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Kaya Kazuma

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Kazuma Kaya
萱 和磨
Nickname(s)Kayakun
Born (1996-11-19) 19 November 1996 (age 28)
Funabashi, Chiba, Japan[1]
Height1.63 m (5 ft 4 in)[2]
Gymnastics career
DisciplineMen's artistic gymnastics
Country represented Japan
Years on national team2015 – present (JPN)
LevelSenior Elite
ClubCentral Sports
Head coach(es)Yoshiri Saito, Hisashi Hizutori
Medal record
Men's artistic gymnastics
Representing  Japan
Olympic Games
Silver medal – second place 2020 Tokyo Team
Bronze medal – third place 2020 Tokyo Pommel horse
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2015 Glasgow Team
Gold medal – first place 2023 Antwerp Team
Silver medal – second place 2021 Kitakyushu Pommel horse
Silver medal – second place 2022 Liverpool Team
Bronze medal – third place 2015 Glasgow Pommel horse
Bronze medal – third place 2018 Doha Team
Bronze medal – third place 2019 Stuttgart Team
Bronze medal – third place 2019 Stuttgart Parallel bars
Asian Championships
Gold medal – first place 2015 Hiroshima Team
Gold medal – first place 2015 Hiroshima Pommel horse
Bronze medal – third place 2015 Hiroshima Parallel bars
World University Games
Gold medal – first place 2019 Naples Team
Gold medal – first place 2019 Naples All-around
Gold medal – first place 2021 Chengdu Floor exercise
Silver medal – second place 2019 Naples Floor exercise
Silver medal – second place 2021 Chengdu Team
Bronze medal – third place 2019 Naples Pommel horse
Bronze medal – third place 2021 Chengdu All-around
Bronze medal – third place 2021 Chengdu Parallel bars

Kazuma Kaya (萱 和磨, Kaya Kazuma, born 19 November 1996) is a Japanese artistic gymnast. He competed at the 2020 Summer Olympics, winning silver with the Japanese team and bronze in the pommel horse. He is a two-time World champion with the Japanese team (2015, 2023) and a two-time World medalist on the pommel horse (2021 silver, 2015 bronze). He is the 2019 Universiade team and all-around champion.

Early life

Kaya began gymnastics in 2004 at the age of eight. He was inspired by watching the Japanese artistic gymnastics team win gold in the team event at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece.[3][4]

While in middle school, Kaya moved to Narashino to train with one of the top gymnastics schools.[5]

Career

Kaya won the all-around title at the 2014 National High School Championships, and he finished 27th at the 2014 All-Japan Championships.[5]

2015

Kaya joined the Juntendo University team and made his national team debut in 2015.[1] At the Asian Championships in Hiroshima, Kaya won a gold medal with the Japanese team. He also placed third in the all-around, but due to the two-per-country rule, he did not receive the bronze medal as he placed behind Ryōhei Katō and Yusuke Tanaka. He then won the gold medal in the pommel horse final and the bronze medal in the parallel bars final.[6] He then competed at the World Championships and helped the Japanese team qualify for the final in first place and earn a team berth for the 2016 Olympic Games.[7] Then in the team final, he competed on the pommel horse and helped the team win the gold medal.[8] Individually, Kaya qualified for the all-around final where he finished in 10th place.[9] Then in the pommel horse final, he tied with Armenia's Harutyun Merdinyan for the bronze medal.[10]

2016–17

Kaya won a silver medal on the still rings and a bronze medal on the parallel bars at the 2016 Baku World Cup.[11] He was an alternate for Japan's 2016 Olympic team.[12]

Kaya won a silver medal in the all-around behind Ukraine's Oleg Verniaiev at the 2017 Stuttgart World Cup.[13] Then at the Szombathely World Challenge Cup, he won gold medals on the pommel horse and parallel bars.[14]

2020

In December, Kaya won his first national all-around title at the All-Japan Championships.[15]

2021

Kaya won the silver medal in the all-around at the NHK Trophy, qualifying for the Olympic team.[16]

At the postponed 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan, Kaya was the team captain for Japan,[3] competing alongside Daiki Hashimoto, Takeru Kitazono and Wataru Tanigawa. They won the silver medal in the team final, finishing only 0.103 behind the gold medal-winning Russian Olympic Committee.[4] Individually, Kaya qualified for the pommel horse final and won the bronze medal behind Max Whitlock and Lee Chih-kai.[17]

At the 2021 World Championships held in Kitakyushu, Kaya won the silver on the pommel horse,[18] and he placed sixth on both the floor exercise and parallel bars.

2023

Kaya competed at the World University Games and won a silver medal with the Japanese team. Individually, he won a gold medal on the floor exercise and bronze medals in the all-around and on the parallel bars.[19]

2024

Kaya finished second in the all-around at the NHK Trophy and was selected to represent Japan at the 2024 Summer Olympics alongside Daiki Hashimoto, Shinnosuke Oka, Takaaki Sugino, and Wataru Tanigawa.[20] Kaya was once again selected as the team captain.[21]

Awards

Kaya was presented with the Narashino Mayor Award in 2014. He also won the Inzai Citizen Honorary Award in 2015 and 2021, and in 2021, he received the Chiba Citizen Honorary Award.[22]

Personal life

As of 2023, Kaya is studying for a doctoral degree in sports science from Juntendo University.[19] On 11 January 2022, Kaya registered for marriage with his longtime girlfriend.[23]

