Japan, which is aiming for the gold medal for the first time in two tournaments at the Tokyo Paralympics and Goalball Women, defeated Israel 4-1 in the quarterfinals of the first round of the final tournament and advanced to the semifinals on the 2nd.
Goalball is a competition in which three visually impaired players alternately roll a ball with a bell toward the opponent's goal and compete for points. This tournament is held at Makuhari Messe in Chiba City.
Japan, which won the gold medal at the 2012 London Games and ranked 5th in the world, advanced to the final tournament by finishing 3rd in the group with a record of 2 wins, 1 loss and 1 draw in the qualifying league.
In the quarter-finals of the first round of the final tournament on the 1st, they played against Israel, which is ranked 8th in the world, and Japan had the upper hand in the first half.
In the 4th minute of the first half, the youngest 20-year-old player who scored 13 points at the top of the team in the qualifying, Norika Hagiwara aimed at the left side of the goal and threw a fast ball diagonally while preventing Israel's powerful ball with a firm defense. I took the first goal.
Hagiwara scored a penalty throw in the 5th minute due to the opponent's foul, and just before the end, he struck the opponent's defense with a strong ball and scored a goal, leading 3-0 to finish the first half.
In the second half, the match progressed at the pace of Israel, scoring a goal with a high bound ball in the 1st minute, and after that, the right and left players on both sides suffered an attack that was replaced.
On the other hand, Japan regained the flow by replacing Rie Urata, who is the key to defense, with Rieko Takahashi in less than 3 minutes until the end, and Hagiwara will be the fourth point of this game just before the end. I scored a goal and won 4 to 1.
Japan will face Turkey in the semi-finals on the 2nd.
Turkey is the strongest player in the world ranking with the gold medal of the previous tournament, and Japan also played in the first match of the qualifying league and lost 1 to 7.
Hagiwara "Revenge to Turkey to the final stage"
Hagiwara, who scored four points, which is the total score of the team, said, "I was worried about the first two games of the qualifying because it was a tough game, but I proceeded to the final tournament, and today's game was to minimize the number of goals scored. I'm glad I was able to contribute to the attack, "he said with tears.
On top of that, he expressed his enthusiasm for the semi-final against Turkey on the 2nd, saying, "I was disappointed that I had 7 goals in the first match of the qualifying. I want to revenge and win and stand on the stage of the final."
Urata "I'm happy to overcome the first match of the final tournament."
Urata, who defended the goal at the center of the three players and contributed to Japan's victory, said, "I was able to defend while talking to each other so that there would be no gap between the players or at the edge of the goal. Five years after the tournament, my goal was to overcome the first match of the final tournament, so I'm glad I was able to achieve it. "
He expressed his gratitude for his support and said, "Turkey, the opponent of the semi-finals, has scored goals in the first match of the qualifying league, but the team is growing with each match. I want to fix it, and first of all, I want to carefully protect each ball with three people and decide the chance I got. "
Mitsunori "I would be happy if more people were interested in goalball."
Eiko Kakehata said, "I'm glad that I was able to analyze the opponent firmly and attack and score points. The defense was unstable from the first match, but I was able to stabilize it in today's match. I looked back.
As the team progressed to the semi-finals at the Tokyo Games held locally, and the attention increased, Mitsunori said, "I'm glad if more people are interested in goalball as a result of this competition," and I hope that it will lead to the spread of the competition. It was a.
Takahashi "Turkey I want to beat this time"
Takahashi, who participated in the second half and supported the defense, responded, "I entered the role of defending and closing the game firmly in the winning situation. It was a short time, but I think I was able to fulfill my role." I was feeling.
On top of that, for the semi-final match against Turkey on the 2nd, all the players said, "I'm very disappointed that I lost in the qualifying and I want to revenge in Turkey. I'm happy to be able to fight again, and I want to beat him this time." I did.