Ayaka Takahashi facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ayaka Takahashi
Takahashi at the 2013 French Super Series
Personal information
Born	(1990-04-19) 19 April 1990 (age 35) Kashihara, Nara, Japan
Height	1.64 m
Country	Japan
Handedness	Right
Women's doubles
Highest Ranking	1 (with Misaki Matsutomo, 20 October 2014)
Medal record Women's badminton Representing  Japan Olympic Games Gold 2016 Rio de Janeiro Women's doubles World Championships Bronze 2017 Glasgow Women's doubles Sudirman Cup Silver 2015 Donggguan Mixed team Silver 2019 Nanning Mixed team Bronze 2017 Gold Coast Mixed team Uber Cup Gold 2018 Bangkok Women's team Silver 2014 New Delhi Women's team Bronze 2012 Wuhan Women's team Bronze 2016 Kunshan Women's team Asian Games Gold 2018 Jakarta–Palembang Women's team Silver 2014 Incheon Women's doubles Silver 2018 Jakarta–Palembang Women's doubles Bronze 2014 Incheon Women's team Asian Championships Gold 2016 Wuhan Women's doubles Gold 2017 Wuhan Women's doubles Silver 2018 Wuhan Women's doubles Bronze 2015 Wuhan Women's doubles Asia Mixed Team Championships Gold 2017 Ho Chi Minh Mixed team Asia Team Championships Gold 2018 Alor Setar Women's team Silver 2016 Hyderabad Women's team

Ayaka Takahashi (高橋 礼華, Takahashi Ayaka, born 19 April 1990) is a retired Japanese badminton player. She was part of the Unisys badminton team. Ayaka is famous for winning a gold medal at the Olympic Games. She also won the Asian Championships twice. She earned two silver medals at the Asian Games. Plus, she won a bronze medal at the World Championships.

Ayaka played for the Unisys team with her partner Misaki Matsutomo. Together, they won five National Championships in women's doubles. In October 2014, Takahashi and Matsutomo became the world's number one ranked players. They won many big international tournaments. These include the year-end finals in 2014 and 2018. They also won the famous All England Open in 2016. Their biggest win was the Olympic Games in 2016. They also won the Asian Championships in 2016 and 2017. In 2016, the Badminton World Federation named them the Female Players of the Year.

Takahashi was also a key player for the Japanese team. She helped them win the 2017 Asia Mixed Team Championships. She was also on the winning women's team for the 2018 Asia Team Championships. They also won at the 2018 Asian Games. And they took home the 2018 Uber Cup title.

Ayaka Takahashi's Badminton Journey

In 2016, Ayaka Takahashi and Misaki Matsutomo made history. They won the gold medal in women's doubles at the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. This was Japan's first-ever Olympic badminton gold medal! Because of their amazing year, they also received the Female Player of the Year award. Ayaka and Misaki had been playing together for over ten years. They started as schoolmates. Their Olympic win was special. They were the first pair from outside China to win the women's Olympic doubles title since 1996. Japan had won a silver medal in 2012 with Mizuki Fujii and Reika Kakiiwa.

Ayaka announced her retirement on August 19, 2020. She officially left the national and Unisys teams at the end of August.

Ayaka's Family Life

Ayaka Takahashi has a younger sister named Sayaka Takahashi. Sayaka is also a badminton player, but she plays singles. In 2020, Ayaka shared happy news. She married Yuki Kaneko. Yuki was also a teammate on both the Japanese national and Unisys teams. Interestingly, Yuki Kaneko is also Misaki Matsutomo's mixed doubles partner!

Awards and Special Mentions

Ayaka Takahashi and Misaki Matsutomo received a big award for their achievements.

Major Achievements in Badminton

Olympic Games

Women's doubles

Year	Venue	Partner	Opponent	Score	Result
2016	Riocentro - Pavilion 4, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil	Misaki Matsutomo	Christinna Pedersen Kamilla Rytter Juhl	18–21, 21–9, 21–19	Gold

BWF World Championships

Women's doubles

Year	Venue	Partner	Opponent	Score	Result
2017	Emirates Arena, Glasgow, Scotland	Misaki Matsutomo	Chen Qingchen Jia Yifan	17–21, 15–21	Bronze

Asian Games

Women's doubles

Year	Venue	Partner	Opponent	Score	Result
2014	Gyeyang Gymnasium, Incheon, South Korea	Misaki Matsutomo	Nitya Krishinda Maheswari Greysia Polii	15–21, 9–21	Silver
2018	Istora Gelora Bung Karno, Jakarta, Indonesia	Misaki Matsutomo	Chen Qingchen Jia Yifan	20–22, 20–22	Silver

