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Connor O’Leary has been selected as the third and final member of Japan’s men’s surfing team for the Paris Olympics. The news came from the Nippon Surfing Association on Tuesday, as Kyodo News reports.
O’Leary officially changed his allegiance from Australia to Japan in August of last year, in order to make a bid for the Olympics. “After much reflection and consideration I am choosing Japan,” wrote O’Leary in an Instagram post announcing the decision. “I’m choosing to represent my family’s heritage, and my cultural background.”
Though O’Leary was born and raised in the Sydney suburb of Cronulla, his mother, Akemi Karasawa, is a former pro surfer from Japan. In fact, O’Leary had already sported a Japanese flag on his competition rashguard for years before the official switch.
O’Leary joins Kanoa Igarashi and Reo Inaba on the Japanese men’s team for Paris. Igarashi had originally secured a quota spot for Paris 2024 based on his result at the 2023 World Surfing Games in El Salvador. However, when the Tokyo Olympics silver medalist also qualified via his final ranking on the 2023 CT, the spot passed on to Inaba, who was the next highest ranked representative from the continent of Asia at the 2023 WSG.
Unlike most other countries, Japan was also allotted a third spot on their men’s team, as a result of winning the team title at the 2022 ISA World Surfing Games in Huntington Beach. O’Leary was selected as the third team member by the Japan National Olympic Committee and the Nippon Surfing Association.
“So excited to officially announce that I will be representing Japan at the Paris 2024 Olympics!” wrote O’Leary on Instagram. “Thank you to the NSA & the JOC for the incredible opportunity. Tahiti here we come.”
