TOKYO – Yuki Ishikawa, captain of Japan’s national volleyball team, said Friday he will try to lead his country to a podium finish at the men’s world championship next month in the Philippines.
“It’s the stage to show what we’ve been doing this season,” Ishikawa said in Tokyo, where the team opened a training session to the media. “Our goal is to reach the podium.”
Last month, Japan was eliminated by eventual winner Poland in the quarterfinals of the Nations League.
The attacker of European champion club Perugia revealed that he played in the quarterfinal match just days after he suffered a right hamstring strain during practice.
“I’m now able to jump at full strength. I’m looking forward to the world championships because I’ll be in good condition,” Ishikawa said.
In the day’s practice, Japan spent time working on basics such as serving and attacking.
Ran Takahashi, who is hugely popular in the Philippines, said, “First of all, we will defeat teams such as Turkey and Canada in the preliminary phase. We’ll finish first in our pool and carry that momentum to challenge the top teams.”
AloJapan.com