Yukako Kawai
| Yukako Kawai medal table |
||
|---|---|---|
| Japan | ||
| World Championship | ||
| silver | 2018 Budapest | up to 62 kg |
| bronze | 2019 Nur-Sultan | up to 62 kg |
| Asian Championship | ||
| silver | 2019 Xi'an, China | up to 62 kg |
| gold | 2020 New Delhi | up to 62 kg |
| U23 world championship | ||
| gold | 2018 Bucharest | up to 62 kg |
| Junior World Championship | ||
| bronze | 2014 Snina | up to 60 kg cadets |
Yukako Kawai (born August 27, 1997 ) is a Japanese wrestler . In 2018 she became vice world champion and U23 world champion in the weight class up to 62 kg body weight.
Career
Yukako Kawai started wrestling in 2005. She is the younger sister of Olympic champion Risako Kawai and, like her, attends Shigakhan University in Tokyo, of which she is a member of the wrestling club. The 1.62 m tall athlete weighs a little over 60 kg. She has been coached by Kazuhito Sakae since she was accepted into the Japanese women's national wrestling team in 2013 .
In the first years of her wrestling career, Yukako Kawai also had to accept mediocre places, so she only came 14th in her first participation in an international championship, the 2013 Junior World Championship (Cadets) in Zrenjanin in the weight class up to 56 kg . In 2014 she won her first medal, a bronze, at the same world championship in Snina in the weight class up to 60 kg.
In 2015 and 2016 she was used several times in high-ranking international tournaments and achieved consistently good placements. In 2015, as an eighteen-year-old Japanese woman, she was runner-up in the women's weight category up to 60 kg. In the final, she lost to her sister Risako by falling after 2.51 minutes.
In August 2017 Yukako Kawai was used at the Junior World Championships (Juniors) in Tampere, but only reached 9th place in the weight class up to 63 kg. It did not do much better at the World Cup in Paris that same year. She came there in the same weight class after a win over Elmira Gamarowa, Azerbaijan and a loss to Jackeline Rentería Castillo from Colombia on the 8th place. In December 2017, Yukako Kawai became the first Japanese female champion in the weight class up to 62 kg body weight.
In June 2018 she won the Meiji Cup in Tokyo, qualifying for the Women's World Cup, which took place in Budapest in October 2018. In the weight class up to 62 kg she won in Budapest over the ex-world champion Marianna Sastin from Hungary, Sakshi Malik, India and Julija Ostaptschuk, Poland. In the final, she lost to Taybe Yusein from Bulgaria just on points. Her sister Risako became a weight class deep world champion. Yukako Kawai then also became world champion, namely at the U23 World Cup in Bucharest in November 2018. In the final, she defeated Ilona Prokopewniuk from Ukraine there. In December 2018 she was again Japanese champion in the weight class up to 62 kg.
At the 2019 Asian Cup in Xi'an, China, Yukako Kawai surprisingly lost in the final of the weight class up to 62 kg against the Kyrgyz Aisuluu A Tinibekowa. At this year's world championships, Yukako Kawai represented the Japanese colors again in the weight class up to 62 kg. After defeating Luisa Niemesch, Germany, she lost again to Aisuluu A Tinibekowa in the round of 16. Since this reached the final, she was able to continue in the consolation round and won a bronze medal there with victories over Alejandra Romero Bonilla, Mexico, Julija Tkatch-Ostaptschuk, Ukraine and Rim Jong-Sim, North Korea.
In February 2020 in New Delhi she was Asian champion in the weight class up to 62 kg with victories over the previous year's world champion Aisuluu A Tinibekowa, Sonam Sonam, India and Ayanlim Kassimowa, Kazakhstan.
International success
| year | space | competition | Weight class | Results |
| 2013 | 14th | Junior World Championships (Cadets) in Zrenjanin | up to 56 kg | Winner: Maria Kosarewa, Russia |
| 2014 | 3. | Junior World Championships (Cadets) in Snina | up to 60 kg | behind Grace Jacob Bullen, Norway and Loumba Selene Fanta, France |
| 2015 | 5. | “Ivam Yarygin” Grand Prix in Krasnoyarsk | up to 58 kg | Winner: Shoovdor Batarshav, Mongolia |
| 2015 | 3. | Golden Grand Prix in Baku | up to 60 kg | behind Luo Xiaojuan, China and Allisson Mackenzie Ragan, USA |
| 2016 | 3. | Klippan Lady Open | up to 63 kg | behind Anastasija Grigorjewa, Latvia and Marianna Sastin, Hungary |
| 2017 | 9. | Junior World Championships (Juniors) in Tampere | up to 63 kg | Winner: Maya Nelson, USA |
| 2017 | 8th. | World Cup in Paris | up to 63 kg | after defeating Elmira Gambarowa, Azerbaijan and losing to Jackeline Renteria Castillo, Colombia |
| 2018 | 2. | World Cup in Budapest | up to 62 kg | after victories over Marianna Sastin , Hungary, Sakshi Malik, India and Julija Tkach Ostaptschuk and a defeat against Taybe Yusein , Bulgaria |
| 2018 | 1. | U23 World Cup in Bucharest | up to 62 kg | after victories over Gantuya Enchbat, Mongolia, Kristina Sasikina, Belarus, Kriszta Tunde Incze, Hungary and Ilona Prokopewniuk, Ukraine |
| 2019 | 2. | Asian Championship in Xi'an, China | up to 62 kg | after victories over Choi Jiae, South Korea, Sakshi Malik, India and Mun Hyon-Gyong, North Korea and a defeat against Aisuluu A Tinibekowa, Kyrgyzstan |
| 2019 | 3. | World Cup in Nur-Sultan | up to 62 kg | after a win over Luisa Niemesch, Germany, a defeat against Aisuluu A Tinibekowa and victories over Alejandra Romero Bonilla, Mexico, Julija Tkach-Ostaptschuk, Ukraine and Rim Jong-Sim, North Korea |
| 2020 | 1. | Asian Championship in New Delhi | up to 62 kg | after victories over 'Aisuluu Akowa, Sonam Sonam, India and Ayanluim Kassimowa, Kazakhstan |
Successes in national competitions
| year | space | competition | Weight class | Results |
| 2015 | 2. | Japanese championship | up to 60 kg | behind Risako Kawai , in front of Yui Sakano and Yoshimi Kayama |
| 2017 | 1. | Japanese championship | up to 62 kg | before Yurika Ito, Honoka Imagawa and Aika Yago |
| 2018 | 1. | Meiji Cup in Tokyo | up to 62 kg | before Yurika Ita, Atena Kodama and Honoka Imagawa |
| 2018 | 1. | Japanese championship | up to 62 kg | before Yuzuro Kumano, Miyu Imai and Miwa Morikawa |
- Explanations
- all free style competitions
- WM = World Championship
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Ken Marantz: Meiji Cup: Susaki gains revenge, 50kg title; Takahashi, Kawai sisters bound for Budapest. Japan Wrestling Foundation, June 21, 2018, accessed February 9, 2019 .
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Kawai, yukako |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Japanese wrestler |
| DATE OF BIRTH | August 27, 1997 |