
Nami Matsuyama (left) and Chiharu Shida display their bronze medals after the women's badminton doubles competition at the 2024 Paris Olympics. (©SANKEI)
All good things come to an end. Badminton fans were reminded of this reality on Tuesday, July 8.
On that day, women's doubles partners Chiharu Shida and Nami Matsuyama revealed that they will be going their separate ways after the conclusion of the 2025 Badminton World Championships (August 25-31) in Paris.
Both women are ready for new challenges, as noted below
Shida and Matsuyama teamed up to earn the bronze medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Perhaps it's only fitting for the Japanese duo to return to the French capital to wrap up their partnership.

The 28-year-old Shida's partnership with Matsuyama, 27, stretches back to their teenage years. In 2015, they teamed up for a bronze medal in the girls doubles competition at the Asian Junior Championships in Thailand.
Their successful collaboration has resulted in 12 Badminton World Federation World Tour titles between 2018 and 2025 and 14 more runner-up finishes. And they are currently ranked No 2 in the world in women's doubles.
Shida and Matsuyama celebrated their most recent title at the 2025 All England Open in March, when they topped compatriots Yuki Fukushima and Mayu Matsumoto in a three-set final.

Badminton Stars Seek New Challenges
So why are Shida and Matsuyama ready to compete with new partners?
Shida is focused on an ambitious target of becoming "the best in the world," Kyodo News reported.
But first things first. She wants to have a triumphant send-off in Paris with Matsuyama.
"I've spent more time with Matsuyama than with my family," Shida said, according to Kyodo News. "Since our last competition is in Paris, with which we have a special connection, I want to win the world championship there."

To challenge for her post-worlds goal, Shida will be teaming up with a new 28-year-old partner, Arisa Igarashi (nee Higashino, who got married in August 2024), who has claimed back-to-back Olympic mixed doubles bronze medals along with Yuta Watanabe.
While Igarashi is switching from mixed doubles to women's doubles, Matsuyama is planning to make the opposite move.

At a news conference in Kumamoto, Matsuyama explained her decision, saying that she felt she'd reached her peak level as a women's doubles player, according to media reports.
"I worked as hard as I could for the Olympics," Matsuyama was quoted as saying by Kyodo News. "[And] I couldn't imagine myself getting even stronger, and I didn't want to stand in the way of my partner aiming higher."
RELATED:
- Badminton Star Akane Yamaguchi Captures 4th Japan Open Title
- Arisa Higashino and Yuta Watanabe Collect Their 2nd Straight Bronze in Badminton Mixed Doubles

Baseball
3 Japanese Players Named MLB All-Stars
Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani (starting designated hitter) and Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto were named to the National League All-Star team.
Left-handed starting pitcher Yusei Kikuchi of the Los Angeles Angels was picked as a reserve for the American League All-Star squad.
The 2025 MLB All-Star Game is on Tuesday, July 15 (Wednesday at 9 AM JST) in Atlanta.
Yamamoto will not pitch in the game, however, as he'll rest after taking his regular place in the Dodgers pitching rotation on Sunday, July 13 against the San Francisco Giants. It's both teams' final game before the All-Star break.
In 18 starts, prior to his outing against the Giants, Yamamoto had an 8-7 record with a 2.77 ERA.
"Oh, yeah. He's an All-Star," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said of Yamamoto, according to DodgerBlue.com. "Started off ablaze, then he kind of simmered a little bit."
Added Roberts, "So absolutely he's one of the top whatever pitchers that need to be on an All-Star roster. For sure."
RELATED:
- Tokyo Series Notes: Baseball Great Griffey Shares Impressions of Ohtani
- Shohei Ohtani Homers in 2024 MLB All-Star Game, But the AL Defeats the NL
Es Con Field to Stage a Japan-Korea Retired Players Game in November
The second annual Dream Players Game, featuring ex-NPB standouts and former Korea Baseball Organization All-Stars, will be held in Kitahiroshima, Hokkaido Prefecture, on November 30.
In-Sik Kim, ex-skipper for the South Korea national team, is the manager for the Korean squad in this exhibition game at Es Con Field Hokkaido. Well-known former players Bum-Ho Lee, Tae-Kyun Kim and Dae-Ho Lee are among those expected to play.
Manager Kim is excited that the Dream Players Game will be held for the second year in a row.
"It meant so much to me to stand on the ground with those legends in a game that represents friendship between South Korea and Japan," he said, according to the Yonhap News Agency. "We will try to make it a special occasion where baseball will transcend borders."
Former Yomiuri Giants dugout boss Tatsunori Hara is the manager for Japan. Event organizers said Hara's club will include Shunsuke Watanabe, Atsunori Inaba and Kosuke Fukudome, among others.
Looking ahead to the exhibition game, Hara noted that South Korea is "at once a good rival and a friend for Japanese baseball," the Yonhap News Agency reported. "We will try to contribute to the development of friendship for the two nations."



