Yuji Nishida facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Yuji Nishida |
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Nishida in Callipo Volley's jersey
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Full name | Yuji Nishida | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 30 January 2000 Mie, Japan |
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| Hometown | Inabe | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 87 kg (192 lb) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spike | 346 cm (136 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Block | 330 cm (130 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Volleyball information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Opposite spiker | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Current club |  Panasonic Panthers |
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| Number | 1 (national team) 11 (club) |
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| Career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| Yuji Nishida | |
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| YouTube information | |
| Years active | 2020 - present |
| Subscribers | 492 thousand |
| Total views | 35 million |
| Subscriber and view counts updated as of November 24, 2023. | |
Yuji Nishida (西田 有志, Nishida Yūji, born 30 January 2000) is a Japanese left-handed volleyball player. He is known for his powerful spikes and serves. As of July 2024, Nishida plays for Panasonic Panthers at the club level.
Nishida started his professional career with JTEKT Stings in 2018. He was only 17 years old. His amazing skills quickly earned him a spot on the Japan men's national volleyball team. Nishida helped the national team reach seventh place at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. This was their best result in 29 years.
He was one of the youngest players on the national team in 2018. He played his first international game in the 2018 FIVB Volleyball Men's Nations League. In June 2018, he helped Japan win against Italy for the first time in 11 years. He scored 24 points in that game. In September 2018, Nishida became the youngest player ever to score 30 points in a single match. This happened during a game against Argentina. In June 2019, he set a new record in the VNL. He hit 7 aces in one game against Bulgaria.
Nishida played for Volley Callipo in Italy for the 2021–22 season. Even with an injury, he was named MVP of the match three times. He was his team's highest scorer. He also set a record for the most aces in one match during that season, with eight aces.
Contents
Yuji Nishida's Volleyball Journey
Starting Young: Elementary School Years
Yuji Nishida began playing volleyball because his older sister and brother played. He joined the same team as his brother, called the "Daian Beetles."
He was inspired by the Olympics and by Kunihiro Shimizu. Shimizu was a left-handed "opposite" player, just like Yuji. Yuji wanted to compete in the Olympics too.
In his fourth year of elementary school, Yuji's team won the 29th All Japan Volleyball Tournament in Mie Prefecture. This was a big achievement for him.
By his sixth year, he was the team captain. He led his team to win the President's Cup of Mie Prefecture Club Volleyball Federation.
Growing Up: Middle and High School
After elementary school, Yuji went to a local middle school. It was not known for its strong volleyball team.
He got to practice with the Kaisei High School volleyball club. This is where he caught the eye of the team's manager and head coach. He also joined a junior high club team called 'NFO Ocean Star'.
In 2013, Yuji was chosen for the U-14 team for his district. Later that year, he played for the Mie Prefecture team in the Junior Olympic Cup.
For high school, Yuji chose Kaisei High School. This school had never made it to the national volleyball tournament. He also joined a new local club team, Vertian Mie U-19. They won the Mie Prefecture Young Volleyball Championship. Yuji was named an outstanding player.
Professional Career and National Team
First Steps: 2017–2018
In March 2017, Yuji was part of the Japan men's national under-19 volleyball team. They played in the 2017 Asian Boys' U19 Volleyball Championship. In October 2017, he joined the club team JTEKT Stings.
Yuji played his first V.League game on January 6, 2018. He won the Wakawashi Award at the Kurowashiki All Japan Volleyball Tournament. This award is for the best rookie player.
Joining the Senior Team: 2018–2019
In April 2018, at age 18, Yuji was called up to the Senior National team. He made his debut on May 25, 2018, in a Nations League match against Australia.
He later played in the 2018 FIVB Volleyball Men's World Championship. Yuji and Issei Otake shared the Best New Player award in the V.League 2018–19 season.
Leading the Way: 2019–2020
Yuji was selected for the national team again in April 2019. In October, the 2019 FIVB Volleyball Men's World Cup was held in Japan. He was named "Best server" and "Best opposite" for his great playing.
Nishida helped his team win their first V.League title. He was ranked first in "High Scorer" and "Serve Effectiveness Rate." He was also named the league's MVP.
Continued Success: 2020–2021
In February 2020, Yuji was again on Japan's national team roster. In December 2020, JTEKT Stings won the Emperor's Cup and Empress' Cup All Japan Volleyball Championship. They beat the Panasonic Panthers.
