yo-Yo Champion Hajime Miura

 

Q1. When did you start playing yo-yo?

When I was in 2nd Grade (Elementary School).

 

Q2. Why did you start playing yo-yo?

I met Takahiro Mimura (“Miimun”) at a Hyper Yo-Yo event.

 

Q3. Who are some of the yo-yo players you respect/admire/look up to?

Hank Freeman – because he is a 3-time consecutive World Champion in 3A and he has new tricks in his freestyle at every contest.
Hiroyuki Suzuki – because of his speedy tricks and his sharp freestyles.
Sora Ishikawa – because he does unique tricks that no one else is doing, and he advances smoothly from trick to trick.

 

Q4. What made you choose 3A as your main style?

I watched Ken Takabayashi and Kentaro Kimura’s freestyle videos and thought they were cool.

 

Q5. How do you usually practice (where, who with, etc.)?

I work on creating new tricks to get ready for my next contest or practice meeting’s freestyle.

 

Q6. How does that change when you are preparing for different types of contests?

I repeatedly practice my routine.

 

Q7. Do you have any good stories from before you became a world champion that you want to share with us?

Last year I didn’t go to juku* so I had a lot of time to practice.
*(Juku is like tutoring or prep school.)

 

Q8. How did you feel when you became a world champion?

I was very happy. I was excited to stand on the Worlds stage that I had been dreaming about.

 

Q9. Is there anything that changed for you after becoming a world champion?

Nothing in particular.

 

Q10. Last year, in addition to winning the World Yo-Yo Contest, you also won such big contests as Japan Nationals and the Asia Pacific Yo-Yo Championships, and you were the youngest player ever to do it. Do you have a new goal or dream you are aiming for?

(If I can travel abroad) I hope to achieve a grand slam* once more.
*(By “grand slam” he means winning his Nationals, AP (multi national) and Worlds in the same year.)

 

Q11. How do you feel going into this year’s World Yo-Yo Contest?

I didn’t place well at 2015 Japan Nationals so I’m determined to do better at Worlds.

 

Q12. What is yo-yo to you?

It’s just a small thing that’s always spinning, but it has the power to connect the world.

 

Many thanks to Hajime and his mother! We wish him the best of luck at WYYC2015.