The hope is that these judoka will reap five gold medals for Japan. Expectations are also mounting for a gold medal in the women's marathon. The Japanese contenders, said to be the world's strongest trio, are Naoko Takahashi, Ari Ichihashi, and Eri Yamaguchi. Also attracting attention is the women's swim team, which is in better shape than ever before. But dreams of gold do not end here.
Japan has a chance of winning medals in synchronized swimming, both duet and team.
The Japanese team has won bronze medals at four consecutive Olympics. Now, with Miya Tachibana heading a strong team, their ambition is to go one better and take home a silver. A Bifurcated Baseball Team Japan's Olympic baseball team cannot be overlooked. 2000 is the first year that pro baseball players have been allowed to participate in the Olympics. Even so, there are not as many pro players on the Japanese team as one might think, because of a dispute between Japan's two major leagues as to whether the best players should stay in Japan or go to Sydney.