Ramu Tokashiki, the Japan women¡¯s national basketball team¡¯s top player, has a torn ACL in her right knee her team, Eneos Sunflowers, announced on Saturday.
The 193-cm center/forward suffered the injury during Eneos¡¯ 78-59 win over the Fujitsu Red Wave in the quarterfinals of the All-Japan Championship at Yoyogi National Gymnasium No. 2 on Wednesday.
The 29-year-old Tokashiki is without question the nation¡¯s best player and had been expected to be a key component of the national team at next summer¡¯s Tokyo Olympics.
The injury deals a major blow to Japan¡¯s chances of winning gold on home soil next year. The Akatsuki Five was already without another key player as Haneda Vickies point guard Nako Motohashi injured her ACL during a training camp in November.
¡°I¡¯m full of disappointment after finding out the extent of my injury, but I would like to do my best so I won¡¯t waste a single day with the goal of getting back to the game that I love,¡± Tokashiki, who played for the Seattle Storm in the WNBA and is a seven-time Women¡¯s Japan Basketball League MVP, said in a statement.
Tokashiki, a two-time MVP at the FIBA Women¡¯s Asia Cup, is averaging a league-high 21.0 points and 10.7 rebounds during the 2020-21 WJBL season.
Despite the injury, the Saitama Prefecture native was on the Sunflowers bench for the team¡¯s semifinal game against Denso Iris at the All-Japan tourney on Saturday.
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