Miyuki Nakagawa is the captain of Japan, the team that historically has provided upsets and excitement in the big international tournaments. Their most notable performance last year came when they defeated the higher-ranked Korea in the final of the 2013 Asia Cup, a superb result which secured a place at the Rabobank Hockey World Cup for the “Cherry Blossoms”.
Explaining their 'big match' mentality, Miyuki says: "Big tournaments, whether it is the Olympics or the World Cup, only come round once every four years, so we put everything into our training and preparation for that event. We like to time our preparations so we are right on form when it is time to perform."
Certainly, Miyuki acknowledges that they will need to be on top of their game for their first encounter, a match against the tournament favourites and host nation, The Netherlands. "The stadium will be awash with orange, but that will serve as a spur to us to perform. We cannot go into that match with any fear or show the Dutch team too much respect. We must attack them at speed and perhaps catch them off-guard."
The 27-year-old first picked up a hockey stick when she was 13-years-old and at junior school. She says she was just copying her older sister and had no idea that she would end up playing for, and leading, her country. With more than 230 caps to her name and more than 20 international goals, Miyuki is one of the stars of her team. Back home, she has brought fame to her home town and is a well-recognised athlete, although she says that hockey is not yet as big in Japan as she would like it to be.
When we spoke, Miyuki was surrounded by team mates and there was a real feeling of excitement and anticipation among the squad. "We are really excited to be here and playing in the World Cup in a place where hockey has such a high profile. I hope that if we do well, then hockey will become bigger in our country and more children will want to play."
The Cherry Blossoms have a long history in the World Cup. They The came sixth in the 1978 World Cup and seventh in 1981. This was followed by a barren spell with only one appearance in 1990, when they finished 11th. Since 2002, Japan has appeared in every World Cup, finishing in 10th, 15th and 11th place. Their first foray into the Olympics came in 2004 when they came eighth, and they have qualified for every games since.
Besides their opening match against The Netherlands, Japan will also be facing their fellow asian representatives Korea, New Zealand, Australia and Belgium. Miyuki acknowledges the strength of the home team but sees the second place spot as being very much up for grabs and, with the confidence garnered from the recent victory over higher-ranked Korea, she feels that the Cherry Blossoms could once again prove the dark horse of the competition. "We have worked very hard and we shall be taking advantage of our speed in attack," she said.
Whatever the outcome, the smiling captain is clearly enjoying herself and is looking forward to leading another Japanese performance on the big stage.
