Opinion | Small man, big heart: Kawamura challenges Wemby & Gobert in Paris Olympic Games

By Darius

Have you ever heard the story of David and Goliath?

Doesn't it sound like a fictionalized story about a scrawny teenager who used his skills to defeat a much more powerful warrior?

Well, just a few hours ago, this story almost happened in Paris. Standing at 172cm, Kawamura Yuki scored 29 points against the NBA's first pick Victor Wembanyama, the NBA DPOY Rudy Gobert, and other famous NBA players from France, almost driving the French giant to the brink of extinction. In the end, France only won by 4 points after a controversial penalty.

Generally speaking, our impression of basketball players is that they are tall and powerful; however, Kawamura, a young Japanese man of normal size, did not shy away from the tall men in front of him. From many perspectives, Kawamura, who has little physical qualities, does not have the ability to compete at a high level, but in front of the 222cm Wembanyama, he proved that he can also be the David, a "mortal" who has the courage to challenge the giant.

Reality is not as perfect as those tales, and Japan ended the tournament with regret. However, we could see the endless courage in Kawamura's eyes; I could imagine how much he used to be looked down upon by the big guys, and how much he had worked hard to make up for that 50cm gap in order to stand on the court of the Olympic Games today.

This, like we often say, is where true heroism lies: recognizing your shortcomings, recognizing your true abilities, and continuing to work hard to be a better self, to be "faster, higher, stronger".