Nozomi Okuhara ( 奥原希望 )

That overhead shot? Yeah, it's amazing.

That article is written by Chan Kin-wa, the website mentioned that the first photo by EPA and the second (overhead) by AFP.
Maybe @Cheung know their photographer there.

 

Typical Unisys behaviour.
The nice ladies of Saishunkan would never be so inconsiderate.

 

and why is that? hahahaaa

 

It's not as if she's that tall that she would not notice your daughter then?

Sent from my SM-G965W using Tapatalk

 

Can someone translate the article, please? I don't understand what's going on.

 

I think so, Okuhara left Unisys so that she will not play for the club in 2019 and 100% focus on Olympic 2020.

 

yes, she will quit Unisys from Jan 2019 and play as an independent player. She wanted to fully focus on the OG2020.
This decision comes too fast after the AJC. I am wondering, is it more or less because of the recent lost to Yamaguchi in the AJC?
Watch a post-match interview with her, she cried.

 

Looks like:
-She thanks Unisys for the past support.
-She's leaving Unisys to focus on her individual work to focus on Tokyo 2020 medaling from next year Jan.

Couple questions:
-She finds Unisys holding her back or forcibly attending stuff that she thinks is redundant?
-She's now independent?
-Where is this "new environment", I wonder.. that she's gonna train and what facilities and backing to maintain current form or improve? Without a system she's more likely to slip into decline rather than aim for medaling..

At first glance this is not doing her well.

 

Okuhara is listed under her team in the S/J League players directory. Although in the facsimile that was sent to the mass media today, it was stated that her resignation had long been discussed with Unisys, it must have been a sudden decision. Okuhara will be independent as of January 2019, and plans to announce more concrete plans soon.

I would expect that she would have a better training environment if she stayed with Unisys. The only real domestic obligation she has, is to play in the S/J League (and even then, she has the freedom to give priority to international tournaments). So, I am not quite sure what the advantages of going independent are... in Japan of all places?

I somehow get the feeling that she is not going to be completely independent.

 

do you have the video?

 

Going from her statement, it seems like she will fully train all day long. This is different with the other Japanese players who have to work with the company besides training. Can she just train at national camp the whole time?

She will still be part of the national team. But, given that she will be clubless next year, does that mean the risk of her being out from national team become higher by the end of next year? I don't think she will play at S/J league next year.

 

1. Depending on the company, players can practice/train all day. As far as Unisys is concerned, Okuhara has no obligation to work. The same applies to Momota at NTT-East, now that his ban has been lifted.

2. Training camps for the national team are held on specified periods of the year... roughly 150 days in total. The possibility to train at the national training centre outside those periods is close to zero, as the amenities will have been reserved by other categories of players, e.g. juniors, etc.

3. Non-affiliation to a corporate team does not necessarily adversely affect a player's chances of being selected for the national team. S/J League participation is not a consideration at all. And, it is not as though Okuhara takes part in the All Japan Members Championship even now. Accordingly, as long as she continues to do well in international tournaments and participates in the All Japan Championships (AJC), her place on the national team as well as in the domestic rankings is theoretically assured.

However, without an adequate training environment, I can't see how she will be able to remain competitive. I am presuming that she has a place to go from next January. I am just wondering where?

 

This explains why Okuhara cried on the shoulder of her Unisys coach after losing to Yamaguchi at the All Japan Champioships. It also explains why she openly declared from the outset that she wanted to take the championship. Okuhara wanted desperately to win the trophy for Unisys, because she knew that this was her last opportunity to do so.

 

No, that does not look likely. According to one newspaper report, a person/persons close to Okuhara have categorically denied that there will be a transfer.

 

4 girl camp with Beiwen Zhang, Michelle Li and the screeching Spaniard.

 

Haha! I was also thinking along the lines of maybe she might be training somewhere outside Japan except for the national training camps. Well, whatever happens, I hope Okuhara gets what she's looking for. I've always admired her fighting spirit.