In her first attempt at an international windsurfing competition, she came in second amongst participants over 19 years of age. SATOMURA Kana, a fourth-year student at the Faculty of Global Human Sciences, was the highest-ranking female member of the Japanese team in the 2024 Techno 293 Plus World Championship, held at Lake Balaton, Hungary, in July this year. Her dedication, having taken a year off from school to focus solely on club activities, bore fruit.
The fruit of overcoming early headwinds and catching up
For Satomura, the world championship was a tough competition, with unfamiliar equipment and a sense of being an outsider. She had secured her spot on the Japanese team at the Japan Cup in September 2023 and entered the competition with high hopes. However, in the first two days, her provisional ranking lingered between 13th and 15th place, leaving her at the bottom among the four female Japanese representatives.
The wind turned after that. A classmate from the same sports club at Kobe University who was studying abroad in Switzerland visited to support her. This reunion became a turning point. Despite thinking that she couldn’t face her friend, her classmate gently told her, “It’s not over yet.” She woke up. “Why have I continued windsurfing?” she asked herself. She couldn’t afford to lose to the other Japanese competitors, even in an international competition. Her fighting spirit was reignited.
The competition spanned five days with 15 races, and the ranking was determined by points. From the third day onward, as the wind picked up, her ranking gradually improved. Until the second day, the wind was weak at Lake Balaton, and the sail was larger than on the boards she used in Japan, making it difficult to catch the wind. However, advice from a fellow competitor, “It’s the same as always,” brightened her mood. In the latter half, she threw herself into the races with all her might. In the end, she became the runner-up in her class of those over 19 years old, second only to a competitor from the Czech Republic.
“I couldn’t afford to lose to other Japanese competitors. First of all, it was a relief to achieve that goal. I’m really happy with the runner-up position. However, I could also feel the level difference, as some of the younger competitors from other countries were almost like semi-professionals,” she reflected on her first international competition with a sun-tanned smile.
When she joined the club in the second year, she aimed for “best of Japan”
Satomura hails from Kure City, Hiroshima Prefecture. A sports enthusiast since childhood, she was familiar with many sports including swimming, tag rugby, athletics, gymnastics, dodgeball and soccer. She continued basketball from kindergarten through high school and entered university with hopes of joining a sports club.
However, in 2020, the year she entered university, the COVID-19 pandemic was at its peak. Remote classes were the norm in her first year, and she didn’t step foot on campus until the fall (the second term) of her first year. Windsurfing is still a minor sport for high school students in Japan with over 90% of athletes only starting while already at university, and Satomura was no exception. She learned about the sport after starting to attend university and decided to take up the challenge of this sport, which she didn’t know anything about. Her thought at the time was, “If we all start at the same point, I can become Japan’s best. I will do it.”
Official club practices are held all day on weekends at Koshien Beach in Nishinomiya City. Besides the 30 members of Kobe University’s windsurfing club, they also compete with rivals from Osaka University, Kwansei Gakuin University and Konan University. Despite being a regular sports club, there are no dedicated coaches. Techniques are passed down from seniors to juniors, and they also learn a lot from rival university competitors. Much of the technique is absorbed by experiencing races, and so Satomura has grown significantly in four years. She made her first top 6 finish at the All Japan Student Intercollegiate Boardsailing Championship in November 2023, earning recognition from Kobe University and secured the top spot in the Kansai annual ranking.
A year off for the sport and for her persistence in competing
Satomura’s classmates joined the club in their first year, while she joined in her second year. Around June 2023, she felt strongly that, “Ending windsurfing in three years is half-hearted. I want to do it for four years, just like my classmates.” Though job hunting crossed her mind as she became a fourth-year student, she believed there was still more she could achieve. She consulted with her parents and decided to take a year off from October 2023 to focus on windsurfing. She then devoted herself to the sport, actively participating in official competitions from Kanto to Kyushu, significantly improving her skills by competing with rivals nationwide.
Initially, the world championship in July wasn’t a goal, but once she decided to participate, she couldn’t afford to fall behind domestic rivals. In the end, it became a great reward for herself.
“The charm of windsurfing lies in the ever-changing environment, with a different wind strength and swell in each race. Every time, every second, the conditions change, and there’s no definitive answer, which is a huge attraction. Also, starting a sport in university where everyone starts at the same point allows for fair competition. The more you do it, the more you achieve what you couldn’t before, and the effort pays off, which is fun.”
Even though one international competition has ended, the windsurfing season is not over yet. It peaks in the fall and the days are filled with official competitions. There are numerous upcoming events, including the National Sports Festival, the Japan Cup which also serves as the selection for the World Championships representatives and the All Japan Championships qualifying and main events. Satomura has set her sights on the November Intercollegiate as the culmination of her efforts, aiming for her first victory. Her competitive life as a member of the Kobe University Windsurfing Club continues until the team competition at the Intercollegiate in February next year.
Resume
SATOMURA Kana. Born in 2001 in Kure City, Hiroshima Prefecture. In 2020, she entered the Department of Child Education, Faculty of Global Human Sciences, Kobe University. She joined the university’s windsurfing sports club in her second year. Even after graduating and taking up a job at a school, if she is assigned to a location near the sea, she says, “I want to continue windsurfing.” Currently residing in Kobe City, she is an avid outdoor enthusiast.
