ARAKI Erika

General
RETIREMENT PLANS
She plans to retire from competitive volleyball after competing at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. "I consider the Tokyo 2020 Games to be the grand finale of my career, so I'd like to do my best until the very end and finish with a great result that makes me cry with happiness." (tokyo2020.org, 22 Oct 2020)

BREAK AND RETURN
She left the Toray Arrows in 2013 in order to start a family. In May 2014 she returned to the sport and joined the Saitama Ageo Medics ahead of the 2014/15 Japanese V.Premier League season, after giving birth to her daughter Waka in January that year. "I love volleyball and I always have the desire to get better. One day my mother told me that Waka even asked her about why I love the sport so much. My family understands what I do and they always support me, that is why I can continuously compete at this level. When I became a mother, I was able to play more calmly. It became easier to train as my focus on the game got better." (olympicchannel.com, 08 Jan 2019; sanspo.com, 21 May 2020; athlete-journal.com, 12 Jun 2014; asahi.com, 12 May 2015; volleyball.world, 24 Apr 2019; news.tbs.co.jp, 24 Sep 2020)

OVERSEAS EXPERIENCE
In August 2008 she moved to Italy in order to play for Volley Bergamo, before returning to Japan the following year. "Playing overseas was one of my biggest goals as a player and I was able to fulfil that goal. That experience had a big influence on me as a professional athlete because it helped me balance my career and private life." (erika-araki.com, 01 Jan 2021; volleyball.world, 24 Apr 2019)

She was part of the first Japanese volleyball team to win a medal at the Olympic Games in 28 years when they claimed bronze at the 2012 Games in London. (tokyo2020.org, 22 Oct 2020; SportsDeskOnline, 27 Jan 2021)