SINGAPORE – As a young boy, Koji Murofushi looked up to his father Shigenobu, a hammer thrower who competed in the 1972, 1976 and 1984 Olympics before becoming a university professor.

Following in his footsteps came naturally to him, as the Japanese athlete claimed gold in the hammer throw at the 2004 Athens Games while pursuing his studies.

Murofushi – whose mother is Romanian – eventually received a doctorate in biomechanics in 2007.

He went on to win gold at the Daegu world championships in 2011 and a bronze at London 2012 before retiring in 2016.

“My father told me you’ll never know when you’re finishing your career in sport, if you’ll ever get an injury and you’re never able to continue,” he told The Straits Times on the sidelines of a talk on Feb 26 at the Japanese Association, where he was a guest speaker.

“It’s good to have a choice of what you want to do post-career.”

Murofushi, now 49, is a commissioner at the Japan Sports Agency. He hopes that athletes can learn from his experiences and start thinking about their post-sporting careers earlier.

He said: “I didn’t think about what I wanted to do in the future when I ended my sporting career, I already decided way before I finished. I had to face the truth that my career would end one day and I cannot just not think about the future, and just keep on training.”

His decision paid off, as he went on to assume the role of sports director for the Tokyo Olympics organising committee.

Like many athletes, he found balancing a sporting career with education a challenge, but he said it was essential in charting an athlete’s path for the future.

“Of course I had to concentrate on what I do (as a hammer thrower), but I also created time for myself to learn new things,” he said.

“There are some athletes who don’t go to school, they think they have to spend all their time training. But no, it’s different, you can focus on both.

“You won’t be training 24 hours a day, it depends on how you manage your time and also having good support around you to do that.”

On his advice for those who lack self-belief in pursuing other interests after sport, he said: “Always think of the longer path in life.

“You’ve overcome so many obstacles in your sporting life, so why can’t you overcome the obstacles in your life after sport?

“Your goal as an athlete is to get a medal, but you should be getting a medal in life too.”