“Saki-chan, you did a great job.” Saki Niizoe (28), a member of the Self-Defense Forces from Kashihara City, Nara Prefecture, who made her first appearance in the 70kg women’s judo competition at the Paris Olympics, lost in the quarterfinals on the night of July 31 (Japan time) and also lost in the repechage. The approximately 350 people who packed into the public viewing (PV) held in the city applauded her efforts.

“Pathetic.” In a post-match interview, Nisozoe, who was a favorite to win, spoke of her frustration and the pressure of representing Japan, reverting to her childhood self as “the crybaby Saki-chan.” Her best friend, former judo player Tadashi Murai (26), also had tears in her eyes as she sympathized with her, saying, “It must have been tough for her.”

“I thought it was cool that he spoke honestly about his feelings,” said Ryosei Urasaki (11), a sixth-grader at Sakurai City’s Jojima Elementary School and captain of the Kashihara City Judo Club where Nisozoe began judo.

After the PV ended, her father, Narumasa Nisoe (56), took the stage and expressed his gratitude, saying, “It’s thanks to everyone’s support that I was able to stand on the stage of my dreams.”

Mayor Tadahiko Kameda, who was a soccer player in college, said, “It was tough for me even to make it to the Kansai tournament. It pains me to think that he must have endured pressure dozens of times greater than that. I would like to praise him for his efforts when he returns to Kashihara.”