Former badminton player Wakana Nagahara

A Challenge to the World Through Badminton

Wakana Nagahara, former badminton player

■ Profile
Born in Memuro Town, Hokkaido. Former world number one in women's doubles badminton. Two-time world champion in 2018 and 2019, and participated in the Tokyo and Paris Olympics. After retiring from active competition in 2025, she will be working on workshops and lectures, as well as promoting pickleball. She is committed to human resource development and regional revitalization through sports.

Wakana Nagahara, who was active at the forefront of the badminton world for approximately 11 years as part of the "Nagamatsu pair" with Mayu Matsumoto, and for 22 years as a badminton player, shared her thoughts on playing during her active career and her current feelings after retirement.

■The only badminton that continued

I tried various extracurricular activities from a young age. In kindergarten, I learned to swim, and in elementary school, I took up track and field, piano, and skating. I started playing badminton in the second grade of elementary school. My older sister had already started playing badminton, and I started by going along to her practice. As a child, I was very curious and often became interested in new things. About two years after starting badminton, I became engrossed in dancing and wanted to quit badminton and learn dance or rhythmic gymnastics, but I didn't have any friends in those fields, and I didn't have the courage to jump in on my own, so I ended up continuing with badminton.
By the time I was in fourth grade of elementary school, I was able to participate in national tournaments.
At that time, my main reason for wanting to compete in the national tournament was the opportunity to travel to various parts of Japan. As a result, my awareness of the competition wasn't very high, and my results were such that I kept losing in the first round.
However, a club advisor I met in junior high school told me, "Let's aim to be the best in Japan," and under his strict but enthusiastic guidance, I began to seriously dedicate myself to the sport for the first time. That advisor remains a very important mentor to me to this day.
In junior high school, I mainly played singles, but I only managed to reach the top 16 in the nation.
I went on to Aomori Yamada High School (abbreviated as Yamada), a prestigious sports school, and practiced hard with the goal of becoming the best in Japan. The days were tough, but Yamada was a school that placed particular emphasis on team competitions, so all the team members were able to push each other to improve. And finally, in my third year of high school, I won both the team competition and the individual doubles at the Inter-High School Championships, achieving a double victory.

■Using frustration as motivation

During my time as a badminton player, I experienced far more hardships than joys.
The most difficult time in my athletic career was when I had to take time off from the court due to injury.
At times, I was unable to participate in tournaments for nearly a year, and as it was a doubles competition, the most painful thing was not only inconveniencing myself but also my partner. That's why I had a strong determination to "come back stronger than I was before the injury" and worked hard on my rehabilitation every day.
Furthermore, I have continued mental training for about seven years, confronting myself and engaging in introspection through dialogue with my mentor. Originally, I lacked confidence in myself, but as I continued the training, I came to understand and accept "my true self," which not only improved my athletic performance but also became a catalyst for significant personal growth, forming the foundation of who I am today.
I believe that this difficult experience allowed me to grow significantly as both a person and an athlete, so I truly feel that continuing to play badminton was the right decision.

The happiest moments were definitely when we won matches. Also, as a member of the Japanese national team, I spent about 250 days a year in training camps and away games, which was a tough schedule. On the other hand, being exposed to the cultures of various countries and deepening my interactions with players from overseas was a very valuable and enjoyable experience.
What I remember most vividly are my experiences at the 2018 World Championships, my first time competing, and the Tokyo Olympics.
We didn't originally have a spot in the World Championships; we qualified when another country's athlete withdrew. As a result, we didn't receive much attention from those around us, and we ourselves approached it as an opportunity to test our abilities. That's why, when we won, the feeling of surprise and disbelief that we had really become world champions outweighed the joy. However, the moment we stood on the podium, the reality gradually sank in, and this experience gave us great confidence.
On the other hand, the most vivid memory for me is the quarterfinals of the Tokyo Olympics. I had worked hard with the home-country Olympics as my ultimate goal, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was held without spectators, which was very different from the stage I had envisioned. The venue was enveloped in a unique silence and tension, and I think it was the most nerve-wracking match of my athletic career.
In the final game, I had six match points at deuce, but I couldn't quite secure the win, and I lost by a hair's breadth, missing out on a medal. I can still vividly remember the disappointment I felt at that moment.
Actually, I initially intended to retire after the Tokyo Olympics. However, after experiencing about two weeks of isolation due to the COVID-2 pandemic and spending days without being able to play badminton, I realized that "badminton was what kept me alive," and the desire to continue competing was rekindled.
Even so, I didn't immediately decide to aim for the Paris Olympics. But the moment I lost at the Tokyo Olympics, a strong desire arose within me to overcome this disappointment in Paris, and I decided to continue competing with the Paris Olympics as my goal.
During the three years from Tokyo to Paris, I was able to face the competition with the support of many people and continue to challenge myself to the fullest until the very end.

■The secret to our doubles success that lasted for about 11 years

We played together as the "Nagamatsu pair" for about 10 and a half years, but to be honest, there were times when I wanted to break up the partnership. At first, we were both shy and couldn't communicate well, and our personalities and playing styles were completely opposite, so there were many times when we couldn't understand each other. As a result, for the first two years or so, it felt more like we were competing based on our individual abilities rather than as a pair, and we had ups and downs in terms of wins and losses.
The turning point came around our third year as a pair. We lost a match we absolutely couldn't afford to lose to a lower-ranked opponent, and we strongly felt that "we won't reach our goal if we continue like this." So we set aside time to talk for a long time and first reaffirmed our respective goals. As a result, we were able to reaffirm that we were both aiming to "win a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics."
Then we realized that what we needed most was communication, and from then on we made it a point to share our thoughts, no matter how small. Through repeated discussions, we built trust, and gradually, results began to follow.

■Never give up on the challenge

Currently, I am working to promote and develop sports through badminton workshops and lectures where I share my own experiences as a competitor. Through these activities, I aspire to become someone who can inspire others to take on new challenges.
I hope all students enjoy their university life. While doing so, I hope you'll think about "what kind of challenges you want to take on" and "what kind of life you want to live" through your hobbies and communities.

Student Newspaper Online, July 20, 2026 Interview with Momofuku Kano, 2nd year student at Kaetsu Ariake Junior High School

Akina Yoshimatsu (4th year, Musashino University) / Momofuku Kano (2nd year, Kaetsu Ariake Junior High School) / Kazu Itagaki (3rd year, Hosei University) / Yurie Watanabe (3rd year, Josai International University) / Reina Inomoto (1st year, Kyoto University of the Arts)