Naonobu Fujii’s passing is a tragedy for the volleyball community.
The 1996 Olympic bronze medalist spent his career inspiring and leading others to success on and off the court, serving as captain of Toray Arrows and playing with Japan’s men’s national team in four consecutive Asian Games from 1998-2006.
He was known for his hard work, tremendous leadership skills, and embracing a “never give up attitude” while encouraging others to “dream bigger.” Fujii was loved by his teammates and respected by those he faced on opposing teams.
His passing marks a sad moment for volleyball fans around the world.
How did Naonobu Fujii die?
Naonobu Fujii, affectionately known as Nakkun, passed away on March 10, 2023, at the age of 31. His team, Toray Arrows, announced news of his passing on social media.
In the past year, Nakkun had been struggling with stomach cancer. As a professional volleyball player, he made tremendous contributions to his sport and was even named best setter in the Asian Men’s Volleyball Championship in 2017.
Volleytrails paid tribute to their fallen teammate and created a post that mentioned his commitment to excellence and willingness to inspire those around him.
The tragic end of this young athlete has brought about shock and grief throughout the volleyball world. May Naonobu Fujii continue to have an impact on those who knew him both on and off the court.
Who is Naonobu Fujii?
Toray’s Fujii was a passionate volleyball player from Ishinomaki City, Japan. After developing his love for the sport, he joined Juntendo University’s team.
Eventually, he played for the club in the top division of the V League and even represented Japan at the Tokyo Olympics.
Unfortunately, a year prior to his passing on the 10th of this month, Fujii revealed that he had advanced stomach cancer via social media.
Despite suffering due to the Tohoku earthquake, which caused his family’s house to be destroyed and his father to lose his job, Fujii never gave up on his dream with support from his family.
After all, he had been through, Fujii proved that determination can overcome any challenge.
Naonobu Fujii cause of death
Naonobu Fujii, the dynamic setter and formidable Olympian from Japan, passed away after a valiant effort to beat stage IV stomach cancer which had spread to his brain.
Initially, his symptoms appeared in one game itself – last year – when he developed sore eyes. Distressingly, the discomfort has kept increasing since then, and doctors eventually speculated that he had been affected by this severe form of cancer.
In a public interview after hospitalization for various factors, Fujii bravely opened up about the diagnosis.
Despite exerting huge concentration on defeating the disease, he was determined to put volleyball on hold until his recovery. Sadly, his wish would not come true, and Naonobu Fujii is no longer with us.
Tributes
Nakkun i will miss you, I will miss you playing on the field you don't feel pain anymore you are calm there heaven awaits you 😢💔
RIP Naonobu Fujii 🥀💔
— carolin (@airashelsyaa) March 12, 2023
This is a very sad news for every #Volleyball lover especially here in #Japan
We will all miss Naonobu Fujii aka Nakkun and his amazing skills. Thank you for
Rest in peace. @TORAY_ArrowsMEN
— Paweł Milewski (@MilewskiP) March 13, 2023
