Japanese athletes achieved remarkable performances in Olympics

要約

Blessed with good weather and free of incidents such as terrorist attacks, the 2012 London Olympics ended Aug. 12 after 17 days of sporting drama, excitement and joy. More than 10,000 athletes from 204 countries and regions participated.

For Japan, this year marked the 100th year since it first took part in the Olympic Games in Stockholm. Japanese athletes as a whole presented praiseworthy performances that excited and satisfied fans. They took a record 38 medals — seven gold, 14 silver and 17 bronze, topping the record of 37 medals in the 2004 Athens Olympics. Their performances should encourage to people back home who are trying to recover from the effects of the 3/11 disasters.

Japan, in its basic sports plan, had set the goal of attaining a No. 5 or better position in the gold medal tally. For the London Olympics, officials of the Japanese team had set a goal of winning 15 or more gold medals. In terms of the number of gold medals, Japan came in at No. 11. But in terms of the number of total medals, it finished as the No. 6 country.

The increase in the number of medals won by Japan means that Japanese athletes have achieved a higher performance level in a wide area of sports. Japan won medals in 13 types of sports compared with its past record of 10 types. This achievement testifies to the spread of sports in Japan and deserves due praise.

In swimming, Japan took 11 medals — the first time it has finished in double figures for medals in the postwar years. Remarkable was the strong showing by Japanese women athletes, including three gold medals in women’s free-style wrestling, and silver medals won by the women’s soccer and table tennis teams.

The performances in men’s judo were disappointing, with no medals. Japanese judo athletes need to catch up with the changing trends in the judo world.

日本語の抄訳はウィークリ8月25日号のP18に掲載されています。