Japan picks Aussie-born O’Leary for Olympics surfing spot

Australian-born surfer Connor O’Leary says he has been chosen for the Japan crew for the Paris 2024 Olympics after formally switching his allegiance to the nation of his mom’s start final 12 months.

O’Leary, who was raised within the south Sydney suburb of Cronulla, was granted a 3rd males’s spot by the Nippon Browsing Affiliation on Wednesday after the crew secured an additional slot for profitable a qualification occasion at Huntington Seaside in 2022.

Most groups are restricted to 2 surfers of every gender for the Olympics.

“So excited to formally announce that I shall be representing Japan on the Paris 2024 Olympics. Thanks to the NSA & the JOC for the unbelievable alternative. Tahiti right here we come,” O’Leary mentioned on Instagram.

O’Leary, a robust goofy-footer (stands along with his proper foot ahead) is snug in heavy tubing waves together with the Olympics venue of Teahupo’o in Tahiti and shall be a giant enhance to the Japan crew, which incorporates Tokyo 2020 Olympic silver medallist Kanoa Igarashi and Reo Inaba.

Shino Matsuda is the one lady to qualify for Japan for Paris 2024.

The 30-year-old O’Leary completed eleventh on the skilled world championship tour final 12 months, under Jack Robinson and Ethan Ewing who took the 2 males’s spots for the Australian Olympic crew.

O’Leary speaks Japanese and has carried Japan’s flag on his competitors shirt for a number of years, however now formally represents Japan on the world tour the place he’s ranked fifth after a stable exhibiting within the opening two occasions in Hawaii.

Saying his swap of allegiance in 2023, O’Leary mentioned he had not at all times embraced his twin nationwide id whereas rising up in Cronulla, the place dozens of individuals have been injured when crowds of principally Anglo-Australians attacked individuals of Center Japanese look in 2005.

“I spent lot of instances as a child, placing my Japanese heritage behind me to attempt to slot in with the Australian tradition and slot in at college,” he instructed SBS Japanese final 12 months.

“As I’ve grown older, I’ve matured and realised being multicultural is one thing so particular. How cool is it to be Australian but additionally Japanese, and I simply need to spotlight that.”

Reuters