The young Japanese surfer exudes the same statesmanlike qualities as the Hawaiian who first believed surfing could be an Olympic sport. Igarashi will be the same age as Duke Kahanamoku was at his first Olympics, but it's not the only thing they share. "If we all just change that one percent and be better, I think we can make a big change and I think it's just that simple action, simple motivation that I can kind of speak about with the help of the Olympics and yeah, make the future a better a place.ĭuke Kahanamoku won five Olympic medals, three of them gold, for the USA in swimming, but always believed in surfing's potential. "It's being a part of a lot of hard-working people behind the scenes who do just small things - picking up trash off the beach, reducing single use plastics, there's many things that we can do. "I just feel like we can all make a change and make the ocean a cleaner place … for our future generations. "We're pretty much in harmony with mother nature, we are playing with the ocean. "The Olympics is a platform where, yeah, we are all going out to compete and try to win the gold medal but at the end of the day we are trying to show the world the beauty of the ocean. "Now I just feel like I'm at a stage in my life where we all know that the ocean and mother nature need us more than ever.
"It's done something I can never really explain in words, for me and my family. "The Olympics has pretty much given me a loudspeaker. "I feel like my voice is stronger and I never thought I could be this strong where I feel I can do a lot of positive things for the world and especially for our ocean that's given me, and other people, so much," he said. Kanoa Igarashi will carry the hopes of Japan at his home Olympics. Walking the streets of Japan now he is frequently stopped by fans wanting photos with the man who'll be flying their flag. "Every time I heard the word 'Olympics' there's a bit of butterflies that come through my blood … every day I get a little bit more excited." "I feel it from just everyday news," he said. He admits to feeling pressure "I've never felt before". "I grew up with it, like taking a shower, it's just something that you do … and in saying that it's given me everything that I have." Igarashi was introduced to the sport by his father, surfing "before I can even remember," he says. "But for him it must be an overwhelming feeling with all of that coming together and I'm sure that moment's going to be very special for him. "It's a whole circle to have a wave that my dad had such a big connection with growing up as a child and now that spot's becoming the biggest stage for surfing. ( Instagram: Kanoa Igarashi)īoth father and son are at home in the waves of the Pacific Ocean - one brought up surfing Tsurigasaki, Chiba, the other, almost 9,000 kilometres directly east, at Huntington Beach, California. Kanoa Igarashi finished in fifth at Pipeline earlier this year. "For him to find that wave and build that connection with that wave he called it the 'dojo', you know, the arena, because it was the most consistent stretch of beach pretty much in the whole country of Japan." "Back in the day when my dad was surfing, surfing was not a big thing, a lot of people looked down upon it to be honest. "Well, it's funny, you know, it's not just that … my dad found that wave with his group of friends," Igarashi said. In an interesting twist of fate, the waves where the Olympic surfing competition will be held, are the waves his father, Tsutomu, grew up riding. "I feel like I've kind of found myself with the Olympics." "I never thought surfing would lead me to something that is much bigger than just the sport, the Olympics is much bigger than that," he told The Ticket. He is a man of the world - Japanese born, schooled in the Californian surf mecca of Huntington Beach and spends much of his time these days living in Portugal.
#Japanese surfer professional
The 23-year-old professional is ranked number five in the World Surf League, currently competing at Newcastle's Merewether beach.
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