Olympic Dream and Italy: 2021–2022
In April 2021, Yuji was named to the Japanese National Team for 2021. He was chosen for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. He became the first player in the men's division at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics to score over 30 points in a game.
On August 9, Yuji announced he would play for the Italian club Volley Callipo for the 2021–22 season. He had a calf injury in November 2021, which kept him out for two months. He returned to play in January 2022. In March 2022, it was announced that he would return to Japan's V.League.
Back to Japan: 2022–2023
In April 2022, Yuji was named to the 2022 Japanese national team. His national team jersey number changed from 11 to 1. On June 1, JTEKT Stings announced that Yuji would rejoin their club.
At the Nations League, Yuji was the highest scorer for Japan. He helped Japan reach the quarter-finals. In August, Japan played in the 2022 FIVB Volleyball Men's World Championship. Yuji helped them reach the final round for the first time since 2006. They lost a close match to France.
Yuji faced an illness at the start of the 2022-23 V.League season. He missed three weeks due to a high fever. After recovering, he led his team to win the 2022 Emperor's Cup title.
New Club and Medals: 2023–2024
Yuji joined Panasonic Panthers for the 2023–24 season. In the 2023 FIVB Volleyball Men's Nations League, Japan won their first bronze medal ever. Yuji had a back injury, but still contributed to the team's success.
In August, the Japanese team won their 10th title at the 2023 Asian Men's Volleyball Championship. They beat Iran. The team also qualified for the 2024 Summer Olympics.
In December 2023, the Panasonic Panthers won the 2023 Emperor's Cup. Yuji was named the MVP. In the 2023–24 V.League, his team finished third. They lost in the final and earned silver medals.
Looking Ahead: 2024–2025
In April 2024, Yuji was selected for the national team for the sixth year in a row. In June, the Panthers confirmed Yuji would continue to play for them.
In the 2024 VNL, Japan reached the finals for the first time. They won a silver medal, which was their highest finish in this tournament. It was also their first silver medal in a major international tournament since 1977.
Awards and Achievements
Individual Awards
- 2018: Kurowashiki Tournament Fighting Spirit Award
- 2018: Kurowashiki Tournament Wakawashi Award (Rookie of the Year)
- 2018: Kurowashiki Tournament Best 6
- 2019: V.League 1 Best Server
- 2019: V.League 1 Best Rookie of the Year
- 2019: FIVB World Cup Best Opposite Spiker
- 2020: V.League 1 Most Valuable Player
- 2020: V.League 1 Best Scorer
- 2020: V.League 1 Best Opposite Spiker
- 2020: V.League 1 Best 6
- 2021: V.League 1 Best Server (2)
- 2021: V.League 1 Record Award Player
- 2023: Emperor's Cup Most Valuable Player
Club Team Success
- 2019–20 V.League 1 —
Champion, with JTEKT Stings - 2021 Emperor's Cup — Champion, with JTEKT Stings
- 2022 Emperor's Cup — Champion, with JTEKT Stings
- 2023 Emperor's Cup — Champion, with Panasonic Panthers
Junior National Team Medals
- 2017 Asian Boys' U19 Volleyball Championship —
Gold medal in Myanmar
National Team Medals
- 2019 Asian Men's Volleyball Championship —
Bronze medal in Iran - 2023 FIVB Nations League — 3rd Place in Poland
- 2023 Asian Men's Volleyball Championship — Gold medal in Iran
- 2024 FIVB Nations League —
Runner-up in Poland
About Yuji Nishida's Life
Yuji Nishida started playing volleyball after seeing his sister play. He enjoys watching movies and shopping in his free time. He has an older sister who is 8 years older and a brother who is 6 years older. He has said that his idols in volleyball include Yūki Ishikawa and Masahiro Yanagida.
In 2020, Yuji partnered with Asics, a Japanese company that makes sports gear. He also has sponsorship deals with Zamst, a brand for athletic braces, and CLEVER, a protein brand.
He started his own Youtube Channel on December 6, 2020. It gained over 100,000 subscribers in just six months. Yuji also created his own clothing brand, Crazy Jump, which launched in August 2022.
On December 31, 2022, Yuji announced on his Instagram that he married fellow volleyball player Sarina Koga. In April 2023, he reached 1 million followers on his Instagram account.
