Miho Nakai Tears Up After Surprise Appearance at World Athletics Opening

Ms. Nakai was crying

After 34 years, the Tokyo 2025 World Athletics Championships (hereafter “World Athletics”) returned to Tokyo for the first time since 1991. Broadcast nationwide on the TBS network, the event achieved consistently high viewership ratings.

Before the competition even began, the biggest buzz wasn’t about the athletes but about Yuji Oda (57), who served as the main host for 13 consecutive championships—from the 1997 Athens Games to the 2022 Oregon Games—and returned this time as a special ambassador.

“Oda appeared on last autumn’s All-Star Thanksgiving Special to promote the upcoming World Athletics, so it seems he was confirmed as special ambassador more than a year ago. The offer came from the organizers, and his role was under a different contract format than in the past.

Meanwhile, Miho Nakai (60), who had co-hosted alongside Oda up through the Oregon Games, was not invited to participate this time,” said a sports program director.

On the first day of World Athletics, Nakai was spotted in the stands at the National Stadium by several people connected to the event. Many of them reported the same thing:

“Ms. Nakai was crying.”

“Among the staff, people were wondering why she was in tears. Most assumed it was out of frustration—that World Athletics was finally being held in Tokyo, but she had already graduated from her role before that happened, and only Oda had been called back,”

said a stadium staff member.

Perhaps in an effort to follow up with Nakai, TBS later invited her as the monthly guest on THE TIME, in September. She did weather reports from outside the studio and had a friendly on-air exchange with Love it! host Akira Kawashima (46) of Kirin fame at the program’s closing segment—an appearance that quickly made online headlines.

“Of course, her invitation was also due to her deep knowledge of World Athletics. In the past, there were rumors of tension between Oda and Nakai because she would sometimes interrupt him to keep the broadcast on schedule, but that wasn’t true. Oda has always respected Nakai as a fellow presenter,” said a TBS Sports Division insider.

Then, on September 18, Nakai suddenly made an appearance at World Athletics. That day, ambassador Mio Imada (28) was absent, and Nakai filled in her seat. When she was welcomed with “Welcome back” by main host Ai Eto (39), Oda’s delighted expression beside her was unforgettable.

When Nakai mentioned that she had been in the audience from day one to day three, Oda said, “I saw you,” explaining that he had even looked for her through his binoculars. Nakai replied, “Me too,” and added, “I was watching without any notes or materials. Everyone in the broadcast booth looked dazzling.”

With her eyes glistening, she spoke passionately

“When we heard that, the staff started saying, ‘So the tears Ms. Nakai shed in the stands really were tears of frustration, after all.’ During the broadcast, the caption under Nakai’s name read, ‘Main Host until the Oregon Championships,’ so some of us wondered, ‘Why add that credit in particular? Was her appearance meant to be just a surprise?’ or ‘If they were going to bring her back anyway, why was she left out in the first place?’” (Stadium staff member)

Online, speculation grew: “Was this planned all along?”, “If she were scheduled from the start, she’d have been there from day one — it must have been a last-minute decision.”

When TBS’s publicity department was asked when Nakai’s appearance was decided, they replied, “As a rule, we do not comment on the production process,” providing no clear answer.

Even so, the internet buzzed with excitement over the long-awaited reunion of the beloved “Oda & Nakai” duo after three years.

“Back in her Fuji TV days, Nakai worked alongside stars like Takeshi Kitano (78), Tamori (80), and Sanma Akashiya (70), earning a reputation as a tamer of wild beasts. People used to say, ‘Only Nakai can keep Oda’s enthusiasm under control during World Athletics.’ On the 18th, Oda affectionately called her ‘Sister,’ and Nakai eagerly responded to or followed up on Oda’s rare athlete anecdotes — prompting the staff to say, ‘That’s the Nakai we know,’” said a TBS Sports Division staff member.

The following morning, on the 19th, Nakai appeared again — this time in the studio of THE TIME,. Hurdler Rashid Muratake (23) was the guest, and an actual hurdle was set up on the studio floor, with anchor Ai Eto leading the explanation.

“Besides her, Nakai demonstrated her expertise by explaining the height of the hurdles. And when talking about watching the athletes perform up close at the stadium, she became emotional, saying, ‘When I’m there, I really feel like I’m alive.’ Her eyes welled up as she spoke. The tears she shed at the National Stadium may have been not only tears of frustration — but also tears of deep emotion,”

the same stadium staff member said.

In her Fuji TV years, Nakai built her reputation as the first female anchor of Pro Baseball News. More recently, she has been active as a judge for the Yomiuri Theater Awards, contributing to reviews of kabuki, musicals, and Takarazuka performances. However, World Athletics may mark her return to the world of sports broadcasting.

Miho Nakai — the live-broadcast professional praised even by her husband, Atsuya Furuta (60) — is back.