Three Remarkable Female Japanese Athletes

Japanese women in athletics are important players in Japan’s athletic reputation. This year, in the Tokyo 2021 Olympics, women carried Japan’s wins. Japan won only 12 gold medals in men’s events, but 14 gold medals in women’s events. Out of the 58 medals Japan received, 30 of them were won by women. Here are three impressive female athletes that have all participated in the Olympics at some point, and have found great success.

Mao Asada

Mao Asada is a competitive figure skater from Meitō-ku, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan where she grew up ice skating almost everyday after school. Asada has been incredibly successful throughout her career- winning three World Championships, three Four Continents Championships, four Grand Prix FInal Championships, and the 2010 Olympic silver medal winner. Asada holds world records, such as being the first person from Asia to win multiple world championships in a singles discipline. She also holds fifteen Grand Prix series titles, which is the second highest among women and the ninth amongst all skaters of the four disciplines. These records and her reputation as a prodigy in her younger years leaves Asada recognized as one of the best women in figure skating in the world and one of the most popular athletes in Japan.
Watch here to see Mao Asada in Action!

Naomi Osaka

Born in Chūō-ku, Osaka in Japan- Naomi Osaka. Osaka moved to Long Island, New York when she was three, and began being taught by her father to play tennis at a very young age. Osaka would play tennis most of the day and would be homeschooled at night. As a teen, she attended Academies for tennis. Despite her childhood in the United States, Osaka’s parents wanted her to represent Japan as they were a family that identified with Japanese culture. Throughout her tennis career, Osaka has become a four-time Grand Slam, angles champion, the campaign of the Australian Open, adn has won two Grand Slam titles back-to-back. All of this has earned her a number one ranking by the Women’s Tennis Association, making her the first Asian player (man or woman) to hold a number one tennis title.
Naomi Osaka has a Netflix movie coming about about her life and her career, here is the trailer!

Kaori Icho

Kaori Icho is a Japanese freestyle wrestler from Hachinohe, Japan. Icho has a remarkable wrestling career, and is the first female of any sport to win the gold medal at four consecutive Olympic Games. Icho has won the World Championship ten times as well, which is also an amazing accomplishment. Additionally Icho was awarded the People’s Honour Award by Shizo Abe, the Prime Minister- a huge award.
To watch Icho in action, watch this video from 2015.