Speaking to the media, the three newly selected judo players for next year's Paris Olympics spoke frankly about their feelings in the women's 3-kilogram class, saying, "I was relieved, but I was also prepared for a tough fight from here."

The All Japan Judo Federation deliberated on the representative athletes based on the results of the international judo tournament Grand Slam Tokyo held on the 3rd.

As a result
, ▽ Takaichi, who participated in two consecutive Olympics in Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo in the women's 63 kg class ▽ Rika Takayama, who finished third in this tournament in the women's 2 kg class ▽ Tokyo Olympics gold medalist in the final on the 78rd in the men's 3 kg class,

We have made new job offers to the three players who defeated Naotoshi Takafuji, Tatsuki Nagayama.

The three players were interviewed by the media in Tokyo on the 60th.

Among them, Takaichi spoke frankly about his thoughts, saying, "First of all, I was relieved, but I was determined that a tough battle was about to begin."

Looking ahead to next year, he said, "I don't have any particular enthusiasm, I just want to give it my all, and since this is my third time doing so, I want to get a good result and be proud of myself."

Takayama, who won the job offer after competing with Tokyo Olympics gold medalist Naosato Hamada, a senior at the same high school, said, "I don't think I've surpassed my seniors yet, I'm still in the middle of my dream, but I'm finally able to stand on the starting line."

Nagayama replied with a cheerful expression, "I couldn't get over the barrier of being second for a long time, and there were times when I almost gave up, but I'm glad I came back."

When asked about his thoughts on Takafuji, who is also a senior at the university, he said, "I was able to come this far because of Takafuji, who was running in front of me for a long time.

Women's 63 kg Mirai Takaichi

In the women's 63kg class, Mirai Takaichi is a 29-year-old from Tokyo.

In addition to throwing techniques such as small outer cutting and inner thighs, he is also good at sleeping techniques.

At the Rio de Janeiro Games, which was the first Olympics for the third consecutive Olympic team, they lost in the third-place play-off and were eliminated in the second round at the Tokyo Games.

In the lead-up to the Paris Games, she and Megumi Horikawa, who won the World Championships last year, had been competing for the national team, but they went head-to-head in the quarterfinals of the Grand Slam Tokyo international tournament held on the 3rd, and then won the title.

About Women's 78kg Rika Takayama

In the women's 78kg class, Rika Takayama is a 29-year-old from Miyazaki Prefecture.

He is good not only at throwing techniques such as large cuts, but also at sleeping techniques and joint techniques.

In the run-up to the Paris Olympics, she has been competing with Tokyo Olympic gold medalist Naori Hamada and others for the national team, but she has achieved steady results, including winning an international tournament in March.

In addition, he finished third at the Grand Slam Tokyo International Tournament, which was held until the 3rd, and was the only one of the four competitors to win a medal.

About Men's 60 kg Tatsuki Nagayama

In the men's 60 kg class, Tatsuki Nagayama is a 27-year-old from Hokkaido.

His strength is his aggressive judo, which involves actively performing carrying techniques such as shoulder throws.

In preparation for the Tokyo Olympics, he competed for the national team with Naotoshi Takafuji, a senior from Tokai University, but he lost in the final of the international tournament that also served as a selection and did not participate.

In the run-up to the Paris Games, he was aiming to participate in the Olympics in the footsteps of Takafuji, and since joining Kotoshi, he has been playing catch-up by winning two international tournaments.

Then, in the final of the international tournament Grand Slam Tokyo held on the 2rd, he won the championship by stealing a powerful one from Takafuji in overtime.