Naoya Tsukahara facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Naoya Tsukahara |
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| Country represented |  Japan Australia |
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| Born | June 25, 1977 Nagasaki, Japan |
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| Height | 1.60 m (5 ft 3 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 65 kg (143 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Discipline | Men's artistic gymnastics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Level | Senior | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Naoya Tsukahara (born June 25, 1977) is a famous artistic gymnast. He won a gold medal at the 2004 Olympic Games. Naoya first competed for Japan. Later, he moved to Australia and became an Australian citizen. He then competed for Australia's national gymnastics team.
Naoya is the son of Mitsuo Tsukahara. His father was also a very successful gymnast. Mitsuo won many gold medals at the Olympic Games in the 1960s and 1970s.
Contents
Naoya's Gymnastics Journey
Early Olympic Competitions
Naoya started his Olympic journey at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. The Japanese team finished 10th in the team final. Naoya also competed in the all-around final, finishing 12th.
Even though he didn't win a medal in 1996, Naoya became very successful soon after. At the 1997 World Championships, he earned two bronze medals. These were for the all-around competition and on the parallel bars.
World Championship Success
Naoya continued to improve his skills. At the 1999 World Championships, he achieved even greater success. He won two silver medals. One was for the all-around competition, and the other was again on the parallel bars.
Sydney 2000 Olympics
After his great results at the World Championships, Naoya went to his second Olympic Games. This was the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. The Japanese team almost won a bronze medal but finished just behind Russia.
Naoya made it to the finals for the horizontal bar and the all-around. He finished 18th in the all-around final. Unfortunately, a fall on the horizontal bar meant he finished last in that final.
Challenges and Team Role
After the 2000 Olympics, Naoya faced some challenges. Other talented gymnasts in Japan started to shine. These included Hiroyuki Tomita, Isao Yoneda, and Takehiro Kashima. Naoya's role in the national team changed. He became a key team player, helping the Japanese team succeed.
At the 2003 World Championships, Naoya reached the all-around and parallel bars finals. He finished 7th in the all-around. His teammate, Hiroyuki Tomita, won a bronze medal in that event. Naoya placed 4th on his best event, the parallel bars.
Athens 2004 Olympic Gold
Naoya competed in the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece. The Japanese team performed incredibly well. They won the team gold medal, which was a huge achievement!
Naoya showed strong performances. He placed 4th on the floor exercise in the preliminary rounds. However, due to tie-breaker rules, his teammates Isao Yoneda and Daisuke Nakano advanced to the final instead of him. He did not qualify for the all-around final.
Continuing His Gymnastics Career
Naoya was 27 years old when the Athens Olympics ended. This is considered an older age for gymnasts. But he kept competing! He helped the Japanese team win a bronze medal at the 2006 World Championships. However, he did not make it to the 2008 Summer Olympics.
Competing for Australia
In 2009, Naoya moved to Australia. He continued to compete and win at the Australian National Gymnastics Championships. He won in 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2013. In 2012, he placed second.
In 2012, Naoya became an Australian citizen. This allowed him to represent Australia in international competitions. He competed at the 2013 World Championships. There, he showed two new moves on the still rings. One of these moves was later named the "Tsukahara" by the FIG (International Gymnastics Federation). This is a very special honor for a gymnast! His father also had moves named after him. Naoya also competed for Australia at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, UK.
Naoya Tsukahara officially retired from gymnastics in March 2016.
See also
In Spanish: Naoya Tsukahara para niños
