NBA star Rui Hachimura and highly touted women's wrestler Yui Susaki have been named as the flagbearers for the Japanese delegation at the Tokyo Olympics, the Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC) announced Monday.
Hachimura, 23, became the first Japanese-born player to be picked in the first round of the NBA draft when he was selected by the Washington Wizards in June 2019, and has played a key role on the team since his rookie season.
Born in Toyama Prefecture to a Japanese mother and Beninese father, Hachimura was seen as a perfect selection to disseminate the Games' core concept of "Unity in Diversity" to the world.
The 22-year-old Susaki is a gold medal favorite in the 50-kilogram weight class, the division in which she won world titles in 2017 and 2018. Known for her natural ability and aggressive style, Susaki has never lost to a non-Japanese opponent.
The Chiba Prefecture native, who is currently a student at Waseda University, is a product of the JOC Elite Academy program set up to nurture promising young athletes for future international success, which she joined in her second year in junior high school.
The Tokyo Olympics will mark the first time that graduates of the JOC Academy have made an Olympic team. Along with Susaki, the handful of athletes includes table tennis player Tomokazu Harimoto.
With the aim of promoting gender equality, the International Olympic Committee has allowed National Olympic Committees to choose a pair of flagbearers with one of each gender starting with the upcoming Tokyo Games.
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