At the "Tokyo Challenge 2021" held on the 1st and 2nd of this month, second-year Nippon Sport Science University student Ai Takahashi (19) made a shocking debut. He led his team against the tall Chinese opponents with his sharp spikes and solid receptions, and contributed greatly to two consecutive wins in the absence of ace Yuki Ishikawa. Here is a brief introduction to this handsome player who is a promising prospect in the Japanese men's volleyball world.
Photo by FIVB
Ran Takahashi
Born September 2, 2001 (19 years old)
188cm/ 72kg/ Highest point 343cm
Born in Kyoto Prefecture
Higashiyama High School → Nippon Sport Science University 2nd year
Main Achievements
2017 (1st year high school) 3rd place in the National Athletic Meet
2019 (3rd year of high school) 3rd place in the Inter-High School Championships
National Athletic Meet Winner
Spring High Championship
2020 (1st year) All Japan Intercollegiate Championships runner-up
Representative history 2020～
Takahashi was already a player who was attracting attention even during his high school days. In his second year of high school, he won the All Japan Junior All-Star Dream Match, which gathered promising players from all over the country, and was awarded the MVP award. In his third year of high school, he won the National Athletic Meet and the Spring High School Volleyball Tournament, achieving a double high school title. At the Spring High School Volleyball Tournament, he won a perfect victory with zero lost sets, and was selected as the MVP of the tournament. He was also called the "Three Musketeers of Reiwa" along with Mizumachi (Chinsei High School → Waseda University) and Yanagida (Sozo Gakuen High School → Tsukuba University), who were also representative players of his generation. After graduating from high school, he went on to the prestigious Nippon Sport Science University. Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the spring and fall league games were canceled, but he played an active role as a starter despite being a first-year student at the All Japan University Championship, which was the only one held without spectators. In the semi-finals, he won a brotherly showdown with his older brother Rui, who is a member of Nihon University, and advanced to the finals, leading his team to a runner-up finish.
He had already been selected for the Japanese national team since last year when he was a first-year university student, but since there were no external matches in 2020 due to the effects of COVID-19, his debut match for the national team was the recent "Tokyo Challenge 2021" match against China. Tatsunori Otsuka, a third-year student at Waseda University, also made his debut in this match against China, but unlike Otsuka, who continued to be selected for the national team in the under-age categories and steadily advanced to the senior national team, Takahashi had no experience playing for the national team at his age group. This also shows how much effort and growth he has made over the past year or two.
His performance in the match far exceeded expectations. At the beginning of the first day, he was nervous and his play was stiff, but in the second half, he gradually regained his original performance and started to spike. On the second day, he was in top form from the start, scoring 19 points by himself with sharp serves, pipe attacks, and even difficult high sets, surpassing his opposite Nishida to become the best scorer of the match.
Photo by FIVB
Takahashi's scoring ability is attractive, but his biggest selling point is his receiving. His serve receiving is particularly stable, and even when China targeted him with serves, he was hardly broken, and continued to supply careful passes to the setter. Takahashi himself said in an interview that "receiving is his strength," and coach Nakagauchi also said that he is the best in his position when it comes to serve receiving. Until now, Fukuzawa has mainly played a defensive role among the outside hitters, but he may rise to the top at the Tokyo Olympics before the 2024 Paris Olympics. I think that Otsuka and Takanashi, who made their debuts like Takahashi, were also able to demonstrate their high potential, so the competition for the Tokyo Olympic representative for the outside hitters, with only four spots available, will be very fierce. At the moment, I think Ishikawa is the only sure bet. Takahashi also has a good chance.
Looking back, I had the opportunity to interview Takahashi Ai briefly in January 2020 when he won the Spring High School Volleyball Championship. As you can see, he is an undeniably handsome man, and what made a big impression on me was that he was a very honest and lovely young man. At the time, I told him something along the lines of, "Tokyo will be difficult, but do your best and aim for the Paris Olympics." Soon after, he was registered with the senior national team, the Tokyo Olympics were postponed due to COVID-19, and now we have his performance the other day. Truth be told, I underestimated his luck and ability. I would like to take this opportunity to correct that. "Do your best to aim for the Tokyo Olympics!"
Of course, he has been dismissed from his position as captain, but I hope that his fellow classmates, the "Heisei Three Musketeers," will continue to do their best.
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