Uta Abe:"This year is the most frustrating year of my life" Motivated for the Los Angeles Olympics "I want to win the gold medal"

On November 28th, Uta Abe, a gold medalist in the women's 52kg judo category at the Tokyo Olympics, attended the "TOKYO NIGHT TIME PROJECT Nishi-Shinjuku Illumination Market Lighting Ceremony" held in Nishi-Shinjuku, Tokyo, along with her brother, Hifumi Abe, a gold medalist in the men's 66kg judo category at the Tokyo Olympics and the Paris Olympics. Looking back on the Paris Olympics, she said, "It was the most frustrating year of my life." When asked, "How would you describe this year in one word?" Uta said, "It's really difficult to describe it in one word, but I think it was a frustrating year. I had a lot of emotions beyond just frustration, but I wasn't able to achieve my goals, so I think it was the most memorable and most frustrating year of my life." When asked about her future goals, she mentioned the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics and said with emphasis, "My goal is to get stronger and evolve every year so that I can definitely win a gold medal on the stage in Los Angeles." The project will work with groups in the Nishi-Shinjuku area to liven up the "nighttime" of Nishi-Shinjuku, where tradition and innovation intersect, with lighting effects and other features to create a lively atmosphere for visitors. In addition to street illuminations and food trucks, a countdown event will be held on New Year's Eve. The event will run from November 28th to January 13th, 2025.