Softball legend Yukiko Ueno interview: What it takes to be the best in the sport

Softball legend Yukiko Ueno interview: What it takes to be the best in the sport
18/08/2022
Ueno was in attendance during the WBSC Congress 2022 in Taiwan, where she received the WBSC Order of the Golden Diamond. The WBSC talked with the 40-year-old pitcher about her career and some of the top moments of her illustrious career, in an interview not to be missed.

Yukiko Ueno is a softball legend. A two-time Olympic gold medallist and softball world champion, the Japanese right-handed pitcher has played a key role in some of the most memorable and spectacular moments in the history of the sport. When she hangs up her spikes, she will be remembered, and is already considered, as one of the best softball pitchers the game has ever seen. 

Ueno was in attendance during the WBSC Congress 2022 in Taiwan, where she received the WBSC Order of the Golden Diamond. The WBSC talked with the 40-year-old pitcher about her career and what it takes to be the best, in an interview not to be missed.

In the first part of the interview, Ueno talks about the heart-breaking loss in the Women’s Softball World Championship final in 2018, and how that game helped her, and the Japanese National Team, prepare to defend gold at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

USA defeated Japan, 7-6, in a 10-inning walkoff thriller to win the 2018 world title in Chiba, Japan. It was a career-changing loss for Ueno, who gave up the game winning hit. “Since then, I was just thinking about how I could win the gold medal in Tokyo,” Ueno said. “The biggest thing was that at that 2018 World Championship, I lost, and I think that my frustration turned into that boiling passion that I would never lose the next time.” 

The Fukuoka-born softball player recognises she felt sorry for giving up the game winning RBI in the bottom of the tenth, and then for the loss, especially after getting a three-run lead in the game. “It was a game that made me realize that I needed to learn to pitch in a way that I wouldn't allow a hit even if I were tired, and that I needed to build up my skills so that I wouldn't get tired even after throwing many innings.” 

Softball had an spectacular Olympic come-back at the Tokyo 2020 Games, and it was a special occasion for Ueno for a rematch against her long-time rivals USA, but also for playing and winning for Reika Utsugi, Japan’s head coach.

“The Tokyo Olympics was my way of returning the favour for head coach Reika Utsugi who was there for me when I was in the most difficult time,” Ueno said. “I wanted to win for head coach Reika. It was with these thoughts that I participated in the Tokyo Olympics.”

Asked about the changes between the Beijing 2008 and Tokyo 2020 gold medals, she emphasised that the mental aspect was the biggest thing, making her stronger in Tokyo than ever before, particularly having to wait another year for the Tokyo 2020 Games, which were actually played in 2021.

“In the 13 years between the Beijing Olympics and Tokyo, I have had many thoughts and feelings myself. There is also the confidence that I gained because I overcame those challenges. I think the skills and mentality that I have accumulated over those 13 years have added up to a variety of strengths.”