Support Athletes

Athletes / Ambassadors

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  Yui Hasegawa

  Professional footballer

  Born in Saitama in 1997, she played as a midfielder for Manchester City FC. She started all four games at the Paris Olympics, contributing to the last eight, and was a key player for AC Milan and West Ham before moving to Manchester City in 2022, where she was named in the PFA Best Eleven of the Year for 2023-2024.

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  Junto Nakatani

  Professional boxer

  Born in Mie in 1998. He belongs to M.T Boxing Gym. Holding an undefeated record of 29 wins in 29 fights, including an astonishing 22 knockouts, he is a world champion with an exceptional record. He is the current WBC World Bantamweight Champion, former WBO World Flyweight Champion, and former WBO World Super Flyweight Champion — a three-weight world champion. As a junior high school student, he won consecutive U-15 tournament champion. After graduating from Toin Daini Junior High School, he did not attend high school and instead went alone to the United States for training. There, he received coaching from Rudy Hernandez and Daisuke Okabe. At 16, introduced by Mr. Okabe, he joined M.T Boxing Gym. Starting with a TKO win in his debut fight, he has continued his rapid ascent, conquering three weight divisions.

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  Nanaho Tsuzuki

  Pro surfer

  Born in Aichi in 2003. Based in the Irago area, Niho is committed to surfing with the goal of entering the world’s top Championship Tour (CT) and competing in the Olympics. Growing up with parents who were windsurfers, she spent much of her childhood by the sea. She began surfing seriously in sixth grade. That summer, during a trip to Maui, she experienced a strong desire to become a professional surfer who can compete on the world stage. Since then, she has pursued her passion for the ocean even more actively, turning professional in 2018 under the Japan Professional Surfing Association (JPSA). She won the title of 2022/23 WSL QS ASIA CAMPION.

  Web Site
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  Yuuka Kagami

  Women's wrestler

  Born in Yamagata in 2001. Moved to Tochigi when she was in first grade. During her time with the Tochigi wrestling club “Thunder Kids,” she won four national boys' and girls' championships. In the third year of junior high school, she entered the JOC Elite Academy. In high school, she achieved three consecutive inter-high school championship titles from 2017 to 19. In 2019,she competed in the All-Japan Championships in the 68kg category, aiming for the Tokyo Olympics, but was defeated in her first match. After entering Toyo University, she returned to the 76kg category and won the 2020 All-Japan Championships. In September 2023, she competed in the World Championships for the second time and captured her first world title by defeating several top contenders. In 2024, she won the gold medal in the women’s freestyle 76kg category at the Paris Olympics — becoming the first Japanese woman ever to win gold in the heaviest weight division.

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  Takuma Sugi

  Pro windsurfer

  Born in Kanagawa in 2002. Raised in Zushi, Shonan, he is a professional windsurfer competing on the world stage. He started training at the age of six and became the youngest professional windsurfer at fourteen. Among the four main disciplines of windsurfing, he mainly competes in Freestyle and Wave events, actively participating in international competitions such as World Cups held overseas. He won the World Championship titles in the U-17 category in 2018 and the U-20 category in 2021. Beyond competition, he is also dedicated promoting windsurfing through video production, event planning and collabotations with companies and local governments.

  Web Site
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  Gotoku Sakai

  Professional footballer

  Born in New York, USA in 1991. One of Japan's leading right-back players. He was promoted from the youth team to Albirex Niigata in 2008 and remained with the club until 2011. In the same year, he moved to Bundesliga's VfB Stuttgart on a temporary transfer, followed by a permanent transfer from 2013 to 2015. In the same year, he transferred permanently to Hamburger SV in the Bundesliga. In 2019, he moved to Vissel Kobe, where he continues to lead the team and serve as the face of the club to this day. He has also been active on the Japan National Team since his first appearance in 2012, competing in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil and the 2018 World Cup in Russia. After the Russia World Cup, he announced his retirement from the national team and has since focused solely on his club activities.

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  Shino Matsuda

  Pro surfer

  Born in kanagawa, in 2002. Influenced by her parents, she started surfing at the age of 6 and obtained her official professional license from the Japan Pro Surfing Association at the age of 13. Making her professional debut at 14, she actively competes on the world tour. In 2023, she became the top-ranked Asian athlete at the World Surfing Games, earning her ticket to the 2024 Paris Olympics and becoming the very first athlete across all sports to be selected for the Japanese national team. As a leading professional surfer in Japan, she excels beyond the boundaries of an athlete, including being featured as a brand advertising model.

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