Japan's Arisa Higashino and Yuta Watanabe beat South Korea's Seung Jae Seo and Yu Jung Chae in straight sets (21-13, 22-20) in badminton mixed doubles at La Chapelle Arena Court 1 on Friday, August 2 to capture their second consecutive Olympic bronze medal.
Higashino and Watanabe credited communication for their repeat success on the sport's grandest stage.
"It is important to communicate and provide the best performance while supplementing it," Higashino was quoted as saying by The Yomiuri Shimbun after the victory.
"We frequently exchange opinions on the direction of shots from practice," Watanabe stated. "I am able to disclose negative points."
Despite cruising to win the first set in just 19 minutes, the Japanese pair had to battle hard in the second set to prevent a decisive third set.
Seo and Chae took the lead at 14-13 in the second set, but could not pull away. Higashino and Watanabe clinched the bronze on their second match point after 29 minutes and were clearly exhausted after doing so.
Determination Pays Off for Japanese Duo in Badminton Match
There was an intense battle for every point down the stretch before Higashino and Watanabe finally prevailed.
"We lost yesterday (in the semifinals) but we talked about having another chance to play together, and enjoying it," Watanabe was quoted as saying by Kyodo News. "It was our second third-place match but we were able to enjoy it until the end."
Added Higashino, "We talked about switching our attention within that day, and although we might only have been trying to put on a brave face, we chatted happily on the bus and that helped us overcome that disappointment."
Higashino and Watanabe were both joyous and emotional that they made the push for another Olympic medal after claiming the bronze at the Tokyo 2020 Games.
"I have nothing but gratitude," Higashino said of their collaboration. "I'm really glad I met Yuta."
Added Watanabe, "I'm glad we talked and came, [and] I'm really happy to be on the podium again."
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Author: Jack Gallagher
The author is a veteran sports journalist and one of the world's foremost figure skating experts. Find articles and podcasts by Jack on his author page, and find him on X (formerly Twitter) @sportsjapan.
