SHIRATORI Katsuhiro

Previous teammates
Jumpei Ikeda, Yu Koshikawa, Takashi Tsuchiya, Thomas Hartles, Momota Shimada, Yuya Ageba, Takumi Takahashi, Shinpei Aoki, Yoshiumi Hasegawa, Junki Hatabe, Kentaro Asahi, Keisuke Imai, Koichi Nishimura, Taichi Morikawa, Satoshi Watanabe, Shoji Setoyama (fivb.org, 16 Feb 2021)

General
NEW PARTNER
In 2019 he paired up with Yusuke Ishijima, who switched from indoor volleyball to beach volleyball in 2017 in order to represent Japan at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. "Ishijima asked me and I accepted because I wanted to challenge myself for my last Olympic Games. My strength is that I have a mind and body that I can improve without feeling the limits. As his partner, I will do my best to support him and make that smooth transition from volleyball to beach volleyball. In order to create a good partnership, you should not ask your partner for too much and keep a certain distance. Having respect for each other makes the partnership stronger. I believe as partners we are both capable of achieving our goals and playing at the 2020 Olympic Games." (fivb.com, 11 Oct 2020; tbs.co.jp, 16 Nov 2019; 4years.asahi.com, 18 Apr 2019)

RETIREMENT AND RETURN
He announced his retirement from competitive beach volleyball following the 2012 Olympic Games in London. He served as the head coach of the Japanese women's team from 2013 until 2014, before returning to the court himself in 2015. "I felt frustrated seeing the Japanese men's team struggling. Veteran players have played an active role in sports such as football and skiing, I want to help other players become more motivated." (tbs.co.jp, 16 Nov 2019; daily.co.jp, 14 Jul 2015; fivb.com, 11 Oct 2020; nikkansports.com, 06 Jun 2021)