Japanese basketball star Rui Machida fights for Olympic spot

TOKYO (Jiji Press) – Basketball star Rui Machida, who helped the country to its first Olympic medal in the sport at the 2021 Tokyo Games, is fighting for a spot on the roster for this summer’s Paris Games.

The 31-year-old point guard for the Fujitsu Red Wave in the Women’s Japan Basketball League, or W League, was selected as one of 23 prospects for the national team heading into the Paris Games.

With many rivals competing for a spot on the twelve-member roster, her selection is far from certain.

Machida stood out during training at a camp for national team candidates that was open to the press on May 7.

When asked about her ambitions for the Olympics, she clearly stated that she has “extremely strong feelings about wanting to go to Paris.”

She was selected as a member of the All-Star Five of the women’s basketball event at the Tokyo Games after recording an Olympic record 18 assists in the semi-final against France. But she has since been away from the national team due to a stint in the WNBA and multiple injuries.

In her absence, Saori Miyazaki of the W League’s Eneos Sunflowers developed into a reliable point guard for the national team after being the third choice for the position at the Tokyo tournament.

Asami Yoshida, 36, of the W League’s Aisin Wings, who captained the national team at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games, returned in February for an Olympic qualifying tournament.

“Honestly, I’m concerned,” Machida said of the intense competition for the point guard position.

Machida became the fourth Japanese player to reach the WNBA when she signed with the Washington Mystics in 2022.

While she only played one season, her experience in the world’s top flight allowed her to gain a new playing style and mentality.

She began to consciously strive to score more often herself, rather than focusing on helping teammates score with pinpoint passes.

“To get the best out of the players around me [as a playmaker]I have to show the intention to go on the attack and score myself,” Machida said. “I learned in the United States how important it is to score.”

Machida returned to the W League last season with her new playing style and led her team through the play-offs this season to win the league for the first time in sixteen seasons.

Fujitsu head coach BT Toews, a longtime coach of Machida, said a pass-first attitude had been a problem for her despite her excellent passing skills.

But now she’s trying to score points on her own and is completely different than before, Toews said.

The national team will play a friendly match against Australia in Hokkaido in June. Machida is from Asahikawa in Hokkaido and lived in the prefecture during her playing days at Sapporo Yamanote High School.

Machida said the friendly will be her first match playing in the prefecture as a member of the national team and her first appearance in Japan in almost three years.

“I want to prepare well for it,” she says.