Kento Miyaura found himself left speechless after Japan’s painful elimination at the hands of Canada in the 2025 FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship on Monday.
Entering the tournament as the world’s fifth-ranked team, Ryujin Nippon crashed out after suffering a heartbreaking 20-25, 23-25, 22-25 defeat to the Maple Leafs — their second loss in Pool G — at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
“For this moment, I’m sad about the loss. It was a very important game for us. We still have one more game, so we have to prepare for it,” said the 27-year-old opposite hitter, fighting back tears.
Touted as one of the title favorites alongside perennial powerhouses Italy, Poland, and France, Japan never found its rhythm. Their opening loss to Turkiye marked the first crack in a campaign that would ultimately collapse.
That early setback proved costly, shaking their confidence and exposing weaknesses that resurfaced against Canada. Struggles at the net and inconsistent execution doomed them to another straight-sets defeat, sealing their fate in the elimination round.
It marked only the third time in World Championship history that Japan had been knocked out this early.
For Miyaura, the disappointment cut even deeper. With fellow opposite Yuji Nishida opting to skip the tournament, much of the weight of expectation fell squarely on his shoulders.
“It’s hard to say… Our performance, we have to know… I don’t know how I can explain it, but it’s hard,” Miyaura admitted, his voice breaking as sorrow filled his eyes.
The loss hit so hard that he froze, staring blankly at the cameras for what felt like an eternity.
In that silence, his expression told the story his words could not.
#WATCH: Despite exiting #MWCH2025 contention, Yuki Ishikawa is determined to finish strong 🇯🇵🏐
📹 Jonash Dannug/Tiebreaker Times pic.twitter.com/IZmbuVCqry
— Tiebreaker Times (@tiebreakertimes) September 15, 2025
