Naomi Osaka Makes Surprise Appearance at Olympic Cauldron Lighting

Naomi Osaka had the honor of lighting the Olympic cauldron at the Opening Ceremony of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics on Friday. The athletes who light the cauldron are a closely guarded secret until the ceremony actually happens, so Osaka’s presence was a big surprise.

See below:

.@naomiosaka lights the Olympic Flame. #Olympics #OpeningCeremony pic.twitter.com/46lrueeC8Q

— Lance Ulanoff (@LanceUlanoff) July 23, 2021

Born in Japan and raised in the United States, Osaka is playing tennis for Japan in the Olympics, and she’s a gold medal favorite.

A group of middle school athletes carried the torch to Osaka, who lit the cauldron that will keep burning until the closing ceremony in two weeks.

.@naomiosaka lights the Olympic Cauldron 🔥

LET THE OLYMPICS BEGIN 👏 #Tokyo2020 pic.twitter.com/dyChkDCVMu

— ESPN (@espn) July 23, 2021

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Osaka has come under fire recently due to her refusal to do media interviews. She dropped out of Wimbledon as a result.

Looks like she wants to be a part of all the fun stuff, but wants no part of the job that’s actual work.

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