Jo Sakai placed 9th in the men's diving board at the World Swimming Championships being held in Qatar, Middle East, and was selected to represent the team at the Paris Olympics. This will be his third consecutive Olympic appearance.
The men's diving final was held on the 7th, the 6th day of the World Swimming Championships being held in Doha, Qatar.
This tournament also serves as a selection for the Paris Olympics, and in the individual events, spots are given to the countries and regions of athletes who place in the top 12, and the athletes who earn spots are selected to represent the country.
31-year-old Sakai was the only player from Japan to advance to the finals, and in his third performance, he scored 73.10 by performing the ``5154B,'' which involves starting forward, turning forward two and a half times, and twisting twice.
In the sixth and final attempt, he flew forward and completed the ``107B'', which made three and a half rotations, by entering the water with little splash, and recorded a score of 69.75.
Sakai placed 9th with a total of 414.60, earning him a spot on the Paris Olympic team.
This will be Sakai's third consecutive Olympic appearance.
The gold medal went to China's Wang Zongyuan.
“It all paid off when I got the job offer.”
Jo Sakai, who was selected to represent the Paris Olympics, said, ``It all paid off when I received the offer, and I'm glad I persevered.This time I came in 9th place and didn't get the prize, so I'm trying to improve my level of perfection. I want to complete a performance that will never fail by summer.''
From an early age due to the influence of my parents
Jo Sakai is a 31-year-old from Kanagawa Prefecture.
He started competing at an early age due to his parents who were diving athletes.
His specialty is entering the water with little splash, and at his first Olympics in Rio de Janeiro in 2016, he was unable to pass the qualifying round in the men's plank diving event, finishing 22nd.
At the Tokyo Olympics, his second appearance, he teamed up with Ken Terauchi, who has competed in six Summer Olympics, to participate in the men's synchronized board diving, and they finished fifth with a brilliant performance.
Last year (2023), at the Japan Championships, he won the men's synchro board diving event, marking the final moment for Terauchi, who retired from active competition, and also placed third in the individual board diving event.
Looking ahead to the Paris Olympics, he has a strong desire to compete in individual events, saying, ``I had a poor performance at the Rio de Janeiro Games, and I couldn't compete as an individual at the Tokyo Games, so I want to shine as an individual in Paris.'' He received guidance from retired Terauchi. I have been trying to improve my level by taking various courses.