Soccer
Everton Women's Squad Signs a Trio of Japanese Players
During the summer transfer window, Women's Super League club Everton has signed three Japanese players. The first of the signings ― center-back Rion Ishikawa ― was announced on Monday, July 7.
Ishikawa, 22, previously played for the WE League's Urawa Reds Ladies.
Defender Hikaru Kitagawa joins the British team after a stint with Swedish side Hacken. Her signing was announced on Wednesday.
On Friday, Everton revealed that it had also signed forward Yuka Momiki, who left WSL team Leicester City at the end of her contract in 2025.
Momiki, 29, who appeared in 43 Leicester matches and scored eight goals, is excited about the next chapter of her soccer career.
"The WSL is the most competitive league in the world. I am so glad I can be playing in this league as much as possible and to be starting a new challenge with Everton," Momiki was quoted as saying by BBC Sport. "Playing in England is one of the biggest dreams for any football player."
In addition to the recent signees, Japanese midfielder Honoka Hayashi joined Everton in July 2024.
The 2025-26 Women's Super League season kicks off in September.
RELATED:

Rugby
Wales Tops Japan, Ends 18-Match Losing Streak
In Kobe, Wales raced out to a sizable advantage early, taking a 21-3 lead in the 37th minute against Japan in a test match on Saturday afternoon, July 12. Interim head coach Matt Sherratt's team held on for a 31-22 win over Japan.
It was Wales' first win in 644 days, with the team snapping an 18-match losing streak.
The Brave Blossoms entered the second half facing a 21-10 deficit. They pulled within 11 points thanks to a Shuhei Takeuchi try and a Seungsin Lee's conversion.
Kieran Hardy had two first-half tries for Wales and teammate Josh Adams added another before the break at Noevir Stadium Kobe.
Warner Deans and Dylan Riley added tries for Japan in the second half.
"We didn't give our best performance," Japan head coach Eddie Jones said after the match, according to NHK. "Rugby is a game of one-on-one battles, and we were not able to show our strength in the scrums, where we should have had the advantage."
Jones' assessment of the Brave Blossoms' performance also included the following: "In the second half, we were aggressive in our runs and showed Japan's character. But to be able to compete with the world's top 10 teams, we need to continue to strengthen our kicking skills as well."
On July 5, the Brave Blossoms defeated Wales 24-19 in Kitakyushu.

Auto Racing
Veteran Driver Ogata Embraces Challenges
Keeping a positive mindset is a valuable trait for athletes and people in all walks of life. I was reminded of this while glancing at veteran racecar driver Akinori Ogata's Facebook page.
In a message posted on July 9, Ogata wrote, "This year is a new challenge for Team 63 @akinoriperformance14, but I am gaining experience and organizing the team as we prepare for the second half of the season and 2026."
Ogata, 51, is currently competing in the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series (short-track motor racing in the late model division in North Carolina at Hickory Motor Speedway) and the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.

Golf
Japanese Women Well Represented in World Rankings
In the latest Rolex Women's World Golf Rankings, seven Japanese are listed in the top 50. The rankings were released on July 7.
Here's the septuplet: Mao Saigo (ninth), Rio Takeda (13th), Ayaka Furue (16), Miyuu Yamashita (18th), Akie Iwai (25th), Chisato Iwai (28th) and Nasa Hataoka (48th).

Quote of the Week
"I was a little nervous getting back out on a big-league mound for the first time in a little bit. Those two runners [to start the first inning] got on early and I thought to myself this is not a good look for me, and somehow I was able to get out of it."
―New York Mets starter Kodai Senga, speaking on July 11 after his team's 8-3 win over the Kansas City Royals, SportsNet New York reported. It was Senga's first MLB game since June 12. He was sidelined with a hamstring strain. Senga pitched four innings, allowing four hits and no runs. He walked two and struck out four.
Author: Ed Odeven
Find Ed on JAPAN Forward's dedicated website, SportsLook. Follow his [Japan Sports Notebook] on Sundays, [Odds and Evens] during the week, and X (formerly Twitter) @ed_odeven.