She is 16, afraid of the water, and ready for the Olympics

Japanese surfer Minori Kawai smiles after a training session in the town of Ichinomiya, Chiba prefecture. Photos: AFP

Just 16 and still afraid of the water, hot-shot Japanese surfer Minori Kawai has set her sights on Olympic gold after a stunning victory at the venue for the 2020 Tokyo Games.

Kawai won last month's Chiba Open in her own backyard and feels she will have a psychological edge when the sun-swept sport makes its Olympic debut three years from now.