Nagoya, Japan, September 19, 2026: Let the celebrations begin because Asian Games hosts Japan are already guaranteed to be on the podium on the first day when medals are decided after booking a place in the teqball mixed doubles final in teqball.
Nothing gets crowds more excited than seeing their homegrown athletes succeed on the international stage and Akinori Wase and Yuina Sakamoto whipped the spectators at the Nagoya City Higashi Sports Centre into a frenzy after an incredible semi-final win hours before the Opening Ceremony.
Looking like they were in a spot of bother after losing the first set, the Japanese duo dug deep and held their nerve to beat Iraq pair Abdulrahman Ahmed Radhi and Samar Shakir Aben 2-1 (10-12-12-10 12-9) in a high-energy thriller.
“Honestly speaking, it feels absolutely incredible. This victory comes down to the huge number of Japanese fans and supporters who came to the venue and gave us such enthusiastic support with packed crowds and shouts of ‘Nippon!’,” Wase said.
“We’ve never felt so much like we were playing at home during a world tournament. Feeling this encouragement made us feel that luck was on our side.”
Like so many other inspired teqball players, when Wase and Sakamoto found out their sport was being added to the Asian Games for the first time, they turned their worlds upside down to prepare as best they could.
“Sakamoto was based in Kansai while I was in Tokyo, so the distance was quite significant,” Wase said. “She quit her job and moved into my house in Tokyo to train continuously.
“She came with the determination to leave no regrets and threw everything into preparing for this tournament. Living together and thinking about nothing but teqball for months was our biggest key to victory.”
A former taxi driver, Sakamoto said she had no regrets about leaving her job to focus on sport. One of the pre-tournament favourites in the women’s singles, she missed the final in her individual event but still has a shot at a bronze and is assured of at least silver in the mixed doubles.
“It was the best feeling. It was a moment filled with an incredible sense of excitement and happiness that I had never experienced in my life, along with immense gratitude toward everyone,” she said.
“The great thing about doubles, unlike singles, is that I have a partner to rely on, rather than carrying all the responsibility alone. Wase’s playing style involves smart tactical thinking and high skill, so as long as I handle the first touch and set up the ball properly, he will finish it cleanly. That allows me to concentrate entirely on setup, making it a very comfortable environment to play in.”
