Kishida Meets with Japan’s Paris Olympics Medalists

Jiji Press

11:14 JST, August 15, 2024

TOKYO (Jiji Press) — Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Tuesday met with 66 Japanese medalists in the Paris Summer Olympics who had returned home.

The Japanese delegation “gave the entire nation energy and courage that blew away any worries about sleep deprivation,” Kishida said, shaking hands with athletes one by one at the meeting in the Prime Minister’s Office in Tokyo.

Kishida asked Hina Hayata, a silver medalist in the women’s table tennis team event, what her aspirations for the future are. She replied, “I hope to get all of my spirit, techniques and physical strength in place for revenge in four years’ time.”

Speaking to reporters after meeting the prime minister, Hifumi Abe, who clinched back-to-back gold medals in the men’s 66-kilogram judo category, said there was a bigger response from the public to his victory at the Paris Olympics than at the previous Tokyo Summer Olympics.

“I strongly feel that I am supported by so many people,” he said.

Akari Fujinami, who won gold in the 53-kilogram division in women’s wrestling, said she received an overwhelming amount of messages from people although she had just returned to Japan on Tuesday.

“The Olympics is truly an amazing event,” she said.

During the 17-day event through Sunday, Japan clinched 45 medals, including 20 gold medals. Both the overall medal haul and the total of gold medals were the highest for the Asian nation in an Olympics held away from home.

Japan finished third in the gold medal tallies, behind Olympic behemoths the United States and China.