Ryo Miyake, 29, a men's fencing team silver medalist at the 2012 London Olympics, has started a part-time job as a delivery person for Uber Eats. He made the decision to fund his own activities while not being able to compete in games or practice satisfactorily due to the spread of the new coronavirus.
On Wednesday, the first day of his part-time job at the food delivery service, he posted a message on the media platform note.com, saying, "the main reason [for taking the job] is that I don't have any money," and frankly expressed his anxiety.
Miyake, who doesn't currently belong to a corporate team, has no source of income since his sponsorship contract with three companies expired in January this year. The contract could have been renewed, but when the Tokyo Olympics were postponed by one year, he said, "I couldn't find the courage or confidence to ask them to continue."
He chose the job because delivering food by bicycle provides him with aerobic exercise and helps to maintain his physical strength. On the first day, he went to eight residences and earned 4,688 yen.
In a telephone interview with the Yomiuri Shimbun, Miyake said: "I wanted to earn my own money for a road trip as an opportunity to move forward. I want to do fencing, and I want to participate in the Olympics. I think that's all I can do right now."
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