MAKUBETSU, Hokkaido -- Gold-medal winning sisters Nana Takagi and Miho shared their joy with fans during a parade to celebrate their achievements at February's Pyeongchang Olympics, which was held in their hometown of Makubetsu, Hokkaido, on Sunday.
Wearing their medals, the speed skaters waved to fans from an open-top car. Midway through the parade, they exited the car and walked among the crowd exchanging high-fives with the roughly 400 fans, many of whom were children.
The sisters were members of the team that won the gold medal in the women's team pursuit at the Winter Games. Nana, 25, won another gold in the women's mass start, while Miho, 23, collected a total of three medals.
Around 18,000 people gathered along the parade route, which stretched about 1.2 kilometers. The event was organized by the town government and other organizations.
"I'm happy if children were able to feel something," said Nana after the parade. "I received a lot of energy from the many people here," Miho said.
The siblings were awarded the town's special prize of honor. After the award ceremony, children from a local dance school that the sisters used to attend performed on stage for the Olympians. The sisters joined the children during the performance and danced with them, which received a loud cheer from the crowd.
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