Friday marked the official start of this summer's Olympic Games. The Opening Ceremony was held earlier in the day, and though spectators were not allowed in Tokyo's Olympic Stadium due to COVID-19 safety restrictions, the formal event ran in traditional fashion, with the parade of nations, and the symbolic lighting of the Olympic flame.
Per tradition, the torch-barring honour goes to a distinguished athlete from the host county. This year, Japanese tennis champion Naomi Osaka — who will be representing her home country in the Games — lit the torch. Not only did the tennis star fulfill the honourable duty, she also debuted a new hairstyle fitting for the occasion: fire-red box braids.
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During competition, Osaka usually wears her hair natural, typically in a ponytail with a visor. Off the court, however, she's not shy about glam, experimenting with pink hair extensions and protective styles like box braids, with the help of her go-to hairstylist Martin-Christopher Harper.
This Olympics Ceremonies look is in a league of its own. If you look closely, you can see that the braids are multi-coloured, an ombré colour play of red, orange, and magenta pink. The scrunchie ponytail gives the style a sporty aesthetic, while the face-framing braids give it a fresh and trendy twist. Not only do the flame-red box braids match the Olympic torch, we're assuming they'd also complement a gold metal quite nicely.