Kazunori Takishima's Olympic dream of setting a world record — a plan that cost him almost $40,000 — ended this week when organisers said spectators would be banned from most Olympic events.
Takishima bought a hundred Tokyo 2020 tickets, saving and planning for years in the hope of attending the most Olympic events ever.
"I stayed up until three in the morning with my mind completely blank," Takishima said of his reaction to the decision to ban fans, wearing a headband emblazoned with the national symbol of Japan. "I was just really stunned by the news. I wish I had been able to cry. That would have helped relieve my stress."