"Fairy Japan" Clinches Berth for 2028 Olympics, 1st for Japan

Frankfurt, Aug. 15 (Jiji Press)--Japan won the silver medal in the group all-around competition at the Rhythmic Gymnastics World Championships in Frankfurt, Germany, on Saturday, securing a spot at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, which is awarded to the top three finishers.

The Japanese team, nicknamed "Fairy Japan," scored 28.150 points in the ball routine and 28.550 points in the hoop and club routine for a total of 56.700 points. Spain took the gold medal, and Brazil finished third.

This is Japan's first berth for the 2028 Games across all sports, as well as the first in the rhythmic gymnastics group all-around competition since the Tokyo Games, held in 2021.

The team comprises Hisano Taguchi, Megumi Nishimoto, Kaseno Tanabe, Natsumi Hanamura, Yuna Tanaka, and Rin Manabe.

As none of the members apparently knew that they were the first Japanese athletes to qualify for the 2028 Games, they reacted with excitement, saying, "Oh, really?" and "We can pass the baton (to Japanese athletes in other sports) in a good mood."

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]