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First ( Retired his career and became an athlete. Neko Hiroshi )
On August 19th, 2017, SEA games, SouthEast Asian Games was held in Malaysia. Tabal won the women’s marathon competition, which was the first gold medal for the Philippines in the SEA Games. She hit a record of 2:48:24. While Neko Hiroshi who also joined the SEA Games, finished the race at a record of 2:42:24. Although his record was better than Tabal’s, he is a man. So, it’s not an impressive record if you just compare it to other experienced athletes.
However, he was not an athlete originally, but a Japanese comedian before. He retired his career in Japan as a comedian and decided to become an athlete in Cambodia in 2011, thus changing his nationality. He aimed to be a popular Japanese comedian at first, but changed his mind eventually since his jokes seem to be uninteresting to the public.
He couldn’t join the London Olympics even though he’s got the right to participate as a Marathon runner for Cambodia. After 4 years, in 2016, he got it and kept running to the end as a representative runner of Cambodia. He finished the race at 139 out of 155 people. He raised his both hands with a determined pose ‘meow’ while going toward the finish line. Then he was pleased to strike a victory pose.
When he reached the finish line, his humor as a comedian came back and he was able to entertain the audience. Although he didn’t make it to the top, he boosted the venue and fascinated the audience in Brazil.
Then this year, in 2017, he made a big impact on the SEA Games.
He was interviewed about the Tokyo Olympics that will be held in 2020 and he answered that ‘I want to be the person who can make the relationship between Japan and Cambodia better. It’s time to consider about it’
On September 12th, 2017, the Production announcement of documentaries, ‘NEKO THE MOVIE (temporary title) which will tell his life story as an athlete was released.
Question
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What do you think about Hiroshi joining the Olympics and changing his country of citizenship.
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Do you think his joke is funny? Why?
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What sport and which country do you want if you have the opportunity to participate in the Olympics?