Further Personal Information |
| Residence |
Japan |
| Occupation |
Athlete, Office Worker |
| Languages |
Japanese |
| Higher education |
Literature - Chuo University: Tokyo, JPN |
Sport Specific Information |
| When and where did you begin this sport? |
He began fencing in year seven at middle school in Kesennuma, Japan. |
| Why this sport? |
His father encouraged him to take up fencing. It was also a popular sport in his hometown. |
| Club / Team |
Abecho Mermaid Food Product: Japan |
| Name of coach |
Oleg Matseichuk [national], UKR |
| Training Regime |
He focuses on increasing his physical strength and speed. |
| Handedness |
Left |
International Debut |
| Year |
2004 |
| Competing for |
Japan |
General Interest |
| Most influential person in career |
His father Kenichi. (mainichi.jp, 24 Dec 2015) |
| Injuries |
He has sprained his ankle several times since the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. (itolator.co.jp, 23 Feb 2015) |
| Awards and honours |
In 2012 he received the Citizens' Medal of Honour in Kesennuma, Japan. (js88.com, 01 Jan 2013) |
| Famous relatives |
His father Kenichi competed in fencing. He missed the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow due to the Japanese team boycotting the event. (chuo-u.ac.jp, 20 Sep 2007) |
| Other information |
FROM RIGHT TO LEFT
When he was young he was naturally a right-handed fencer. However, his father forced him to learn to fence with his left hand because he felt that left-handed competitors held an advantage. (chuo-u.ac.jp, 20 Sep 2007)
HOMETOWN HERO
He is from Kesennuma, which suffered significant damage from the Great East Japan Earthquake in March 2011. After the 2012 Olympic Games in London, the city arranged a victory parade for him in recognition of his silver medal in the team foil event. The city still had collapsed buildings when the parade was held. (kesennuma.lg.jp, 20 Aug 2012; nikkansports.com, 13 Aug 2012)
DEDICATION
He dedicated his silver medal from the 2012 Olympic Games in London to close friend Satoshi Onodera, who was one of the victims of the Great East Japan Earthquake in March 2011. Onodera had helped convince him to remain in the sport after he contemplated retiring following the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. (japandailyexpress.com, 07 Aug 2012) |
| Olympic Games |
| 2012 |
2 |
Team Foil |
London, England |
| World Championships |
| 2015 |
7 |
Team Foil |
Moscow, Russia |
| 2011 |
5 |
Team Foil |
Catania, Italy |
| 2010 |
3 |
Team Foil |
Paris, France |
| 2009 |
5 |
Team Foil |
Antalya, Turkey |
| 2006 |
7 |
Team Foil |
Turin, Italy |
| Asian Championships |
| 2015 |
3 |
Team Foil |
Singapore, Singapore |
| 2015 |
7 |
Individual Foil |
Singapore, Singapore |
| 2014 |
3 |
Individual Foil |
Suwon, Korea |
| 2013 |
8 |
Individual Foil |
Shanghai, China |
| 2011 |
2 |
Individual Foil |
Seoul, Korea |
| 2011 |
2 |
Team Foil |
Seoul, Korea |
| 2010 |
2 |
Team Foil |
Seoul, Korea |
| 2008 |
2 |
Team Foil |
Bangkok, Thailand |
| 2008 |
6 |
Individual Foil |
Bangkok, Thailand |
| 2005 |
2 |
Team Foil |
Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia |
|
