Jayce
Just half a month after Yuta Watanabe announced his marriage, Arisa Higashino also suddenly revealed her marriage on August 28th. The fact that they kept it a secret from each other has left many fans surprised.
Arisa Higashino shared on her social media platform, “…Although it’s a personal matter, I got married today to Yu Igarashi, a former badminton player and current coach from the same company, after dating for five years. We got engaged before the Olympics, and after much discussion, we decided to register our marriage after the Olympics…”
Yuta Watanabe and Arisa Higashino are senior and junior in the same sport, having attended the same school since they were young. They started partnering in junior high and have maintained a strong bond for over 13 years, winning bronze medals at both the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and the 2024 Paris Olympics. Their close relationship even extended to their families, leading to Japanese media speculating that they might be a couple. Arisa Higashino had also previously expressed admiration for Watanabe in media interviews.
After this year’s Olympics, on August 13th, Yuta Watanabe suddenly revealed on a TV show that he had registered his marriage before the Olympics, leaving Arisa Higashino in shock.
Following this revelation, the duo unexpectedly split, ending their 13-year partnership. Arisa Higashino announced her switch to women’s doubles, while Yuta Watanabe partnered with an 18-year-old rising star.
Now that Arisa Higashino has also announced that she got engaged before the Olympics, almost at the same time as Watanabe’s marriage, but without informing each other, choosing instead to reveal it through the media, fans are understandably shocked. Many are speculating whether their relationship soured behind the scenes or if a breakup before the Olympics led to their split.
Regardless, we wish them both the best in their future lives and hope they continue to bring fans more exciting matches.