Competitive history

Year Event Team AA FX PH SR VT PB HB
2014 National High School Championships 1st place, gold medalist(s)
All-Japan Championships 27
2015
Asian Championships 1st place, gold medalist(s) 1st place, gold medalist(s) 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)
World Championships 1st place, gold medalist(s) 10 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)
2016 Baku World Cup 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)
2017 Stuttgart World Cup 2nd place, silver medalist(s)
Szombathely World Challenge Cup 1st place, gold medalist(s) 1st place, gold medalist(s)
2018
World Championships 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 6
2019
World Championships 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 6 5 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)
2021 NHK Trophy 2nd place, silver medalist(s)
Olympic Games 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)
World Championships — 6 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 6
2023 World University Games 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 1st place, gold medalist(s) 4 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)

References

  1. ^ a b "萱 和磨" [Kazuma Kaya]. Sports Biz Sport Management Company (in Japanese). Retrieved 24 June 2024.
  2. ^ "Artistic Gymnastics - Kaya Kazuma". Tokyo 2020. Archived from the original on 15 October 2021. Retrieved 27 July 2021.
  3. ^ a b "Kaya Kazuma: Winner of Two Medals at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games". Japan Sports Journey. 18 October 2023. Retrieved 25 June 2024.
  4. ^ a b Crumlish, John (8 September 2021). "Kaya Kazuma: 'I came this far because of love for gymnastics'". International Gymnast Magazine. Retrieved 25 June 2024.
  5. ^ a b "萱和磨（千葉・習志野3年）体操個人総合の新星　全国高校選抜初優勝" [Kazuma Kaya (3rd year, Narashino, Chiba) A rising star in the gymnastics individual all-around, first-time winner of the National High School Championships]. Koukousei Shinbun (in Japanese). 10 June 2014. Retrieved 25 June 2024.
  6. ^ "Japanese, Chinese win big at Asian Championships in Hiroshima". International Gymnastics Federation. 3 August 2015. Retrieved 25 June 2024.
  7. ^ "Japan, Kohei Uchimura lead as first Men's teams qualify for Rio at Glasgow Worlds". International Gymnastics Federation. 26 October 2015. Retrieved 25 June 2024.
  8. ^ "46th Artistic Gymnastics World Championships, Glasgow (GBR) Men's Team Final" (PDF). USA Gymnastics. International Gymnastics Federation. 28 October 2015. Retrieved 25 June 2024.
  9. ^ "46th Artistic Gymnastics World Championships, Glasgow (GBR) Men's All-Around Final" (PDF). USA Gymnastics. International Gymnastics Federation. 30 October 2015. Retrieved 25 June 2024.
  10. ^ "46th Artistic Gymnastics World Championships, Glasgow (GBR) Men's Apparatus Final" (PDF). USA Gymnastics. International Gymnastics Federation. 31 October 2015. p. 2. Retrieved 25 June 2024.
  11. ^ "Japan, Brazil best at Baku World Challenge Cup". International Gymnastics Federation. 22 February 2016. Retrieved 25 June 2024.
  12. ^ "萱、待望の五輪へ　体操ＮＨＫ杯" [Kaya heads to long-awaited Olympics at NHK Cup Gymnastics]. Jiji (in Japanese). 16 May 2021. Retrieved 25 June 2024.
  13. ^ "Tabea Alt, Oleg Verniaiev star at Stuttgart's DTB-Pokal World Cup weekend". International Gymnastics Federation. 23 March 2017. Retrieved 25 June 2024.
  14. ^ "Diversity in Szombathely as newcomers, veterans take gold". International Gymnastics Federation. 11 September 2017. Retrieved 25 June 2024.
  15. ^ Yamaguchi, Shiro (14 December 2020). "体操新王者・萱和磨が「ミスをしない男」になるまで" [How the new gymnastics champion, Kazuma Kaya, became "the man who never makes mistakes"]. Asahi (in Japanese). Retrieved 25 June 2024.
  16. ^ "体操・ＮＨＫ杯で優勝の橋本大輝、初の五輪団体代表内定…２位の萱和磨も" [Gymnastics - Daiki Hashimoto, winner of the NHK Cup, has been selected for his first Olympic team representative... Kazuma Kaya, who came in second, has also been selected]. Yomiuri (in Japanese). 16 May 2021. Retrieved 25 June 2024.
  17. ^ "Artistic Gymnastics Men's Pommel Horse Final Results" (PDF). International Olympic Committee. 1 August 2021. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 August 2021. Retrieved 25 June 2024.
  18. ^ "Japan's Kazuma Kaya, Kazuki Minami seize silver at gymnastic worlds". Kyodo News. 23 October 2021. Retrieved 25 June 2024.
  19. ^ a b "萱和磨選手と宮田笙子選手が金メダル獲得　ユニバーシティゲームズ" [Kazuma Kaya and Shoko Miyata win gold medals at the University Games]. Juntendo University (in Japanese). 8 August 2023. Retrieved 25 June 2024.
  20. ^ Kim, Chang-ran (21 May 2024). "Team Japan in Paris will be strongest, says gymnastics medalist Kaya". The Japan Times. Retrieved 25 June 2024.
  21. ^ "体操男子エース橋本、順調に回復 パリへ強化合宿、主将は萱" [Men's gymnastics ace Hashimoto recovers well, heads to Paris for training camp; captain is Kaya]. Japanese Olympic Committee (in Japanese). 21 June 2024. Retrieved 25 June 2024.
  22. ^ "Kaya Kazuma - FIG Athlete Profile". International Gymnastics Federation. Retrieved 25 June 2024.
  23. ^ "東京五輪・体操団体銀の萱和磨が結婚報告「幸せな家庭を築いていきたい」" [Tokyo Olympics gymnastics team silver medalist Kazuma Kaya announces marriage: "I want to build a happy family"]. Oricon News (in Japanese). 11 January 2022. Retrieved 25 June 2024.
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