Japan's Ikeda keen to make a splash at Olympics after winning Asian Games surfing gold

NAGOYA, Sept 30 - Japan's Mirai Ikeda, the first woman to win an Asian Games gold medal in surfing, has her sights set on proving herself against the best in the world as she builds up to an Olympic debut at the 2028 Los Angeles Games.

With surfing included for the first time at the Aichi-Nagoya Games, the 18-year-old outperformed China's Yang Siqi in the women's final on Tuesday, earning the inaugural gold and a provisional place at the 2028 Olympics.

Japan also won the men's gold medal through Tokyo Olympic silver medallist Kanoa Igarashi.

"I'm just so happy. I've been working so hard ever since I qualified for this tournament, so this medal was something I couldn't let slip away, I really wanted to bring it home," Ikeda said on Wednesday at the fan zone in Nagoya city centre.

Ikeda, however, remains aware that her skills are yet to match those of the world's best, and she wants to bridge the gap before the Olympics.

"I still feel like I'm not quite at the level of the world's top surfers right now. I need to work on aerial maneuvers, the air reverse and fundamentally improve my overall riding technique too," she said.

"There's so much to work on, and I'm honestly really excited about it."

Ikeda will now focus on qualifying for the World Surf League Championship Tour, for the opportunity to compete against the world's top surfers.

"I plan to enter as many events as possible to make it onto the tour," she said. REUTERS