The Rio Summer Olympics has come to an end. Well done to Japan for finishing 6th in the medals table with 12 gold medals. The U.K. also performed well, finishing in 2nd place with 27 golds. But the U.S.A. was far ahead of the competition, with 46 gold medals! Unfortunately, Ireland couldn’t add to their tally of two silver medals last week. In the men’s 400m hurdles final, Ireland’s athlete came agonizingly close to a medal, but finished in 4th place. It was disappointing to see Ireland finish without any medals in boxing. It’s usually the one sport that we can count on to get medals in. Overall, it was a very entertaining Olympics.

I’m looking forward to the next games in Tokyo, four years from now. It’s just a short journey from here, so I’d like to go and see the Olympics for real. Living in Fuji, it’s quite convenient to be able to go to Tokyo in one hour by shinkansen. We are also far enough from there that we won’t be affected by the rush of thousands of people coming into Tokyo when the games begin.

It’s time for all the athletes to start training again. They spend four years of their lives practicing and building up to one moment in the games. They must feel a lot of pressure when it comes to performing. Self-discipline and a good work ethic are very important qualities to have if you want to be successful, whether you are an athlete or learning a language. See you in Tokyo!

Alan