Naomi Osaka wins ‘Best Athlete, Women’s Sports’ at her first ESPY Awards on ESPN

Naomi Osaka wins ‘Best Athlete, Women’s Sports’ at her first ESPY Awards on ESPN
Bryan Ke
July 12, 2021
Naomi Osaka made her first appearance at ESPN’s ESPY Awards on Saturday and took home the award for Best Athlete, Women’s Sports. 
The award show: The 23-year-old pro tennis player thanked everyone who supported her during the brief acceptance speech she delivered at the award show, according to Deadline.
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  • While giving her speech, Osaka admitted she was “a bit nervous.”
  • “I know this year’s been really — it hasn’t even finished — but it’s been really tough for a lot of us and, for me, I just want to say I really love you guys,” she said, adding that this was her first ESPY award.
  • Osaka is set to compete at the Tokyo Games later this month and will represent Japan.
  • The tennis player made headlines after she withdrew from the French Open in May and the Wimbledon championships in June.
Notable winners: Osaka, who is of Japanese and Haitian descent, was one of the few Asian and Asian American winners at the ESPY Awards over the weekend.
  • Shohei Ohtani, who will be the first player to become a hitter and pitcher at an MLB All-Star Game, took home the award for Best MLB Player, South China Morning Post reported.
  • South Korean player Kim Sei-young won Best Athlete in Women’s Golf.
  • Lastly, Korean American snowboarder Chloe Kim took home the award for Best Athlete in Women’s Action Sports.
Featured Image via ESPN (left), @naomiosaka (right)
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