Waseda alumni Keiju Okada (Toyota Motor East Japan, 2018 graduate of the School of Sports Science) competed in the men’s 470-kilogram class at the Sailing World Cup, which began on August 25. Paired with Junpei Hokazono, the two placed 11th overall. As a result, the pair’s combined score was first for the three competitions (Princess Sofia Trophy, 470 Class World Championship, and Sailing World Cup) used in the Olympic selection process. They have now been unofficially selected as the representatives for next year’s Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
Okada(left), qualified for the Tokyo2020 Games (Kyodo News)
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Keiju Okada
Born in Fukuoka Prefecture in 1995, Okada graduated from the School of Sports Science at Waseda University. He began sailing at the age of five, and in his third year of elementary school, he won the All Japan OP Class Championship in the elementary school division. Okada went on to win inter-high school and national competitions, along with the OP Class World Championships. In 2016, while still a student at Waseda, he became the first Japanese participant to win the 470 Class Junior World Championship in the same class. In 2018, Okada also competed in the Sailing World Cup’s 470 class, winning a gold medal.
