Nagoya (Japan) (AFP) - Japanese track cyclist Yumi Kagehara broke down in tears after winning her latest gold medal at the Asian Games, dedicating the victory to her brother, who died of cancer this year, saying: "He is here with me."
Published on: 03/10/2026 - 13:06
Kajihara won her third consecutive gold medal in the Omnium Race on the Izu Cycling Track on Friday, before shedding tears as she talked about the role her younger brother Hyogo played in helping her overcome some dark moments in her life.
Kajihara (29 years old), the first Japanese cyclist to win an Olympic medal, said after she won aluminum silver at the Tokyo Olympics on the same track in Izu: “After I failed to win a medal at the Paris Olympics (2024), I was in a state of severe depression.”
She added: "I hit rock bottom. My brother said to me: Why do you look so depressed? Even though I have cancer, I am this happy."
She continued: "He was fighting a very difficult battle with cancer, alone in a hospital in Tokyo."
"It must have been very difficult for him, but he never complained once. He would tell me, 'Just being alive means you're already superior,'" she added.
"I thought, 'Yes, he's right.' And it made me realize that I should be grateful just to be alive, grateful for those who support me, and enjoy life."
This was Kagihara's fourth Asian gold medal, after she also won the team pursuit gold in Hangzhou three years ago.
She said: “My brother used to tell me every day: Have fun. I think I’m finally starting to understand what that really means,” noting that she also won silver in the team pursuit on Tuesday.
She added: “Whenever I competed here (in the past) in Izu, he would come to watch me and stay by my side. So I kept thinking today: Maybe he is here on the track? I am sure he is here, and I was thinking about him over and over again during the race.”
She concluded, "I felt like he was saying to me: Have fun, Yumi, you'll be fine."
© 2026 AFP
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