Photo/Illutration Kenki Fukuoka of the Panasonic Wild Knights scores a try in a rugby game against the Ricoh Black Rams on Feb. 20. (Toshiyuki Hayashi)

Rugby star Kenki Fukuoka's lifetime ambition is now within sight.

The powerhouse behind Japan's run to the quarter-finals of the 2019 Rugby World Cup tweeted Feb. 20 he has passed the exam to enter Juntendo University's medical school to achieve his goal of becoming a doctor.

“I could achieve this thanks to help from so many people,” said the 28-year-old in announcing the news.

The star wing of the national squad announced last June he would pass up the opportunity to compete in rugby sevens at the Tokyo Olympics that was postponed to this summer due to the novel coronavirus pandemic to focus on his preparations for the medical school exam.

“When I contemplated which option I would have least regret over my future course, this came most naturally,” he said of his choice at an online news conference on June 14.

Fukuoka said the postponement of the Summer Games did not disappoint him too much and he accepted it as his fate.

He said he will retire from the sport after playing for the Panasonic Wild Knights in the Japan Rugby Top League this winter.

During a match on the league’s opening day on Feb. 20, Fukuoka wowed spectators with a spectacular dash after cutting out a long pass of the opponent team.

Panasonic’s head coach Robbie Deans praised Fukuoka for showing that nothing is impossible in life.

Deans noted that it will be not easy to play in the league while preparing for an exam to medical school.

Fukuoka hails from Koga, Fukuoka Prefecture. His father is a dentist and his grandfather is a physician.

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