Japan's Hamada hopes third Olympics the charm in quest for taekwondo gold

Members of Japan's taekwondo team for the Tokyo Olympics spoke before checking into the athletes' village and expressed their determination to win the gold medal.

Mayu Hamada, 2015 World Taekwondo Championship Women's 57kg Class-Winner, participated in the London Olympics in 2012 and the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in 2016, and this will be her third consecutive appearance in the Olympics.

Hamada had an injury and underwent surgery about two years ago, but he is recovering well and aiming to win his long-awaited gold medal.

Sergio Suzuki will be competing in the men's 58kg-class while also targeting a gold medal in his first Olympic appearance.

His father is Japanese and his mother is from Bolivia. He started Taekwondo in Bolivia when he was 5 years old, and went to Korea for high school to polish his skills.

He won a bronze medal at the 2018 Asian Games and has won the All Japan Championships three times in a row.

Women's 57kg-class will start on July 25 and men's 58kg-class will start on July 24.