Japanese Man Dribbles Soccer Ball 2,000 km across India

   New Delhi, May 17 (Jiji Press)--A 31-year-old Japanese man has achieved the feat of dribbling a soccer ball for about 2,000 kilometers across India, reaching his goal of New Delhi two and a half months after leaving Kolkata.
   After breaking the finish tape at the Japanese Embassy in the Indian capital Thursday, Nozomu Hagihara exchanged hugs with friends who supported him through the endeavor, tears of joy in his eyes.
   Hagihara, who is working to contribute to Indian society through soccer, plans to apply for a Guinness World Record for the longest journey dribbling a soccer ball. His accomplishment far exceeds the current record, held by an Australian man who dribbled 337 kilometers in seven days in 2023.
   After playing soccer for 19 years in Japan, including on a professional club's youth team and at university, Hagihara came to India in 2021 as a staff member of a nongovernmental organization.
   He founded a soccer team for children, FC Nono, in the eastern state of Bihar, which is said to be among the poorest states in the country.

(2025/05/17-09:00)