We report on the fierce practice races ahead of the All Japan Championships in November!

On the day, the wind forecast predicted strong winds, but by the time the event started it was surprisingly calm.

The waves were certainly high, but this was also part of the practice. We went out to the water where the competitors would be on the day of the main event and set up a challenging course.

The first race went smoothly despite tackling the wind and waves.

In the second race, the wind died down a bit and it was a long battle in which the difference in technique between the competitors became apparent.

The third race was held on a shorter course to match the wind. On a longer course, the difference in ability between competitors is smaller and stable rankings are often maintained, but this time the heated battle on the shortened course was truly dramatic!
The efforts of each player, who were all closely packed together, to close the small gap in rankings was truly impressive.

Before the start of the fourth race, the wind fluctuated wildly, resulting in a period of calm.
We waited for a while, hoping that the wind would pick up, but unfortunately the day's race ended after three tries.

Even so, the practice race on this day gave a glimpse of the excitement that was to come as the real thing approached.

Thank you very much to all the athletes who participated, who fought hard in each and every race. I'm sure many of you were able to identify many areas of weakness in this practice race. I hope you will overcome these challenges and further improve your level in preparation for the main event.