'Shock': The Fall of Japan's Gymnastics Fairy? After Retirement, She Became a Hostess in an Entertainment Venue, Shocking Confession: "At First, I Distributed Flyers, and Eventually..."

*This content was translated by AI.

Former national team member Nijiko Tsurumi (33), once hailed as a 'genius girl' in Japanese artistic gymnastics, has revealed her past work at entertainment venues after retirement.

According to the Japanese media outlet 'Chanto' on the 22nd (local time), Tsurumi stated in a recent interview that she worked as a hostess at entertainment establishments in Roppongi and Ginza to make a living after retiring.

A former national team athlete who won six consecutive titles at the All-Japan Championships and represented Japan at the 2008 Beijing and 2012 London Olympics, she abruptly ended her athletic career due to an Achilles tendon rupture. After joining a venture company as a gymnastics coach, she faced severe financial hardship, including working part-time distributing flyers on the streets due to insufficient salary.

Eventually, she turned to the entertainment industry. Explaining why a former national team athlete would enter this field, Tsurumi said, "I believed it was the most efficient place to meet successful people."

Her entry into what is known as the 'night world' was not smooth. She failed interviews at more than 10 establishments in Roppongi, Tokyo alone. However, she gradually built a loyal customer base and established herself in that world. Recalling the experience, she said, "I was deeply anxious about the damage to my image, but I saw it as an essential choice to learn management by conversing with successful entrepreneurs."

Now completely out of the entertainment industry, Tsurumi has transformed into a businessperson who simultaneously runs gymnastics education and idol training programs. She expressed her ambition: "I want to combine gymnastics with idols to turn gymnastics into popular culture, and further improve the widespread low-wage structure in the gymnastics community."

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*This content was translated by AI.