Yuki Togashi vows to continue growing: “I want to become a member of the Japanese national team that can say ‘Olympic gold medal’ is my goal” | Basketball King

(From left) Akari Fujinami, Yuki Kawamura, Yuki Togashi, Kazuma Kaya, who responded to the interview[Photo]= Basketball King

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On August 28th, the cross-cultural event “UNAVERAGE FES.”, the first produced by Japan men’s national basketball team player Togashi Yuki (Chiba Jets), was held at BUNTAI in Yokohama.

On this day, stars from various fields gathered together, including basketball players Yuki Kawamura and Maki Takada, Olympians Kazuma Kaya and Wataru Tanigawa, who were members of the Japanese men’s gymnastics team that won gold medals at the Paris 2024 Olympics, women’s wrestlers Yuto Kagami and Akari Fujinami, influencer Tomoyan, singer Kaela Kimura, and others. Through basketball and music, they interacted with the fans who came to Yokohama BUNTAI.

Togashi, who was handling unfamiliar roles as producer, such as greeting people backstage and MCing the talk corner, smiled as he enjoyed interacting with top athletes from other sports, and praised the efforts of the basketball players who showed energetic play at the event. In a media interview after the event, he said, “I thought basketball and music were close, so I’m happy to have this opportunity. I was able to interact with everyone at the venue, and although I think there were a lot of basketball fans today, I hope that people will become interested in various things such as gymnastics and wrestling,” and expressed his enthusiasm for holding the event next year and beyond.

This was his second time participating in the Olympics, but just like the last time in Tokyo, he suffered three straight losses. However, he still felt a sense of accomplishment, pushing the higher-ranked French national team to the brink. Togashi continued, “Three straight losses was a tough result, but I think I’ve grown by playing in Tokyo and Paris. I’m looking forward to seeing the level of Japanese basketball rise in the future. Of course, there is a possibility that I will be involved with the national team, and although it may be my last time, I want to always set high goals as long as I’m still active. I think the future of Japanese basketball is very bright.”

After taking part in two major international tournaments as captain of the Japanese national team, last year’s World Cup and this year’s Olympics, he was asked about his future goals and commented, “My big goal has come to an end, and now I’m preparing for the next season.” “I think the B.League will be more exciting with Watanabe Yuta joining (the Chiba Jets), so I want to help make it more exciting together, and I want to keep improving as a player. I want to become a member of the Japanese national team that can say its goal is to win a gold medal at the Olympics,” he said, looking to even greater heights as if inspired by a gold medalist.