Rio pain spurs on judoka Soichi Hashimoto for Tokyo 2020
Soichi Hashimoto
Having missed out on selection for Japan's judo team -- in the -73kg division --  he  could have been forgiven for staying at home.
"I was disappointed in myself  watching the Rio Olympic Games from the sidelines "  Hashimoto  tells CNN on missing out to Shohei Ono  who would go on to win gold.
While Rio was heartache for  Hashimoto   sitting out the Tokyo 2020 Games in  his  home city is unthinkable.
It's that fear that drives  him  now.
"To have the Olympic Games being held in your own country  not many athletes have this opportunity "  he  says. "Just thinking about it gives me goosebumps.
 Hashimoto  is the current world champion in  his  weight category and ranked the No. 3 pound-for-pound judoka in the world.
But  his  biggest battle is at home. After Rio  Ono took time out of judo to pursue  his  studies at Tenri University but the double world champion is expected to return to the fold for Tokyo 2020.
Even in the country that created the sport   Hashimoto  admits it still ranks some way behind the likes of baseball and football in the popularity stakes. But  he 's made it  his  quest to "put the spotlight on judo by putting on a spectacular performance on the world stage."
For now  there are no autograph hunters. The extent of  his  celebrity   he  says  is occasionally being recognized while grocery shopping.
Although he is yet to make his Olympic bow   Hashimoto  been heavily influenced by the Games.
 He  had already taken up the sport at the behest of  his  parents  whose son "enjoyed physical activity and was very competitive " when  he  watched Kosei Inoue become Olympic champion in Sydney in 2000
"I still remember watching our current head coach [Inoue] win the Olympic gold "  he  recalls. "It was at this moment that I thought that I wanted to be No. 1 in the world."
The lead-up to the world championships was  by his own admission  stressful.  Hashimoto  latterly unwound with a holiday to Hawaii.
Now back in training   he  is focused on one thing for the next three years.
Having missed out on selection for Japan's judo team -- in the -73kg division --  he  could have been forgiven for staying at home.
"I was disappointed in myself  watching the Rio Olympic Games from the sidelines "  Hashimoto  tells CNN on missing out to Shohei Ono  who would go on to win gold.
While Rio was heartache for  Hashimoto   sitting out the Tokyo 2020 Games in  his  home city is unthinkable.
It's that fear that drives  him  now.
"To have the Olympic Games being held in your own country  not many athletes have this opportunity "  he  says. "Just thinking about it gives me goosebumps.
 Hashimoto  is the current world champion in  his  weight category and ranked the No. 3 pound-for-pound judoka in the world.
But  his  biggest battle is at home. After Rio  Ono took time out of judo to pursue  his  studies at Tenri University but the double world champion is expected to return to the fold for Tokyo 2020.
Even in the country that created the sport   Hashimoto  admits it still ranks some way behind the likes of baseball and football in the popularity stakes. But  he 's made it  his  quest to "put the spotlight on judo by putting on a spectacular performance on the world stage."
For now  there are no autograph hunters. The extent of  his  celebrity   he  says  is occasionally being recognized while grocery shopping.
Although he is yet to make his Olympic bow   Hashimoto  been heavily influenced by the Games.
 He  had already taken up the sport at the behest of  his  parents  whose son "enjoyed physical activity and was very competitive " when  he  watched Kosei Inoue become Olympic champion in Sydney in 2000
"I still remember watching our current head coach [Inoue] win the Olympic gold "  he  recalls. "It was at this moment that I thought that I wanted to be No. 1 in the world."
The lead-up to the world championships was  by his own admission  stressful.  Hashimoto  latterly unwound with a holiday to Hawaii.
Now back in training   he  is focused on one thing for the next three years.