Furukawa returns to Japanese team for fifth Olympics in 2024

Japan has named its recurve squad for the upcoming season, including the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, season after team trials on 8-10 March in Tokyo.

Takaharu Furukawa, Fumiya Saito and Junya Nakanishi, who won Japan a full men’s team quota after collecting bronze at the 2023 world championships, return to the line-up, as does Satsuki Noda, who added a women’s spot with third at the same event in Berlin.

She’ll be joined by young talents Waka Sonoda and Ruka Uehara.

The six athletes will compete in the three Hyundai Archery World Cup stages scheduled from April to June, while the women will look to upgrade to a full, three-athlete team spot at the final qualifier in Antalya.

“I will try to be consistent more than any other archers to get the full quota,” said Sonoda. “We want to take team Japan to the Olympics and try our best to get the medals there.”

Sonoda and Uehara finished ahead of experienced Utano Agu, third, and 29-year-old Tomomi Sugimoto, who has been a fixture on the Japanese international squad since making her debut in 2014 – and will again miss out on an Olympic debut.

The average age of the women’s line-up in 2024 is just 22.

Japan collected individual and team bronze medals in the men’s event at the last Olympics, a home Games in Tokyo, but only the ever-present Takaharu Furukawa (who was also runner-up at London 2012) returns from that roster.

Paris will be Furukawa’s fifth Olympics.

Japanese archery teams have collected seven podiums in their history at the Games – but never an individual or team gold.

Images courtesy of Japan archery federation.

Japanese team for 2024

• Recurve men: Takaharu Furukawa, Fumiya Saito and Junya Nakanishi.
• Recurve women: Satsuki Noda, Waka Sonoda and Ruka Uehara.