TISSUE ALERT! London 2012 is Homare Sawa's last tournament...
FINAL QUEST: Nadeshiko's Sawa leaves final legacy of Olympic silver medal
As she was leaving the pitch on Aug. 9, in perhaps her last game with the Japanese women's national team, Homare Sawa's eyes filled with tears and she had to look to the sky to keep the tears from falling.
Having been a member of Nadeshiko Japan for 19 years, Sawa, 33, has experienced the highs and lows of women's soccer.
That background led her focus on making the London Olympics the culmination of her soccer career and leaving a legacy that will ensure that younger players do not have to go through similar obstacles.
In the Aug. 9 final against the United States, Sawa contributed both on offense and defense, making a key pass that led to Japan's only goal by Yuki Ogimi.
While the 2-1 defeat was not the result she had been hoping for, Sawa was initially in control of her emotions. After the final whistle, she hugged team captain Aya Miyama, 27, and shared a smile and a pat on the shoulder with Kozue Ando, 30.
It marked the culmination of a year-long mission that saw Sawa refusing to rest on the highs of last summer.
Even after Nadeshiko Japan won the Women's World Cup last year in Germany, Sawa was not totally satisfied because she could still not forget the anguish of finishing fourth at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
"I want an Olympic medal that we have never won," she said.
Last September, when the Asian qualifiers for the London Olympics began, Sawa felt concern because her teammates were still wallowing in the high of their World Cup victory rather than concentrating on the task at hand.
Wanting the team to take the matter more seriously and believing actions spoke louder than words, Sawa did not smile even during practice as a way of demonstrating that qualifying for the Olympics was not a walk in the park.
In January, when she went to Switzerland to accept the FIFA award as women's soccer player of the year for 2011, Sawa continued to jog every day.
"I don't think I will be able to really rest until I retire from soccer," she said.
Off the pitch, Sawa became the focus of greater attention from an adoring public and media.
She had to move after fans found out where she lived after the team won the World Cup. It became difficult to even go shopping because wherever she went she faced cameras and she began to fear the flashes.
Despite those problems, Sawa was more worried about the younger players on Nadeshiko Japan.
"The younger players only know the good times," Sawa said. "I cannot help but become worried over whether they will be able to overcome the situation that will arise when women's soccer is not as successful as it is now."
When she was younger, Sawa had her professional contract suddenly ended because of difficult economic times. She decided to move to the United States to find a new team to play for. She was eager to win an Olympic medal because she did not want younger Japanese players to have to go through a similar experience.
"Results at the Olympics will be necessary to ensure that the popularity of women's soccer is not a temporary thing," she said.
As Sawa walked to the victory podium with her teammates in London, her tears had dried.
Upon winning the first Olympic medal for Japan's women's soccer team, Sawa said, "While I am disappointed at not having won the gold, I have no regrets. I am happy to be among the 18 members of this team. This has turned out to be my best summer."
[ SOURCE: The Asahi Shinbun ]
Sawa will retire along with Norio Sasaki, the coach,
and Karina Maruyama, the lone goalscorer against Germany in last year's World Cup quarters.
you know i haven't stopped crying since the final whistle of the gold medal game, i wasn't sad about the result although i am a tad bit disappointed that Sawa wasn't much involved in their Olympic run until that last assist that led to the goal of course (way to tease me Sawa-sama, show up only when your curtain is about to fall), but i cried because that would be the last i would see of her, of this classy super talented upstanding human being who carried a whole nation on her back bringing them to completely new heights and frontiers. she turned Japan especially in women's football from complete nobodies to big shots.
i don't know about you, but i'm really sad that August 9 is the last we will see of her on the grand stage. sometimes it even feels like Nadeshiko isn't the same without her...
"With a silver medal around her neck, Sawa held hands with her teammates and cheered on the podium.
However, Sawa also revealed mixed feelings after the awards ceremony. "I began to feel like I wanted to play with my [Nadeshiko] teammates again," she said." (Daily Yomiuri)
PLEASE????????????
ARGH LET ME PICSPAM THE HELL OUT OF THIS DEPRESSION
aww thanks Abby ;__;
bless you, Washington Freedom!
lol this was so qt
yep Homare gets it
ok this was pretty funny lol
speaking of Aya Miyama, the captain who succeeded her (who some fans have fondly nicknamed "Miyama The Garfield" for some reason)
some Garfield for rainbows and sunshine!!
lol Homare-san??
d'awwwww
i just love how her hair swishes fiercely in the wind
Sawa love is ♥♥
even Giggsy can't deny it
Homare Sawa x Samurai Blue Midfielder Yasuhito Endo
damn can't find the video of her doing a challenge with Tiger Woods. her English accent was cool!
FUN FACT: on her debut for the Nadeshiko at 15 years old, she scored a hat-trick + 1 against my country, lol now it kind of feels like an honor
man, the captain's armband suits her so much
i LOVE this team!! *BAWLS*
PS: does anybody know where to get/watch the matches from last year's World Cup? help a mourning sister out...! >_<
PPS: I #$^&%*@ HATE PLAYER RETIREMENTS!!!!!!!!!!!! *SOB*
SAYONARA SAWA-SAMA :((((( I WILL MISS YOU TERRIBLY!!!!!!!!!
oh btw, i think they did score that flight upgrade especially with the men coming up empty...