Japanese Olympians spoke of their pride on Wednesday after returning home from Paris with the most gold medals and podium finishes achieved at an overseas Summer Games.
"I believe Team Japan was able to lift the Japanese public and give them courage," judo's back-to-back men's 66-kilogram gold medalist Hifumi Abe said at a press conference after the country amassed 20 gold, 12 silver and 13 bronze for 45 in total.
Over 60 medalists including those from team events attended a ceremony in Tokyo marking disbandment of Japan's Olympic delegation. The gathering was headlined by back-to-back men's skateboarding street winner Yuto Horigome, men's artistic gymnastics winner of three golds Shinnosuke Oka and breaker Shigeyuki Nakarai, who was Japan's flagbearer both in the opening and closing ceremonies.
"We were able to elevate each other beyond our respective sports and it turned out to be a really good Olympics," said fencer Misaki Emura, the women's team sabre bronze medalist who was also a flagbearer at the opening ceremony.
Japan was third on the gold medal tally at the Tokyo Games in 2021 after winning a record haul for the nation of 27, and again came third in Paris after the United States and China both won 40 golds.
Japan won a record 58 medals in total while hosting the postponed games three summers ago, held without spectators amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
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