The Flag Bearers are Misaki Emura and Shigekix (Shigeyuki Nakarai)
The flag bearers are Misaki Emura, a fencer in women’s saber, and Shigekix (Shigeyuki Nakarai), who will represent breakdancing, a sport being introduced for the first time at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Emura made history by becoming the first Japanese female athlete to win a gold medal at the 2022 Fencing World Championships, and she claimed victory again at the same tournament in 2023. She also became the first Japanese female fencer to rise to world No. 1 in the rankings. Emura expressed, “Despite the weather, many people from Japan and all over the world supported us from the riverside, so I was on the boat with the intention of not missing that moment, looking at each person’s face. I was really reflecting on how, thanks to the support of so many people, I am where I am now. I want to express my gratitude to everyone through my performance,” she said through TEAM JAPAN.
On the other hand, Shigekix is an athlete aiming for the podium in breakdancing, which will mark his Olympic debut. He won a bronze medal at the 2018 Buenos Aires Youth Olympics and has achieved various results on international stages, continuing to be a prominent figure in the Japanese breakdancing scene. Shigekix shared his thoughts on the opening ceremony, saying, “First of all, it was really fun,” and added, “It was a very special opening ceremony, crossing the Seine River by boat, and even the unexpected rain became dramatic, adding a special touch as a form of entertainment. With the Paris 2024 Olympics finally starting, I really felt the desire for TEAM JAPAN to show a good performance.”
Paris 2024, Notable Athletes from Japan
Sports such as gymnastics, judo, wrestling, and skateboarding are expected to bring in medals, with notable athletes including Daiki Hashimoto in gymnastics, siblings Uta and Hifumi Abe in judo, Takatori Nagase, Aaron Wolf, Akira Sone in judo, Yui Susaki in wrestling, Yuto Horigome and Sakura Yosozumi in skateboarding, and Yui Ohashi in swimming, all of whom are competing to defend their gold medals from Tokyo 2020.
Moreover, among the debuting athletes, there are many with the potential to aim for the podium, including Hina Hayata in table tennis, Akari Funabiki in wrestling, Aisa Mori and Sorato Anraku in sport climbing, 14-year-old Gin-un Onodera in skateboarding, Ami (Ami Yuasa) and Ayumi (Ayumi Fukushima) in breakdancing, who are expected to energize the competition.
Additionally, the judo team that narrowly missed out on gold at Tokyo 2020, along with Haruka Kitaguchi, who will compete as the defending world champion in javelin throw, and the men’s volleyball team, which is hoping to secure its first medal in 52 years, will showcase their training results at this grand sports festival.
The competition for Paris 2024 has already begun with events starting two days before the opening ceremony on July 24 and will continue until August 11, filled with intense battles.