Opening ceremony

Watch Naomi Osaka light the Olympic Cauldron in Tokyo

July 23, 2021

.polaris__post-meta--date { display: none; } .polaris__post-meta--date.no-script { display: block; padding-left: 45px } July 23, 2021

Naomi Osaka is having a big year. She beat Serena Williams and won her second Australian Open title in February; she spoke out about protecting her mental health and withdrew from the French Open in May; and she appeared as both the first Haitian and the first Japanese woman on the cover of Sports Illustrated and made a fool out of Megyn Kelly earlier this month.

Then on Friday, the Japan-born 23-year-old tennis superstar was revealed to be the surprise athlete tasked with the immense honor of lighting the Olympic Cauldron to open the Tokyo Olympics:

Naomi Osaka lights the Olympic cauldron 👏 #Tokyo2020 pic.twitter.com/8sOxtmibuL
— Complex Sports (@ComplexSports) July 23, 2021

Let the games begin, indeed!