Hirata and Hashimoto leave Olympic race

Hirokatsu Hashimoto and Noriyasu Hirata will not try to get their ticket for Rio, announced the Japanese agency Kyodo News, citing personal reasons behind the withdrawal. This comes as a surprise to many, as the Japanese pair was still ranked 18th on the” Race to Rio” ranking, with a chance still to qualify for the Olympics, even if they have 2 other Japanese pairs ahead of them in the world ranking. The fact that they needed around 20,000 points in less than 3 months to enter the top 8 in order for Japan to send two pairs – or overcome their compatriots Endo and Hayakawa – maybe the main reason behind their withdrawal.