Misaki Nobata is not your typical collegiate athlete. She owns three guns despite living in Japan, a country with famously strict gun control laws.
A hero in her hometown of Oita, Nobata is one of three Japanese shooters who will compete at the upcoming Paris Olympics. She has qualified in the women’s and mixed team 10-meter air rifle events.
“I never really liked shooting sports growing up,” she told The Japan Times. “My father coached a school shooting club and that kept him away from home, and I blamed the sport for lack of quality family time. But one thing led to another and here I am.”