Kenki Fukuoka Set To Miss Tokyo Olympics

Japan's superstar winger, Kenki Fukuoka, will forego the chance to compete in rugby sevens at the postponed Tokyo Olympics in order to pursue a medical career.

Fukuoka was a star at the Rugby World Cup in Japan last year scoring 4 tries in 4 matches for the Brave Blossoms and effectively retired from the fifteen aside format of the game following the tournament to focus on his medical career.

However, he did confirm that he would be featuring at the Olympics for Japan but following the postponement of the competition, Fukuoka has left the Sevens squad.

The Japan Rugby Union announced on Saturday that the 27-year-old Fukuoka had left the national sevens squad with the star winger set to hold a news conference Sunday, at which he is expected to confirm he'll follow a family tradition. Fukuoka's father is a dentist and his grandfather was a doctor.

The Kyodo news agency reported that the 12-month delay of the Tokyo Olympics because of the coronavirus pandemic made it too difficult for Fukuoka to combine medical studies with a professional rugby career.

Known as Ferrari for his blistering pace, Fukuoka retired from test rugby with 25 tries in 37 tests. He was a member of the Japan team which finished fourth in the inaugural Olympics sevens tournament at Rio de Janiero in 2016.