To honor the two athletes from Yachiyo City, Chiba Prefecture, who participated in the Paris Olympics and won gold and silver medals, the city will hold a celebration parade in the city on November 9th. The two athletes will be presented with the “Yachiyo Citizen Honor Award Special Award,” and a celebration will be held after the parade, which will also serve as an award ceremony. This will be the first time a celebration parade will be held in the city. (Tetsu Hobo)
Natsumi Tsunoda, who won the women’s 48kg judo class and was runner-up in the mixed team, and Sorato Anraku, who was runner-up in the men’s sport climbing combined (boulder and lead), are third-year students at Prefectural Yachiyo High School. Mr. Tsunoda will be presented with the Citizen’s Honor Award Special Award, and Mr. Anraku will be presented with the Citizen’s Honor Award.
Natsumi Tsunoda
Anraku Hiroto
Anraku is the fifth person (including teams) to receive the Citizen’s Honor Award, which recognizes people who have achieved outstanding results in international and national sports competitions. Tsunoda was awarded the award in 2018. This special award was created for people who have made outstanding achievements after receiving the Citizen’s Honor Award.
The parade will be held for about 20 minutes starting at 10 a.m. on Yurinoki Street, which passes in front of Toyo Rapid Railway Yachiyo Chuo Station. The parade departs from the station plaza and travels approximately 800 meters in parade cars. A celebration will be held at 11 a.m. in the large hall of the Civic Center, and two athletes will be recognized.
Mayor Tomonori Hattori congratulated the two athletes at a press conference on the 10th, saying, “They delivered dreams and excitement to not only the citizens, but many people.” “Kakuda once considered retiring, but he came back and won the gold medal.He had a great influence on the children, believing that dreams can come true if you work hard.”
Approximately 1,000 people will be able to apply to watch the celebration on the city’s website from the 15th to the 29th. The parade and celebration will be streamed live on the city’s YouTube channel.
◆Narashino City gives special award to Kaya, winning men’s gymnastics team gold
Kayawama receives a special award from Mayor Taisuke Miyamoto (left) at Narashino City Hall
The city gave a special award to Kazuma Kaya, a graduate of Narashino Municipal Narashino High School, who won the gold medal in the men’s team gymnastics event at the Paris Olympics. The Special Achievement Award was presented in 2021, and Kaya was the first to receive the special recognition.
The award ceremony was held at City Hall on the 4th, and Mayor Taisuke Miyamoto handed out the certificates. Kaya recalled her time on the Narashino High School gymnastics club, saying, “I didn’t stop practicing even when my teacher stopped me, and I was able to spend an intense high school life, which helped me become a strong gymnast.” “I want to win at the Los Angeles Olympics and win for the second time in a row,” he said.
At the Tokyo Olympics, she won the silver medal, just 0.103 points behind the gold medal, and at the Paris Olympics, she came from behind to win the gold medal. As captain, he continued to inspire the Japanese team, and Mayor Miyamoto and Superintendent of Education Takashi Oguma praised his performance, saying, “He gave dreams and inspiration to the citizens and the nation.”