Women’s World Hang Gliding Champion Yoko Isomoto Tells Us Why She Loves Her Sport!

The format of the World Hang Gliding Competition is about 10 days of a cross country flying task each day, shortest time to goal. Total goal distance averages 80 miles at minimum, 150 miles max, and some are out-and-return. On a weak-thermal day, a 150-mile task will have pilots laboring for over 6 hours in the air.

Yoko Isomoto is the Women’s World Hang Gliding Champion 2014. She has been giving incredible performances ever since she joined the sport.

Namita Nayyar, President Women Fitness talks to Yoko Isomoto about her spectacular journey and passion for this wonderful sport.

Ms. Namita Nayyar:

You were born in Japan and are the Woman’s World Hang Glinding Champion. Tell us about this spectacular journey and how it all began?

 

Ms. Yoko Isomoto:

First when I flew with tandem flight of hang gliding a little bit with my instructor at practice place, I felt better than paragliding. But at that time I was a student of paragliding, therefore I thought l will fly with paragliding and then if I still thought I wanted to try hang gliding, I will start hang gliding. So because I could not forget it, I started to practice for hang gliding one year later. After that, I have flown with only hang gliding. I flew one or twice in week for 6 years.

And then I had a daughter, so I had to rest to fly for 7 years. And then I came back to fly. I flew every day if it was flyable condition from that time to now, for 10 years. I started to participate in competitions from the autumn of 2007, because I wanted to improve my flight. It was an advice from my instructor. I participated in almost all competitions in Japan every year .

I participated in 12th FAI Women’s World Hang Gliding Class 1 Championship in Tegelberg in 2010 at Germany as women’s Japan national team pilot. But the competition had really bad weather. So the competition failed. No scoring.

After four years , I participated in 13th FAI Women’s World Hang Gliding Class 1 Championship in Annecy at France as women’s Japan national team pilot and I won in the competition.

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Ms. Namita Nayyar:

Who has been your inspiration and motivation behind taking up this difficult yet thrilling sport?

Ms. Yoko Isomoto:

I always had a thought that I would like to fly in the sky… That’s it.

Ms. Namita Nayyar:

What exercises comprise your fitness regime or workout routine?

Ms. Yoko Isomoto:

I don’t go to any fitness club. I just fly every day like practicing for competitions.

Ms. Namita Nayyar:

Do you take some special diet or have a strict menu that you follow to remain healthy and physically fit?

Ms. Yoko Isomoto:

No. I don’t have it. I just have protein to keep my weight in the summer sometimes.

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Ms. Namita Nayyar:

At the Forbes Hang Gliding Championships in Australia 2016, you were the only woman to have made goal at the longest task in hang gliding history. How did you feel before and after this incredible victory?

Ms. Yoko Isomoto:

Of course I was surprised when I heard 367. 6 km is the longest task. I had a trouble of harness at 90 km of spot in the task. It was really problem for flight. But I did not have any solution, so I kept on flying.

I flew with other pilots sometimes but almost alone… And twice I seemed to be nearly landing. When I had flown at 100 km remainder of the task, I received radio from a friend pilot, “Hello Yoko”. I was really glad , and I felt I could make a goal. There were so many clouds to goal.

I made a goal! What a long way! And I felt really tired. After the goal I shared pleasure with pilots. And then we came back home by car. We arrived home at 2 o’clock in the night. Toooo long day finally finished. I felt everything was wonderful that day, today. Now it is a brilliant memory.

Ms. Namita Nayyar:

You also won the FAI World Championship in 2014. Tell us about your experience in the championship?

Ms. Yoko Isomoto:

Yes. The win was really lucky. And I felt mysterious too. Actually I had done a lot of mistakes but it did not lead to a big point being given up. Some times my mistakes give me good points….. So I don’t know why, but I felt I could win in the competition even if I did any flight! I felt first time like this. And I felt strongly about a wonderful pilot Corina who was the winner before, of the competition and for long years has been a really wonderful pilot. I was happy to fly with her. And also felt that I did not have more experience than her .

Normally I have flown just in Japan, so I did not have experience to fly in the rocky mountains and mountain area. I had done a lot of mistakes therefore I had to fly alone with just my judgement. If I had had experiences, maybe I could have got a higher score. So I felt that I must get a lot of experiences and fly with some pilots for increasing my speed and reducing risk.

On the other hand , I also felt that enjoying the flight was very important! One day in the competition, I had a flight that I was excited about! The flight with special other class man pilots was very fantastic. So I was absorbed in the flight, I was forgetting perfectly that I had just joined the competition that time. Enjoying the flight is really important. The experience was very rare for me. Don’t forget participating in competition, but I think that enjoying flight leads to good result!

Ms. Namita Nayyar:

Hang Gliding is a very difficult sport, with many being injured severely. How are you able to manage and overcome these injuries?

Ms. Yoko Isomoto:

Actually I had an injury a few months ago. It was the first time for me. But in this case I don’t know why I got the injury. I don’t remember what happened with me. Unfortunately, maybe I encountered an unexpected in close ground suddenly…

Recently I participated in some competition overseas. That time anyway I always have the opinion that I should not overdo, even if it is an important competition .

I think every spot has risk of injuries in case of competition especially. My opinion is that I must control my emotions as I am always thinking about safety flight the proper way for me.

 

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Ms. Namita Nayyar:

How do you take care of your skin and hair while training and taking part in this tough sport?

Ms. Yoko Isomoto:

When I fly, I don’t have any problem. But when I have to take time to set up and puck up of glider in sunshine, I use a hat and sunblock. And if I go to hair salon, I choose high quality services. So I don’t take special care for everything.

Ms. Namita Nayyar:

Advice and motivational words to the inspiring and budding hang gliding girls who all are your fans, they shall like to know from you, what they should do for their climb to ladder of success in field of Hang Gliding?

Ms. Yoko Isomoto:

I am still trying hard so that my dream comes true now. My dream is that I will be a Japan national team pilot of World Hang Gliding Championship. I decided it when I started to participate in competition in the autumn of 2007.

Actually my dream is still really difficult for me. But I think that having a BIG dream is very important! The dream is OK that you don’t know now whether you can do it or not. I don’t also know it now. I am always thinking about hang glider for the dream come true.

How should I do for improving? What can I do? I must consider for the dream to come true. I think that improvement of environment is very important and we should go to overseas competitions to get experiences. So we can continue improving unless we give up the dream!

Ms. Namita Nayyar:

What do you wish to say about the website Womenfitness.net and message for our visitors?

Ms. Yoko Isomoto:

I think every woman wants to be an attractive woman. Of course me too! But an attractive woman has a brilliant inside, not only outside…!

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