When Akiko Hasegawa made the transition from indoor volleyball to the beach version of the game, she knew it was a case of now or never.
Hasegawa is glad she made the decision as she will enter the round of 16 and continue her quest for a medal at the Paris Olympics.
Along with partner Miki Ishii, the 38-year-old Hasegawa has won two matches in the preliminary round with wins over Lithuania and host France.
The pair beat France's Lezana Placette and Alexia Richard by scores of 21-15, 21-18 on Saturday, August 3 to book their spot in the final round, the first time a Japanese women's pair has done so since Yukiko Takahashi and Mika Saiki lost the bronze-medal match at the Sydney Games in 2000.
They will face the world No 1 Brazilian pair of Ana Patricia Silva Ramos and Eduarda Santos Lisboa on Monday night, August 5 (4 AM JST on Tuesday). Hasegawa and Ishii are 33rd in the world rankings so it will be a tall order but upsets can happen.
The beach volleyball venue at the Paris Olympics has been set up in the shadows of the Eiffel Tower and is one of the hottest tickets in town.
Tennis star Serena Williams and French President Emmanuel Macron are among the big names who have been seen at the stadium.
'It's Now or Never'
Hasegawa retired from indoor volleyball way back in 2014.
She took a job as an office worker and played on the company volleyball team but said she felt restless and wanted to get back into something more competitive.
So the native of native of Tokyo switched to beach volleyball the following year.
"I decided that I would take up beach volleyball seriously, and so I quit my job," Hasegawa said in an interview with sponsor NTT. "The manager of the company's volleyball team was opposed to my decision, but I said, 'it's now or never.' "
After a six-month break between competitions, Hasegawa made her beach volleyball debut at the Kawasaki Mayor's Cup and finished runner-up.
"Participating in that competition showed me how fun and interesting beach volleyball is," Hasegawa said. "So I decided that if I was successful at the trials for the national team selection I would take up beach volleyball in earnest."
A Key to Success in Beach Volleyball
Unlike on an indoor volleyball team where you have many teammates, Hasegawa said the biggest challenge in beach volleyball is building a positive relationship with your partner.
"With beach volleyball it is often the case that one player in the pair is targeted by the opposing team," Hasegawa explained.
"When the ball goes too much to one player and the person makes a lot of mistakes, the other player tends to blame the partner when the pair loses," Hasegawa added. "I understand this from my past experience, and so I take care to ensure that doesn't happen."
So now the 38-year-old is having the time of her life in Paris and looking to take the next big step in her career, glad that she came out of retirement.
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Author: Jim Armstrong
The author is a longtime journalist who has covered sports in Japan for over 25 years. You can find his articles on SportsLook.
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