Tokyo: Japanese World No. 1 women’s doubles player Sayaka Hirota was the model of determination and mental/physical resilience during the Tokyo 2020 Olympics as she was competing with a torn right anterior cruciate ligament (ACL).
It was reported that she injured her right ACL 2 months before the Tokyo Games. She refused to undergo surgery because she wanted to compete at the Olympics, and she was playing with knee braces in every of her match at the Tokyo Games with Yuki Fukushima.
Hirota/Fukushima won two matches in Group A but lost to the ultimate women’s doubles gold medalists, Greysia Polii/Apriyani Rahayu of Indonesia 22-24, 21-13, 8-21 in their last group match.
They advanced to the knock-out stage as runners-up of Group A but were defeated by Chen Qingchen/Jia Yifan of China 21-18, 10-21, 10-21.
After a successful surgery on August 6th, she is on her way to a full recovery. Her spirits are high as she continues her rehabilitation.
Yuki Fukushima also visited Hirota in the hospital, bringing comfort and happiness to her women’s doubles partner.
