Nozomi Okuhara became the first Japanese in 39 years to win the women's badminton singles title at the All-England Championships on Sunday, beating Wang Shixian 2-1 in the final.
Okuhara, who celebrated her 21st birthday the same day, defeated her Chinese opponent 21-11, 16-21, 21-19 not long after Ayaka Takahashi and Misaki Matsutomo won the women's doubles 21-10, 21-12 over Tang Yuanting and Yu Yang for Japan's first All-England victory in the discipline in 38 years.
"I felt compelled to follow in their footsteps," Okuhara said, referring to Takahashi and Matsutomo, who play for the same club team.