Japan suffered a heartbreaking loss against Italy in men¡¯s volleyball Monday at the Paris Olympics in a nail-biting match that went the distance and saw Japan fail to convert four match points.
Japan started off strong, winning the first two sets thanks to rock solid defense. In the third set, Japan held match points at 24-21, but on the first point, captain Yuki Ishikawa¡¯s spike missed the mark and landed out.
¡°I pressed too hard,¡± said Ishikawa.
Italy ultimately won the third set to extend the match.
¡°The entire team felt we could win this game (at first), and let our guard down,¡± said attacker Ran Takahashi.
Italy took control from then on and won the fourth set without facing too much pressure. In the final set, Japan held match point at 15-14, but the Italian team scored three points in a row, and it was game over.
And so was Â鶹´«Ã½ goal of winning an Olympic medal for the first time in 52 years as the squad fell at the same stage as in Tokyo three years ago.
¡°It was my fault for not being able to score points. I¡¯ve caused this,¡± Ishikawa said after the game.
The team, known as Ryujin Nippon, has become one of the top teams worldwide after Philippe Blain joined the team as assistant coach in 2017.
The main team members in Tokyo were also on the squad in Paris, allowing Japan to improve as a team and as a cohesive unit.
For that reason, the Paris Olympics had appeared to be a golden opportunity to bring back a medal.
¡°We¡¯ve come this far when we started off with a team being satisfied with a win or two in the world championships. This was our chance,¡± opposite hitter Yuji Nishida said.
¡°This team did everything we could,¡± Nishida said.
Although Blain, who will be leaving the team now that its Olympic run has ended, said he was frustrated with the loss, he was also proud that he was able to create such a good team. Team members tossed him in the air after the match in a show of respect for his years of dedication.
¡°I¡¯ll be the No. 1 fan of the Japan team in the next Olympics,¡± he said with teary eyes.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.