Standing in complete silence, he pauses as he toes the line. To his left and right is a cacophony of sound as athletes slap their limbs, improving blood circulation. Ignoring distractions that surround him, Kento Nakaya ’22 composes himself, knowing he has done everything he can to prepare for this moment. But self-assurance has not always come naturally for Nakaya. Returning from long summers spent in Japan where he was unable to run and living with a life-threatening heart condition, he has worked long and hard to ensure his success for this season.

Growing up, Nakaya played soccer. Although he spent seven years playing soccer, he never felt it suited him best, and he decided to make the transition to track in the eighth grade. In order to stay motivated, he often watches track videos, especially those of professional runners, to improve his running technique. Nakaya focuses a lot on the mental aspect of his sport.

“Cross country is all about mentality. I think it has a lot to do with physicality, but mentality plays a lot of roles in a race. So definitely visualization is something that I [do] before I race,” Nakaya said. He often takes a minute or two before a race to center himself.

Nakaya is not the only one in his family who runs; Nakaya’s mother also ran in middle school and high school. This drove Nakaya towards the sport. However, like all athletes, Nakaya sometimes struggles to stay motivated. To get him through mental blocks, he often looks to his teammates for inspiration.

“Addison Motto [’22] you know, he’s definitely my motivation to run. And he’s been improving. I mean, he did really well in the last spring season,” Nakaya said.

Managing school and a sport can be especially tough, but Nakaya managed to keep up his grades by waking up early to study or complete homework. Freshman year, Nakaya made the decision not to do spring track to focus on other responsibilities.

“During that period … I wasn’t the best in cross country. So I was thinking about quitting. But then this spring, it was really fun. And I did pretty well, ” Nakaya said.

However, during that spring season, Nakaya faced a roadblock. Due to a negative reaction from his vaccine, he developed a condition called pericarditis, which in simple terms is an inflammation of the tissue around the heart. During this time he was unable to run, and after recovering, he got a knee injury. Despite his setbacks, he has made every effort to be a leader to his teammates.

“Kento is everything you would want to see in a teammate: hard-working, supportive, and positive. Even when runs get tough, he doesn’t give up and is always very encouraging to the team and myself, ” said teammate Zachary Deng ’23.

As Nakaya recovered, James Smirk, Head Track and Field Coach, was impressed by his perseverance throughout his recovery. “He was able to push himself after recovery but also knew his limits, which is very important for an athlete.”

Coach Smirk also admired his ability to support the team through his injury. While Nakaya was not able to physically run with them, he was able to help in other ways.

“Most kids would not go to practice when they’re injured to support their teammates, but he did. He’s a great kid. He is really focused, and his ability to communicate with his teammates and help them mentally and emotionally is admirable,” Smirk said.

One of Smirk’s favorite memories of Nakaya is when Princeton went head-to-head with their rivals, Robbinsville High School.

“They had beaten us [in] meets all season, but that last one Kento really stepped up and passed a few guys who had beaten him all season. That was a major success for him.”

Kento is planning on attending college in Japan, where there are no collegiate running teams. However, he is determined to finish out his final year of competitive running strong, leading his team to success at county meets, state meets, and beyond.