Nozomu Hagihara dribbles across the finish line at the Japanese Embassy in New Delhi on Thursday (May 15, 2025) after a 2,000-km. dribbling journey in India. He plans to apply for a Guinness World Records for the longest distance traveled while dribbling a soccer ball. (Jiji Press)
NEW DELHI – A 31-year-old Japanese man has completed an extraordinary feat, dribbling a soccer ball approximately 2,000 km. across India.
Nozomu Hagihara reached his final destination, New Delhi, on Thursday – two-and-a half-months after setting off from Kolkata.
After breaking the finish tape at the Japanese Embassy in the Indian capital Thursday, Nozomu Hagihara exchanged hugs with friends who supported him through the endeavor.
Hagihara, who is working to contribute to Indian society through soccer, plans to apply for a Guinness World Record for the longest distance traveled while dribbling a soccer ball.
His accomplishment far exceeds the current record, held by an Australian man who dribbled 337 km. in seven days in 2023.
After playing soccer for 19 years in Japan, including on a professional club’s youth team and at university, Hagihara came to India in 2021 as a staff member of a nongovernmental organization.
He founded a soccer team for children, FC Nono, in the eastern state of Bihar, said to be among the poorest states in the country. (Jiji Press)