Read the full story sports look – Conor O'Leary named to Japan's 2024 Olympic surfing team
Conor O'Leary will fill the third and final spot on Japan's Olympic men's surfing team for the 2024 Paris Games.
The Japan Surfing Association announced this on Tuesday, March 12th.
Until now, 2020 Tokyo Olympic silver medalists Kanoa Igarashi and Reio Inaba had secured spots.
The International Olympic Committee approved O'Leary's change of nationality from Australia to Japan in 2023. He then began participating in the World Surf League Championship Tour as a Japanese player in January 2024.
For O’Leary, the World Surf League’s 2017 Rookie of the Year, Tuesday’s news was thrilling.
“I'm so excited to officially announce that I will be representing Japan at the 2024 Paris Olympics!” O'Leary wrote on Instagram. “Thank you NSA and JOC (Japanese Olympic Committee) for giving me this wonderful opportunity. Tahiti, here we are.”
It will be the third time the French capital has hosted the Summer Games, having previously hosted them in 1900 and 1924, but the surfing competition will be held at Te Aupoo on the French Polynesian island of Tahiti. The dates are July 27th to August 5th.
A trio of Japanese Olympians will compete in a World Surf League event. Igarashi and O'Leary are currently ranked 5th and 10th on the WSL Men's Championship Tour, while Inaba sits at 23rd in the Qualifying Series standings.
In 2023, O'Leary finished 11th overall on the Championship Tour, while Igarashi finished 14th overall.
Continue reading the full story at SportsLook.
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Author: Ed Odin
Find Ed japan forwarddedicated website, sports look. follow him [Japan Sports Notebook] on sunday, [Odds and Evens] Weekdays are X (old Twitter) @ed_odeven.
