Rugby: World Cup hero Kenki Fukuoka prioritizes schooling over Olympics

Jun 15, 2020 | News On Japan

Jun 15, 2020 (Kyodo) - Kenki Fukuoka, who starred for Japan at last autumn's Rugby World Cup, said Sunday he won't compete in next year's postponed Tokyo Olympics in order to stay on course for a future in medicine.

In an online press conference, the 27-year-old announced his withdrawal from the national rugby sevens team in order to focus on studying to prepare for a medical school entrance exam.

Fukuoka still plans to compete next season in the Top League but the one-year Olympic postponement due to the novel coronavirus pandemic had made it too difficult to balance his studies with his commitments to sevens.

He had retired as an international from the 15-a-side game after last year's World Cup on home soil, where he scored four tries and was instrumental in Japan's historic run to the quarterfinals. He had said the 2020 Olympics would be his last time to represent Japan on the pitch.

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