Asian Championships

Women's doubles

Year	Venue	Partner	Opponent	Score	Result
2015	Wuhan Sports Center Gymnasium, Wuhan, China	Misaki Matsutomo	Wang Xiaoli Yu Yang	18–21, 21–18, 15–21	Bronze
2016	Wuhan Sports Center Gymnasium, Wuhan, China	Misaki Matsutomo	Naoko Fukuman Kurumi Yonao	21–13, 21–15	Gold
2017	Wuhan Sports Center Gymnasium, Wuhan, China	Misaki Matsutomo	Kim Hye-rin Yoo Hae-won	21–19, 16–21, 21–10	Gold
2018	Wuhan Sports Center Gymnasium, Wuhan, China	Misaki Matsutomo	Yuki Fukushima Sayaka Hirota	18–21, 21–18, 15–21	Silver

BWF World Tour Wins

The BWF World Tour started in 2018. It includes many top badminton tournaments around the world. Ayaka and Misaki won 6 titles and were runners-up 6 times in this series.

Women's doubles

Year	Tournament	Level	Partner	Opponent	Score	Result
2018	Indonesia Masters	Super 500	Misaki Matsutomo	Greysia Polii Apriyani Rahayu	21–17, 21–12	Winner
2018	Malaysia Open	Super 750	Misaki Matsutomo	Chen Qingchen Jia Yifan	21–12, 21–12	Winner
2018	Thailand Open	Super 500	Misaki Matsutomo	Greysia Polii Apriyani Rahayu	13–21, 10–21	Runner-up
2018	China Open	Super 1000	Misaki Matsutomo	Mayu Matsumoto Wakana Nagahara	21–16, 21–12	Winner
2018	Korea Open	Super 500	Misaki Matsutomo	Yuki Fukushima Sayaka Hirota	21–11, 21–18	Winner
2018	BWF World Tour Finals	World Tour Finals	Misaki Matsutomo	Lee So-hee Shin Seung-chan	21–12, 22–20	Winner
2019	Indonesia Masters	Super 500	Misaki Matsutomo	Kim So-yeong Kong Hee-yong	21–19, 21–15	Winner
2019	German Open	Super 300	Misaki Matsutomo	Du Yue Li Yinhui	20–22, 15–21	Runner-up
2019	New Zealand Open	Super 300	Misaki Matsutomo	Kim So-yeong Kong Hee-yong	15–21, 18–21	Runner-up
2019	Indonesia Open	Super 1000	Misaki Matsutomo	Yuki Fukushima Sayaka Hirota	16–21, 18–21	Runner-up
2019	China Open	Super 1000	Misaki Matsutomo	Chen Qingchen Jia Yifan	14–21, 18–21	Runner-up
2019	Korea Masters	Super 300	Misaki Matsutomo	Nami Matsuyama Chiharu Shida	21–15, 17–21, 18–21	Runner-up

BWF Superseries Victories

The BWF Superseries was a series of top badminton tournaments from 2007 to 2017. Ayaka and Misaki won 9 titles and were runners-up 13 times in this series.

Women's doubles

Year	Tournament	Partner	Opponent	Score	Result
2012	Denmark Open	Misaki Matsutomo	Ma Jin Tang Jinhua	8–21, 12–21	Runner-up
2013	Malaysia Open	Misaki Matsutomo	Bao Yixin Tian Qing	16–21, 14–21	Runner-up
2013	Singapore Open	Misaki Matsutomo	Tian Qing Zhao Yunlei	19–21, 16–21	Runner-up
2014	Malaysia Open	Misaki Matsutomo	Bao Yixin Tang Jinhua	19–21, 21–14, 13–21	Runner-up
2014	Japan Open	Misaki Matsutomo	Reika Kakiiwa Miyuki Maeda	21–13, 21–17	Winner
2014	Australian Open	Misaki Matsutomo	Tian Qing Zhao Yunlei	15–21, 9–21	Runner-up
2014	Denmark Open	Misaki Matsutomo	Wang Xiaoli Yu Yang	14–21, 14–21	Runner-up
2014	Hong Kong Open	Misaki Matsutomo	Tian Qing Zhao Yunlei	13–21, 13–21	Runner-up
2014	Dubai World Superseries Finals	Misaki Matsutomo	Tian Qing Zhao Yunlei	21–17, 21–14	Winner
2015	India Open	Misaki Matsutomo	Luo Ying Luo Yu	21–19, 21–19	Winner
2015	Singapore Open	Misaki Matsutomo	Ou Dongni Yu Xiaohan	17–21, 16–21	Runner-up
2015	China Open	Misaki Matsutomo	Tang Yuanting Yu Yang	21–18, 13–21, 12–21	Runner-up
2016	All England Open	Misaki Matsutomo	Tang Yuanting Yu Yang	21–10, 21–12	Winner
2016	India Open	Misaki Matsutomo	Naoko Fukuman Kurumi Yonao	21–18, 21–18	Winner
2016	Singapore Open	Misaki Matsutomo	Nitya Krishinda Maheswari Greysia Polii	Walkover	Runner-up
2016	Indonesia Open	Misaki Matsutomo	Tang Yuanting Yu Yang	21–15, 8–21, 21–15	Winner
2016	Japan Open	Misaki Matsutomo	Christinna Pedersen Kamilla Rytter Juhl	21–19, 18–21, 12–21	Runner-up
2016	Denmark Open	Misaki Matsutomo	Jung Kyung-eun Shin Seung-chan	19–21, 21–11, 21–16	Winner
2016	Dubai World Superseries Finals	Misaki Matsutomo	Chen Qingchen Jia Yifan	15–21, 21–13, 17–21	Runner-up
2017	Singapore Open	Misaki Matsutomo	Christinna Pedersen Kamilla Rytter Juhl	18–21, 21–14, 15–21	Runner-up
2017	Australian Open	Misaki Matsutomo	Christinna Pedersen Kamilla Rytter Juhl	21–10, 21–13	Winner
2017	Japan Open	Misaki Matsutomo	Kim Ha-na Kong Hee-yong	21–18, 21–16	Winner

