In the final qualifying round for the Winter Olympics, Japan narrowly loses to Great Britain 2-3… Captain Nakajima: “It’s really frustrating” The tournament ends with three straight losses[Ice Hockey](TBS NEWS DIG Powered by JNN)

■ Ice Hockey 2026 Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo Winter Olympics Final Qualifier Japan vs. Great Britain (1st, Denmark)[See photos]In the final qualifying round for the Winter Olympics, Japan narrowly loses to Great Britain 2-3… Captain Nakajima says, “It’s really frustrating,” and the tournament ends with three straight losses[Ice Hockey]The third match of the final Olympic qualifying round, which was aimed at participating for the first time in 28 years since the Nagano Olympics. Japan, ranked 24th in the world, lost 2-3 to Great Britain, ranked 17th, and was the last in the group, failing to qualify. The final qualifying round is divided into three groups of four countries each, and the winner of each group will participate in the Olympics. Japan is in the same group as Denmark, ranked 11th, Norway, ranked 12th, and Great Britain, ranked 17th. Japan lost three points in the first period, but in the second period, Kosuke Otsu (30) and Marika Furuhashi (30) scored goals to close the gap to one point. Japan continued to attack boldly in the third period, but was unable to score. With under two minutes remaining, they launched a six-man attack, but were unable to break through the British defense. Their challenge for a ticket to the Olympic Games for the first time in 28 years came to an end with three straight losses. Captain Shogo Nakajima (30) said, “Thank you so much for all the support from Japan. We didn’t get the result we wanted, and it’s really frustrating, but there were many games where we gained something from them. Next up, we want to work together to liven up the domestic league and get stronger so we can take on the world stage, so please continue to support the Japanese national team.”

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