First Japanese GS Winner: Rocco Solare’s Itsuki Fujisawa Reveals Thoughts on Winning the World Championships

The women’s final of the “Canadian Open,” the world tour’s top Grand Slam (GS) in curling, was held in Camrose, Canada, on August 16 (Japan time), and Rocco Solare, bronze medalists at the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics and silver medalists at the 2022 Beijing Olympics, beat world number one Team Einarsson ( The team beat Canada 5-3 in the final to become the first Japanese team to win the championship through both men’s and women’s competition.

After the match, on the team’s blog, <With three bad year members, 2023 is off to a great start. In September last year, just after the season started, she gave an independent interview to “FRIDAY” magazine, revealing her true self off the ice.

The break was a moment. My mom was mad at me because I had so many plans.

Looking back on the off-season with a smile is May Fujisawa, 31, of the women’s curling team Rocco Solare.

At the Beijing Olympics last February, she won the silver medal, the best result in Japan’s curling history, and dominated the top ratings for live TV broadcasts. After a fulfilling Olympic season that included her seventh victory at the Japan Championships in May, she enjoyed a round of golf in Karuizawa and a tour of temples and shrines in Kyoto. However, that was short-lived, as she volunteered to become the chairperson of the JCA (Japan Curling Association) Athletes Committee during her time off, and spent her days exchanging opinions with top athletes from all over the country. In the end, her time off was curling-centered, which is typical of her.

The JCA has various parts, such as the Strengthening Committee, the Competitions Committee, and the Marketing Committee, but the Athletes’ Committee is an important section that is related to all of them. I want to be a bridge between the JCA and the athletes by listening to their opinions.

Fujisawa says that one of the reasons he decided to apply for the position was his defeat in the final of the Beijing Olympics.

I was happy to be able to represent Japan in the Olympic finals for the first time, but I also made a mistake. We had to think about how we should have spent the day before and what kind of preparation we needed for the final. We were given the opportunity to experience these things, so we should not make it an asset or a reflection only for ourselves. When the Japanese national team is able to stand on the same stage again, we must make the most of this experience.

Immediately after he so emphatically asserted, he added, “But in reality, there are still too many things that we haven’t done yet. …… I feel the cost of having done nothing but curling. I have to do my best,” she said apologetically and bitterly, which is typical of her serious nature.

Meanwhile, this season, Loco Solare began on-ice training in August, and participated in two competitions held in her hometown, Kitami. The Advics Cup, held at her home rink in Tsunero Town, was the first time in two and a half years that she had a qualified audience in Japan. “I was happy that the audience responded to my good shots with applause,” said Fujisawa, who was empowered by the fans, and made a series of good shots to win the tournament.