The representative members of the men's volleyball team at the Tokyo Olympics were announced on the 21st, and 12 people including Yuki Ishikawa, who is the captain of the national team, have been appointed as the Olympic representatives this season.

The Japanese national team of volleyball, which has been decided to participate in the Tokyo Olympics for both men and women in the host country frame, is narrowing down the representative members at the international competition "Nations League" currently being held in Italy, and the Japan Volleyball Association announced on the 21st. , Announced 12 athletes who have been nominated for the Olympic team for boys.



Among the selected players, Ishikawa is a 25-year-old Japanese male ace who is active in the world's highest Italian first division league.



Ishikawa, who is the captain of the national team this season, commented, "I want to make sure to get one point as an ace and to be a reliable captain in terms of spirit and contribute to the team." I am.



The oldest player on the team is Kunihiro Shimizu, 34, who has participated in the 2008 Beijing Games and is the only national team to have experienced the Olympics.



The youngest is Ai Takahashi, a 19-year-old second-year college student who played well in offense and defense in this "Nations League".



Japan national team coach Yuichi Nakagaichi said in a video message, "I want to fight firmly without forgetting the feeling of gratitude for letting me participate in the Olympics while many people are struggling with the corona. ".

Yuki Ishikawa

Yuki Ishikawa is 25 years old from Aichi prefecture.



It has spikes that punch through the course quickly and accurately, and high defensive power.



Under the influence of my sister, I started playing volleyball in the 4th grade of elementary school, pulled the team as an ace in high school, won 99 consecutive games in the official game, achieved the first 3 crowns in high school for the first time in history, and made the name known nationwide. I did.



In 2014, he became a representative of Japan in his first year of college, and that year he scored double digits in three consecutive games at the Asian Games held in South Korea, contributing to the team's runner-up.



After that, I received an offer from Modena, the world's best Italian first division league, and was the first Japanese college student to play in the Italian first division league for three months.



After graduating from college, he continued to play for the Italian team as a professional, and in 2021, which was his third professional season, he won the cup match in Milan, where he belonged, and has won his first title.

Kunihiro Shimizu

Kunihiro Shimizu is 34 years old from Fukui prefecture.



A southpaw attacker, he has a strong spike from a powerful jump.



He became a representative at the age of 20 in 2007, and has been active as a major pillar of the Japanese national team for many years under the nickname "Gori", such as participating in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.



In 2016, he suffered a stress fracture in his right instep and recovered after about 10 months of rehabilitation, but in 2018 he suffered a serious injury such as anterior cruciate ligament injury in his right knee during a V-League match. ..



After returning in 2019, it became difficult to jump to the same height as before, so we will refine the technique such as "block out" to aim at the opponent's block and steal points and "push attack" to poke the opponent's gap. I have expanded the range.

Ran Takahashi

Ai Takahashi is from Kyoto prefecture and is the youngest member of the team, 19 years old in the second year of college.



High-precision spikes are attracting attention, but I am also good at serve receive because I experienced Libero, a player specializing in defense in junior high school.



Since being elected to the national team last year, all official games have been canceled due to the influence of the new coronavirus, and there were no match opportunities, but this time he played an active part in a friendly match with China in May and was held in Italy. He won the first Olympic team by showing his presence in the national team, such as showing good offense and defense in the last international tournament before the Olympics, the Nations League.