Ichiko
Satoh (JPN)
Power defence and a heart to back
it! |
| Before Hiroko
Tsukumo there was Ichiko Satoh. Before there ever
was a libero position, Ichiko Satoh made some spectacular saves
that would've made her the undisputed libero of her time. This
short Japanese player was one of those ceaseless jumpers and
runners who continued a rally by falling on her stomach,
shoulder, back, rolling on her side, or whatever she could to
keep the ball in play. So much in fact that in the '88 Olympic
semifinal against Peru, she chased a ball down in the second set
that made tipped her coach over with wooden bench and all! She
apparently didn't see where her coach was sitting down, and when
she ran and reached over for the ball, the momentum made her
barge right over her coach. It was quite the comic relief of the
semifinal, which was going entirely Peru's way even after
Satoh's fall. But this only demonstrated the heart that Ichiko
Satoh played with. Down two sets to nil, she kept her team alive
with more spectacular saves and even some cross court attacks
from the right side that helped to liven the rest of her
teammates. Satoh was thus, "the little motor" of |
Another fabulous dig
by Ichiko Satoh. She was the world's first libero, way before
that position even existed! [Photo: FIVB Archives] |
| the
team, and once she sparked hope back into her teammates, they
responded by winning the next two sets, and then 13 points in
the fifth set. However, they fell two points short of reaching
the final, but Satoh's insistence and never ending drive was
admirable.
Four years later in Barcelona, she also
helped Japan in its Olympic campaign. She was inserted in key
moments of the match to help strengthen the defence (as if Japan
needed to anymore), and in their Olympic début they defeated
nonetheless than the USA in five sets. Their luck after that
wasn't as good, and they eventually lost a quarterfinal to
Brazil that knocked them out of the final four, just a notch
down from their result in Seoul. However, Ichiko Satoh proved
once again why she was such a miracle player, for many of her
gutsy defensive plays brought the life back into Japan.
Unfortunately, what Japan excelled in defence, it lacked in
offence, despite the presence of lefty Motoko
Ohbayashi and outside/back row hitter Mika
Yamauchi. And with world class setter Kumi
Nakada, one could've only wondered what Japan
would've accomplished had its players been blessed with several
more centimetres. Maybe then they would've seriously contended
for any medal at any time.
 
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