‘Normal thing to do’: Japanese fans tidy up at World Cup
Serena Williams, who led the U.S. to the tennis grand slam in 2016, has long been Japan’s role model. Now, with Williams having spent the past 13 months winning the Olympics and Grand Slam titles in 2018, perhaps the country’s most famous female athlete feels like an inspiration to a nation.
The last time a Japanese athlete was the face of the team was in 2016 when Japanese swimmer Kanae Ito became the first woman to ever win the Summer Games in swimming. The following year, it was in 2016 when the national soccer team beat the United States to win the World Cup with an inspired display from forward Alex Morgan scoring the winning goal in the last minute of extra time in the final minute of a penalty kick shootout. In 2016, Japan also won gold in swimming.
However on Monday, Williams did not take the podium during the World Cup final in front of a capacity crowd of 45,000 at Tokyo’s Allianz Arena. Williams did, however, play on the PlayStation 4 during the event. The Sony executive producer also presented her with the trophy but did not take any photos with the crowd.
Japan will be heading to Sydney for the Summer Games in Australia in 2020, where it might see the return of the Williams, with whom it made its last appearance in 1987. The country’s previous appearance at the Games was in 1996, when it won bronze.
Japan’s World Cup journey will resume at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. For Williams, Tokyo is a new, much-anticipated destination.
The next question is, could that be the last? Perhaps Williams and the rest of the Japanese contingent will become the target of hate crimes in the streets, or maybe she’ll have a new, more lucrative role as the face of K-pop (“K-pop” being Japanese pop music.)
The Japanese public has become more and more interested in Williams, with her having held her own as the Olympic champion. Her popularity is also growing in more places beyond the country’s borders. Her latest