Shaken but not stirred, Japanese badminton pair aim for gold in Paris; earthquake gave old friends mental strength to succeed

Last May, the badminton doubles team of Takuro Hoki and Yugo Kobayashi engaged in a fierce demonstration at a sports hall in Toyama Prefecture during a training session open to the media in preparation for the Olympic Games in Paris, all under the watchful eye of the Japanese national team coach.

That Hoki and Kobayashi – affectionately known as “Hokikoba” – will compete for a medal in Paris is a testament to their mental strength and determination, forged through trials that surpass anything encountered in sport.

On the day in 2011 that the two graduated from the same high school in Tomioka, Fukushima Prefecture, the Great East Japan Earthquake struck. The two were temporarily separated as their families were forced to evacuate the devastated area.

Eventually, they reunited and formed a doubles team, and after 13 years of dedication, they qualified for the Olympics. Hoki, 28, and Kobayashi, 29, credit the quake with making them “stronger,” and now they want to repay everyone who helped them on their journey to success in Paris.

The two compete for the Tonami Transportation Co. badminton team and practice in Takaoka, Toyama Prefecture, where the company is based. Hoki prepares to receive from the front, while Kobayashi delivers winning smashes from behind.

Hoki, who is from Yamaguchi Prefecture, and Kobayashi, who is from Miyagi Prefecture, were first reunited in 2008, when they enrolled at badminton giant Tomioka Daiichi Junior High School in Fukuhsima Prefecture and lived together in the dormitory.

At 2:46 p.m. on March 11, 2011, the school’s graduation ceremony had already ended and Kobayashi was off the school grounds when the powerful earthquake struck. He evacuated to higher ground to escape the approaching tsunami. “It was like being on the brink of death,” he said, recalling the horror of the experience.

Hoki was in the dormitory at the time, which was not damaged. But Tomioka High School, where they planned to go next, was in the evacuation zone set up after the accident at Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, Inc.’s Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant. All sports team activities were suspended.

It was Tomioka High School’s coach at the time, Hitoshi Ohori, who helped them find a place to play, eventually putting Hoki in touch with the Tonami Transportation team, where Ohori now coaches. For Hoki, the intensive training sessions were a way to experience the speed of active national team players and the highest level of the sport.

Meanwhile, Kobayashi, who had been evacuated to Kyoto to live with relatives, was allowed to join the practices of a nearby high school. But he said to himself, “There is no place except Tomioka High School where I can play at a high level.”

Two months after the earthquake, the Tomioka High School badminton team resumed training in Inawashiro, Fukushima Prefecture. Among the players sharing the court was singles player Kento Momota, who would later become the world No. 1. Ohori paired Hoki and Kobayashi for the doubles.

The dormitory facility also housed evacuees from the area around the nuclear plant. When they saw them, the two wondered if it was appropriate for them to continue practicing. But Ohori reassured them, saying, “Your mission is to win matches and be a shining example.”

From then on, Hoki and Kobayashi trained with Tonami Transportation multiple times a year, and in their final year, they won the title at the Inter High School Athletic Meet. They continued to improve after joining the company after graduation, reaching #1 in the world rankings in 2022.

But their encounters with disaster were not over yet. The earthquake on the Noto Peninsula that struck on January 1 this year also caused damage in Toyama Prefecture, and Hoki’s apartment building became uninhabitable after it toppled over due to liquefaction.

It only strengthened their belief that their participation in the Olympics can be more meaningful if they can give courage to those affected by the disaster by doing their best.