Japan at the 2012 Summer Olympics

Japan at the 2012 Summer Olympics
Japan, represented by Japanese Olympic Committee, competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, from 27 July to 12 August 2012. Despite being London's third Olympic Games, Japan marked their London debut at this games. The nation also celebrated its centennial anniversary in the Olympics, having participated at every games since 1912 except for two editions; it was not invited to the 1948 Summer Olympics in London for its role in World War II, and was also part of the US-led boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow. Japan sent a total of 295 athletes to the Games, 138 men and 157 women, to compete in 24 sports.
Japan left London with a total of 38 medals (7 gold, 14 silver, and 17 bronze), finishing eleventh in the gold medal rankings and sixth in the overall medal rankings. This was also the nation's most successful Olympics, winning the largest number of medals in non-boycotted games. Eleven of these medals were awarded to the athletes in swimming, seven in judo, six in wrestling, and three in gymnastics. Five Japanese athletes won more than a single Olympic medal in London. With the absence of baseball and softball at the Olympics, Japan's team-based athletes proved successful in London, as women's football and women's volleyball teams won silver and bronze medals, respectively. For the first time since 1968, Japan had won two Olympic medals in men's boxing.
Among the nation's medalists were freestyle wrestlers Kaori Icho and Saori Yoshida, who successfully defended their Olympic titles in their respective events. Two-time Olympic silver medalist and gymnast Kōhei Uchimura won the coveted gold medal in individual all-around, becoming the fourth Japanese man to claim the title after 28 years. Meanwhile, Ryōta Murata became the first Japanese boxer to win an Olympic gold medal since 1960, in the men's middleweight division. Defending swimming champion Kosuke Kitajima, who aimed to win gold in two breaststroke events for third Games in succession, missed out on the medal standings in the finals.
Medalists
The following Japanese competitors won medals at the Games. In the by discipline sections below, medalists' names are bolded.
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Delegation
Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC) selected a team of 295 athletes, 138 men and 157 women, to compete in all sports except basketball, and handball; it was the nation's fifth-largest team sent to the Olympics, but the smallest since the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. For the second time in its Olympic history, Japan was represented by more female than male athletes. There was only a single competitor in diving and in equestrian dressage.
The Japanese team included several past Olympic champions, three of them defending (freestyle wrestlers Kaori Icho and Saori Yoshida, and breaststroke swimmer Kosuke Kitajima). Yoshida, who won two consecutive gold medals in the Olympics before, became Japan's third female flag bearer at the opening ceremony since 2004, and the sixth in Olympic history. Javelin thrower and one-time world and Asian champion Yukifumi Murakami, on the other hand, served as the nation's team captain.
Dressage rider Hiroshi Hoketsu repeated his record from Beijing, as the oldest athlete to compete in these Olympic Games, at age 71. Single sculls rower Daisaku Takeda and show jumper Taizo Sugitani made their fifth appearance, having participated at every Olympic Games since 1996. Hammer thrower and former Olympic gold medalist Koji Murofushi, along with swimmer Kosuke Kitajima, was among the Japanese athletes who competed at their fourth Olympics. Meanwhile, breaststroke swimmer Kanako Watanabe, at age 15, was the youngest athlete of the team.
Other Japanese athletes featured gymnast and two-time Olympic silver medalist Kōhei Uchimura, javelin thrower and world junior champion Genki Dean, who embraced his British roots to represent the nation, table tennis player Ai Fukuhara, who became highly popular in China and Japan because of her nickname "China-dolls", and swimmers Ryosuke Irie and Takeshi Matsuda, who previously won the bronze medal in Beijing.
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The following is the list of number of competitors participating in the Games. Note that reserves for fencing, field hockey, football, and handball are not counted as athletes:
Archery
Japan has qualified one archer for the men's individual event and one archer for the women's individual event
Men
Women
Athletics
Japanese athletes have so far achieved qualifying standards in the following athletics events (up to a maximum of 3 athletes in each event at the 'A' Standard, and 1 at the 'B' Standard):
Men
Track & road events
Field events
Combined events – Decathlon
Women
Track & road events
Field events
Badminton
Men
Women
Mixed
Boxing
Japan has so far qualified boxers for the following events
Men
Canoeing
Slalom
Japan has qualified boats for the following events
Sprint
Japan has qualified boats for the following events
Qualification Legend: FA = Qualify to final (medal); FB = Qualify to final B (non-medal)
Cycling
Japan had qualified the following cyclists for the Games.