     BWF Superseries Finals tournament

     BWF Superseries Premier tournament

     BWF Superseries tournament

BWF Grand Prix Success

The BWF Grand Prix tournaments were held from 2007 to 2017. Ayaka won 7 titles and was a runner-up once in this series.

Women's doubles

Year	Tournament	Partner	Opponent	Score	Result
2009	India Grand Prix	Misaki Matsutomo	Nadya Melati Devi Tika Permatasari	21–14, 15–21, 21–15	Winner
2011	Russian Open	Misaki Matsutomo	Valeri Sorokina Nina Vislova	20–22, 18–21	Runner-up
2012	U.S. Open	Misaki Matsutomo	Valeri Sorokina Nina Vislova	21–19, 21–17	Winner
2012	Canada Open	Misaki Matsutomo	Yuriko Miki Koharu Yonemoto	21–15, 15–21, 21–12	Winner
2012	Indonesia Grand Prix Gold	Misaki Matsutomo	Eom Hye-won Jang Ye-na	21–12, 12–21, 21–13	Winner
2014	German Open	Misaki Matsutomo	Jung Kyung-eun Kim Ha-na	23–21, 24–22	Winner
2016	Malaysia Masters	Misaki Matsutomo	Tang Yuanting Yu Yang	21–18, 22–20	Winner

Mixed doubles

Year	Tournament	Partner	Opponent	Score	Result
2012	Canada Open	Ryota Taohata	Takeshi Kamura Koharu Yonemoto	21–14, 21–16	Winner

     BWF Grand Prix Gold tournament

     BWF Grand Prix tournament

BWF International Challenge/Series Wins

Ayaka won 5 titles and was a runner-up twice in these international tournaments.

Women's singles

Year	Tournament	Opponent	Score	Result
2008	Waikato International	Sayaka Sato	21–11, 17–21, 28–26	Winner

Women's doubles

Year	Tournament	Partner	Opponent	Score	Result
2008	Smiling Fish International	Koharu Yonemoto	Megumi Taruno Oku Yukina	15–21, 20–22	Runner-up
2008	Waikato International	Koharu Yonemoto	Renee Flavell Rachel Hindley	21–18, 21–19	Winner
2008	North Shore City International	Koharu Yonemoto	Renee Flavell Rachel Hindley	21–9, 21–15	Winner
2009	Osaka International	Misaki Matsutomo	Kaori Mori Aya Wakisaka	21–16, 16–21, 24–22	Winner
2009	Belgian International	Misaki Matsutomo	Emma Mason Samantha Ward	21–8, 18–21, 21–13	Winner
2010	Osaka International	Misaki Matsutomo	Mizuki Fujii Reika Kakiiwa	19–21, 16–21	Runner-up

     BWF International Challenge tournament

     BWF International Series tournament

Team and Individual Performance Highlights

National Team Events

• Senior level

Team events	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020
Asia Team Championships	N/A				Silver	N/A	Gold	N/A	A
Asia Mixed Team Championships	N/A					Gold	N/A	A	N/A
Asian Games	N/A		Bronze	N/A			Gold	N/A
Uber Cup	Bronze	N/A	Silver	N/A	Bronze	N/A	Gold	N/A
Sudirman Cup	N/A	QF	N/A	Silver	N/A	Bronze	N/A	Silver	N/A

Individual Competitions

• Senior level

Events	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019
Asian Championships	R1	A	R1	A	Bronze	Gold	Gold	Silver	R1
Asian Games	N/A			Silver	N/A			Silver	N/A
World Championships	R3	N/A	R2	R3	R3	N/A	Bronze	R3	QF
Olympic Games	N/A	A	N/A			Gold	N/A

See Also

In Spanish: Ayaka Takahashi para niños