With just one month to go until the Paris Olympics, Hikaru Kitagawa, a Kanazawa native and member of INAC Kobe, has been selected for the Nadeshiko Japan women’s soccer team.
We asked him about his feelings for Paris and his hometown.

The person chasing the ball earnestly alongside the children is Kitagawa Hikaru, a member of the Japan women’s national soccer team and a native of Kanazawa City.

June 14th.

“Let’s begin the press conference announcing the Nadeshiko Japan members who will compete in the 33rd Olympic Games in Paris in 2024.”

Japan Women’s National Football Team Coach Ikeda Futoshi:
“Defenders: Saki Kumagai, Risa Shimizu, Hikaru Kitagawa”

The 18 members of Nadeshiko Japan who will compete in the Paris Olympics have been selected.

IT caught up with Kitagawa just three hours after the announcement.

Hikaru Kitagawa:
“I’m relieved that the announcement was made today.”

Kitagawa got his chance in two consecutive matches against North Korea in the final Asian qualifying round in February this year.

Kitagawa, who was called up as an additional player, started in the second match as a left wingback.

Kitagawa:
“I had a strong desire to go to Paris ever since I was selected as an additional member of the national team this year, so I have had a strong desire to go to Paris ever since.”

Kitagawa’s strength is his active participation in attacks, making use of his abundant energy.
He is also known for his accurate kicks with his left foot, which he used to create many attacking chances on the day, making a strong case for being included in the Paris Saint-Germain squad.

Kitagawa:
“I was a little surprised, but rather than thinking that it wouldn’t be strange if I was called, I thought that if I was called I would be able to do it, so I was able to do it without being too nervous.”

His performance established him as a regular member of the national team and earned him a place in the squad for Paris.

During the off-season for his club in June, he returned to his hometown of Kanazawa and began training hard.
Before the Olympics, I’m focusing on improving my explosive power.

This is a leg exercise to strengthen the first step of a sprint.
The car being pushed weighs approximately 3 tonnes.
We will hone our speed to compete on a global scale.

During a break in training, he headed to a place that could be considered the birthplace of Kitagawa.

Kitagawa:
“Spike, properly. Like I can do it for real.”

On this day, I participated in practice with Kikugawa FC, the club I belonged to when I was in elementary school.

From junior high school he moved on to the JFA Academy in Fukushima, which aims to develop elite players, so he only lived in Ishikawa until elementary school age.
Still, I have stronger feelings for my hometown than most people.

Kitagawa:
“Ever since I left my hometown, I’ve always wanted to give back to my hometown in a way like this, so I’m happy I can do it in this way.”

Kitagawa will be carrying the hopes of his hometown on his shoulders, but what are his goals for Paris?

Kitagawa:
“I chose ‘with a smile’. My own goal is to end with a smile, and if the results are good I can laugh and smile, but if a bad result or something negative happens, I want to finish with a smile and have no regrets. I’ll do my best to bring a smile to (Ishikawa) and make him smile too.”

On 13 July, Nadeshiko Japan will play their final friendly match before traveling to France against Ghana in Kanazawa to support the recovery efforts following the Noto Peninsula earthquake.