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Daisuke Ohata

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Daisuke Ohata is a famous former rugby union player from Japan. He was a highly skilled athlete who played for the Japanese national team. Ohata primarily played the position of wing. He also played at centre during his career. These positions require great speed and agility on the field. He became known internationally as a speedy ace. He first gained fame in the World Rugby Sevens Series. This competition is now known as the World Rugby Sevens Series. Ohata's talent made him a regular member of the national squad.

Ohata's career was defined by his ability to score tries. A try is a way to score points in rugby union. He became the leading rugby union test try scorer in history. This means he scored more tries in official international matches than anyone else. On May 14, 2006, he set a major world record. During a match against Georgia at Hanazono Stadium, he scored three tries. This performance allowed him to claim the world record for tries in rugby test matches. His scoring ability was truly remarkable.

His scoring statistics show how efficient he was on the field. Ohata reached 65 tries in just 55 tests for Japan. He later extended this record to 69 tries from 58 tests. This was a very high ratio of tries to matches played. He broke a record previously held by David Campese of Australia. Campese had scored 64 tries from 101 tests. Later, Bryan Habana of South Africa reached 67 tries in 124 caps. However, Ohata's specific record for total tries remained a significant achievement in the sport.

Some media discussions focused on the specific nature of his scoring. They noted that only one quarter of Ohata's tries were against major rugby union playing nations. This detail caused some controversy in the news. Despite this, his skill was widely recognized by the rugby community. He was also a prominent competitor in Pro Sportsman No.1 tournaments. He achieved the No.1 spot in these tournaments in 2001 and 2003. He even set a new world record in a Shot-Gun-Touch event with a distance of 13m40cm.

Ohata's journey began in Osaka, where he was born. He grew up speaking with a strong Kansai accent. He attended rugby nurseries to develop his skills early on. He went to Tokai Dai Gyosei High School. There, he was classmates with Koji Uehara and Yoshinori Tateyama. After high school, he attended Kyoto Sangyo University. His international career started on November 9, 1996. On that very first day playing for Japan, he scored three tries.

Being a professional athlete involves facing physical challenges. Ohata suffered from serious injuries to his Achilles tendon. The Achilles tendon is a thick tissue that connects muscle to bone. In January, he suffered a rupture in his right Achilles tendon. Later, in August, he ruptured his left Achilles tendon during a practice match against Portugal. These injuries were very difficult. Because of the injury to his left tendon, he could not participate in the 2007 Rugby World Cup. He officially announced his retirement in January 2011 at age 35.

His legacy is honored through several prestigious awards and medals. In November 2016, Ohata was inducted into the World Rugby Hall of Fame. This ceremony took place at the Hall's first physical location in Rugby, Warwickshire. He also earned silver medals at the Asian Games. He won these medals in 1998 and again in 2002. These honors recognize his many years of dedication to rugby. Even after retiring, Ohata felt he had successfully left his mark as a rugby player.

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