Road
Track
Sprint
Team sprint
Keirin
Mountain biking
Diving
Japan has qualified in the following events.
Women
Equestrian
Currently, Japan has qualified eight athletes for the Games.
Dressage
Eventing
Show jumping
Fencing
Japan has qualified 8 fencers.
Men
Women
Field hockey
Japan has qualified 1 team.
Women's event – 1 team of 16 players.
Women's tournament
Group play
9th/10th place
Football
Japan is qualified for the men's and women's event
Men's team event – 1 team of 18 players
Women's team event – 1 team of 18 players
Men's tournament
Squad
Group play
Quarter-final
Semi-final
Bronze medal game
Final rank 4th place.
Women's tournament
Squad
Group play
Quarter-final
Semi-final
Gold medal game
Gymnastics
Artistic
Men
Team
* On 30 July, Koji Yamamuro was injured on vault during the men's team final. It was announced that he would not compete in the individual all-around final as a result, and that his teammate, Kazuhito Tanaka would be able to compete instead.
Individual finals
Women
Team
Individual finals
Rhythmic
Trampoline
Judo
Men
Women
Modern pentathlon
Based on their results at the 2011 Asian/Oceania Championships three Japanese pentathletes have qualified for London; Shinichi Tomii has earned places in the men's event; Shino Yamanaka and Narumi Kurosu have earned places in the women's event.
Rowing
Japan has qualified the following boats.
Men
Women
Qualification Legend: FA=Final A (medal); FB=Final B (non-medal); FC=Final C (non-medal); FD=Final D (non-medal); FE=Final E (non-medal); FF=Final F (non-medal); SA/B=Semifinals A/B; SC/D=Semifinals C/D; SE/F=Semifinals E/F; QF=Quarterfinals; R=Repechage
Sailing
Japan has qualified 1 boat for each of the following events
Men
Women
Open
M = Medal race; EL = Eliminated – did not advance into the medal race;
Shooting
Japan has gained four quota places in the shooting events;
Men
Women
Swimming
Japan sent a total of 29 swimmers at the London games, after having achieved qualifying standards in their respective events (up to a maximum of 2 swimmers in each event at the Olympic Qualifying Time (OQT), and 1 at the Olympic Selection Time (OST)): Excluding the relay events, eight swimmers competed in more than a single event, including the defending champion Kosuke Kitajima from the breaststroke events.
By results, Japan left London with 11 swimming medals (3 silver and 8 bronze), the largest amount received at a single event. Backstroke swimmer Ryosuke Irie, and breaststroke swimmer Satomi Suzuki managed to win three medals in all of their respective events, whether individual or relay. Kosuke Hagino, the youngest male swimmer in the team, surprisingly won the bronze medal in the men's 400 m individual medley, surpassing all-time defending champion Michael Phelps, who finished behind him in the finals. Butterfly swimmer Takeshi Matsuda managed to repeat his bronze medal from Beijing in the men's 200 m butterfly, in addition to his silver from the men's medley relay event. Kitajima, who bid to win double breaststroke swimming events for third Games in succession, missed out of medal standings in the final rounds.
Men
Women
WSO – Win swim-off; LSO – Lost swim-off
Synchronized swimming
Japan has qualified 9 quota places in synchronized swimming.
Table tennis
Japan has qualified 3 men and 3 women.
Men
Women
Taekwondo
Japan has qualified the following quotas.
Tennis
Triathlon
Japan has qualified 2 men and 3 women.
Volleyball
Beach
The men's team qualified after winning the AVC Continental Beach Volleyball Cup.
Indoor
Women's tournament
Japan has qualified a team to the women's indoor tournament through the World Qualification Tournament.
Women's team event – 1 team of 12 players
Team roster
Group play
Quarter-final
Semi-final
Bronze medal match
Weightlifting
Japan has qualified 1 man and 4 women.
Wrestling
Japan has qualified in the following quota places.
Men's freestyle
Men's Greco-Roman
Women's freestyle
See also
Japan at the Olympics
Japan at the 2012 Summer Paralympics
References
Nations at the 2012 Summer Olympics
2012
Summer Olympics