Masatoshi Ohno – Japan Surfing team Olympic Head Coach – and Jérôme Guth – Japan Fencing team Olympic Head Coach – join us to talk about how team sports fosters a sense of belonging, appreciation, and resilience.
Masatoshi 'Mar' Ohno is a 3-time JPSA (Japan Pro Surfing Association) Grand Champion surfer who has made significant contributions to the Japanese surf industry. He holds the record for most consecutive wins in a single year, with 7 Golds in 2013. Mar has also been instrumental in promoting surfing in Japan, leading the national surf team to multiple victories and serving as the captain and coach at the Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Olympics. His dedication to the sport extends beyond competition, as he created the 'FunTheMental' surf festival and currently serves as Chairman of the S.League.
Jérôme Guth is a French Maître d’Armes, specialized in Sabre. He is the current Head Coach of the Japanese fencing Olympic team. He started this position after the Tokyo Olympics. Since then, his team has broken all sorts of records. Jérôme has the particularity of being in charge of the Women’s & the Men’s programs, that makes him the youngest in the World (39) with this kind of responsibility. He is coaching the current back-to-back (‘22 & ‘23) individual Women’s Sabre World Champion. She has been ranked #1 in the World for over 6 months.
Under Jérôme’s leadership, the Japanese Women’s Sabre Team qualified, for the first time in history, for the Paris 2024 Olympics. They even beat the odds and clinched a historical Bronze Medal at the Olympic Team Event. The Japanese Sabre team has earned 35 International medals over the past 3 years, which is more than in the entire program's existence. Jerome is from Strasbourg, France. Before living in Tokyo, he spent 11 years in the USA. He coached at Penn State University and then opened a fencing academy in NJ. He was also part of the USA Fencing National staff.
Moderated by Michael Lee.