TAHARA, Japan - Japanese surfers Kanoa Igarashi and Mirai Ikeda conditionally qualified for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics by winning gold at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Tuesday.
Igarashi beat Indonesia's I Made Pajar Ariyana in the men's final, while Ikeda outpointed China's Yang Siqi in the women's decider at Long Beach in Tahara, Aichi Prefecture.
The California-raised Igarashi won silver at the Tokyo Games in 2021, when surfing made its Olympic debut, and was eliminated in the third round of the Paris Olympics.
"Winning the gold medal has left me with feelings I really can't put into words. I'm incredibly proud to have won gold for Japan at this Asian Games," Igarashi said.
"Securing a place at the Olympics is truly a dream come true. It's even better than I could have imagined."
Ikeda said she had been determined to bring home gold for Japan in front of the home crowd.
"I was absolutely determined not to let a competitor from another country win here in Japan, so I stuck close to my opponent right from the start with a strong mindset, and I went into it determined that I would definitely catch a good wave," she said.
The Olympic surfing competition in principle allows up to two slots for men and for women from each country.
Qualification via the Asian Games will stand so long as two other Japanese surfers do not secure berths via the 2027-2028 Championship Tour or the 2028 World Games, which serves as the world championships.
