Japanese Athletes Make History in Paris Olympics

2024/07/26

Japanese Athletes Wave Flags Aboard Boat on Seine River at Opening Ceremony in Paris, 1st Summer Games Inauguration Event Held Outside Stadium



The Paris Olympic Games kicked off on July 24 with round-robin sessions in men's soccer and other sports two days ahead of the opening ceremony. About 10,500 Olympians competed at 329 events in 32 sports through Aug. 11, and Japan bagged a record 45 medals including 20 golds, also an all-time high. The country proved to be the wrestling kingdom, taking eight gold medals from the sport. Hifumi Abe and Takanori Nagase claimed men's judo titles for the second consecutive Games, and Yuto Horigome returned to the top of the men's skateboarding podium after the Tokyo Games three years ago. Japanese fencers showed stunning performances, with Koki Kano clinching the first gold medal in Japan's history in men's individual epee and all team event members bringing medals back home. Javelin thrower Haruka Kitaguchi became the first Japanese female field athlete to win a gold medal, while Rikuto Tamai and Taishu Sato rewrote history by reaching the podium in high diving and modern pentathlon, respectively. B-Girl Ami (Ami Yuasa) made it to the top in breaking, newly adopted in the 2024 Games. Shinnosuke Oka, the youngest of men's gymnastics team members, took three gold medals including in individual all-around, a great achievement unseen since the 1972 Games. The eventing team, dubbed 'over-the-hill Japan,' grabbed bronze, the first Olympic equestrian medal earned by Japanese horse-riders in 92 years.

(Jiji Press)

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