SHOJI Kawika

General
RIO REDEMPTION
Despite earning bronze at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, he says he was left disappointed by the result and is aiming to win gold at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. "We had a heartbreaking match in the semifinals [in Rio] and then came back and regrouped and fought through a really tough bronze-medal match, and just showed a lot of who we were as a team. But then we left something on the table. We knew that we were probably the best team in that tournament and at the end we came up a little short. We were satisfied with the medal but a little disappointed as well." (teamusa.org, 15 May 2019)

OTHER STUDIES
He is studying for a master's degree in sports psychology. (teamusa.org, 15 May 2019)

JAPANESE ORIGINS
He says having Japanese great-grandparents adds extra motivation to compete at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. "I think that there is definitely motivation [for Tokyo 2020] because it is a city and country that is special to us [he and his brother] and to volleyball. They are big volleyball fans in Japan. They have a great history and culture of volleyball. So it's just a great place to play." (teamusa.org, 15 May 2019)

BROTHER
He and younger brother Erik grew up playing against each other with a balloon in the living room of their home in Honolulu, HI, United States of America. They have played together at Stanford University in the United States of America, for the national team, and for Berlin Recycling Volleys in Germany. "We used to get into tons of fights [as children], we'd always be arguing and trying to get that extra point to win. I'm so thankful every day now that I don't have to see him across the net." (denverpost.com, 05 May 2010; teamusa.org, 01 Jun 2013; berlin-recycling-volleys.de, 08 May 2014; bz-berlin.de, 28 Apr 2015)