A new star is born: Ran Takahashi

Rising star outside hitter Ran Takahashi made his mark on the international stage as he led Japan in scoring in their first two outings in the 2021 FIVB Volleyball Nations League and to a 3-0 opening run in the competition.

He was a starter in Japan's first two matches, but he also generated a lot of excitement even before his first match in the VNL.

Fans were excited when Takahashi joined the team in 2020, but his debut had to be pushed back because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

A year later, fans had a glimpse of Takahashi’s abilities at the Tokyo 2020 test event, the Volleyball Games – Tokyo Challenge 2021 - and the young wingman showed a lot of promise. Two performances against China drew attention as fans speculated on how he would perform alongside Japan's superstar outside hitter Yuki Ishikawa.

“People said that I kind of lost my chance to play last year because of the (COVID-19) situation," he said. "But as the Tokyo Olympic Games were postponed, I made up my mind to focus and use this VNL experience to prepare for the Tokyo Olympics this year. Now I really have a positive mindset about making my career better.”

The results were very positive in the first week of the 2021 VNL as Takahashi delivered superb scoring performances against Iran and the Netherlands, and provided great support to his teammates in their match against defending champions Russia.

There was a a lot of movement in Week 2, however, with three straight losses, including a five-set defeat against France after leading 2-1 in the match.

“All the teams in the VNL are in the same situation wherein we have to play consecutive matches in a week. I cannot say that I have really shown my performance the way I wanted to, and it is quite difficult to show great performances in consecutive matches," he added.

“However, in the first three matches, I really showed good performances. My next target is to continuously play at a high level.”

Japan now have a 5-4 win-loss card, following victories against Australia and hosts Italy, and a four-set loss to Argentina in Week 3.

Fans can be assured that Japan’s new star has the highest level of skills and a strong passion to win, while flashing his bright smile and captivating everyone with his boyish charm just like captain Yuki Ishikawa.

“I look up to our captain Ishikawa. I play as his diagonal in the outside hitter position and seeing him play against taller opponents and having those skills to motivate his teammates makes me want to follow what he does. He is my role model.”