Aiko Sugihara (杉原 愛子, Sugihara Aiko, born (1999-09-19)19 September 1999)[2] is a Japanese female artistic gymnast. She was the 2015 Asian team and all-around champion and uneven bars and floor exercise silver medalist. She was also the 2019 Summer Universiade champion with the team and silver medalist on the floor exercise. She represented Japan at the 2016 and 2020 Olympic Games.[3]

Aiko Sugihara
Nickname(s)Twist Princess[1]
Country represented Japan
Born (1999-09-19) 19 September 1999 (age 25)
Higashiōsaka, Osaka, Japan
Height146 cm (4 ft 9 in)[2]
DisciplineWomen's artistic gymnastics
LevelSenior international elite
Years on national team2015 - present (JPN)
ClubMukogawa Women's University
Head coach(es)Kazukuni Ono
Eponymous skillsSugihara (E) (balance beam): a double turn with free leg held at 180 degree split
Medal record
Representing  Japan
Asian Championships
Gold medal – first place 2015 Hiroshima Team
Gold medal – first place 2015 Hiroshima All-around
Silver medal – second place 2015 Hiroshima Uneven bars
Silver medal – second place 2015 Hiroshima Floor exercise
Summer Universiade
Gold medal – first place 2019 Napoli Team
Silver medal – second place 2019 Napoli Floor exercise

Junior career

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Sugihara made her international debut at the 2013 City of Jesolo Trophy and placed thirteenth in the all-around.[4] Then at the 2013 All-Japan Championships, she finished eighth in the all-around.[5] She then finished eleventh in the all-around at the 2013 NHK Trophy.[6] Then at the 2013 All-Japan Event Championships, she finished fourth on the vault and eighth on the floor exercise.[7] She then competed at the 2013 Junior Japan International where she placed eighth on the vault and sixth on the floor exercise.[8] At the 2014 All-Japan Championships, she finished sixteenth in the all-around.[9] Then at the 2014 NHK Cup, she finished twelfth in the all-around.[10]

Senior career

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2015

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Sugihara won the bronze medal in the all-around at the All-Japan Championships behind Asuka Teramoto and Yuki Uchiyama.[11] She then won the all-around at the NHK Cup and was named to compete at the World Championships.[12] At the All-Japan Event Championships, she finished eighth on the uneven bars and won the bronze medal on the balance beam and the silver medal on the floor exercise.[13] She was selected to compete at the Asian Championships in Hiroshima alongside Natsumi Sasada, Asuka Teramoto, Sakura Yumoto, Yuki Uchiyama, and Sae Miyakawa, and they won the team gold medal.[14] Individually, Sugihara won the gold medal in the all-around with a total score of 58.050.[15] In the event finals, she won the silver medal on the uneven bars behind Zhu Xiaofang and on the floor exercise behind Wang Yan.[16][17] She then competed at the World Championships alongside Asuka Teramoto, Mai Murakami, Sae Miyakawa, Sakura Yumoto, and Natsumi Sasada, and they finished fifth in the team final.[18]

2016

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Sugihara won the bronze medal in the all-around at the All-Japan Championships.[19] She also won the bronze medal in the all-around at the NHK Cup behind Asuka Teramoto and Mai Murakami, and she was named to the seven-person Olympic training squad from whom the final team of five would be selected.[20] Then at the All-Japan Event Championships, she won the silver medals on the uneven bars and the balance beam.[21] She was selected to represent Japan at the 2016 Summer Olympics alongside Sae Miyakawa, Mai Murakami, Asuka Teramoto, and Yuki Uchiyama, and they finished fourth in the team final.[22] After the Olympics, she competed at the Toyota International and won the silver medals on the uneven bars and on the floor exercise, and she finished fourth on the balance beam.[23]

2017

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At the All-Japan Championships, Sugihara won the silver medal in the all-around behind Mai Murakami.[24] She then won another all-around silver medal at the NHK Trophy.[25] Then at the All-Japan Event Championships, she finished fourth on the uneven bars and fifth on the floor exercise.[26] She then competed at the World Championships in Montreal where she finished sixth in the all-around final.[27] Then at the Toyota International, she finished ninth on the balance beam and won the silver medal on the floor exercise behind Mai Murakami.[28]

2018

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Sugihara finished sixth in the all-around at the Tokyo World Cup.[29] She then finished fourth in the all-around at the All-Japan Championships and at the NHK Cup.[30][31] She withdrew from the World Championships due to a back injury.[1] She returned to competition at the Toyota International and won the silver medal on the floor exercise behind Asuka Teramoto.[32]

2019

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Sugihara finished fourth in the all-around at the Tokyo World Cup.[33] She then competed at the All-Japan Championships and finished fifth in the all-around.[34] She then finished fourth at the NHK Cup and was selected to compete at the World Championships.[35] Then at the All-Japan Event Championships, she placed sixth on the balance beam and won the silver medal on the floor exercise behind Asuka Teramoto.[36] At the Summer Universiade, she won the team gold medal alongside Teramoto and Hitomi Hatakeda.[37] She finished fourth in the all-around final with a total score of 52.450, and she also finished fourth in the balance beam final.[38][39] In the floor exercise final, she scored 13.000 and won the silver medal behind Italian gymnast Carlotta Ferlito.[40] She then competed at the World Championships alongside Hitomi Hatakeda, Nagi Kajita, Akari Matsumura, and Asuka Teramoto, and they finished eleventh in the qualification round which earned Japan a team spot for the 2020 Olympic Games.[41][42] After the World Championships, she competed at the Toyota International where she finished sixth on the balance beam.[43]

2020-2021

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The 2020 All-Japan Championships were postponed until December due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan, and Sugihara finished eighth in the all-around.[44] Then at the 2021 All-Japan Championships, she finished fourth in the all-around.[45] At the 2021 NHK Trophy, she once again finished fourth in the all-around and was named to Japan's 2020 Olympic team alongside Hitomi Hatakeda, Mai Murakami, and Yuna Hiraiwa.[46] Then at the All-Japan Event Championships, she won the silver medal on the balance beam behind Murakami, and she won the gold medal on the floor exercise.[47] Then at the postponed 2020 Olympic Games, she helped Japan finish fifth in the team final, contributing scores on vault, uneven bars, and floor exercise.[48]

Eponymous skill

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Sugihara has one eponymous skill listed in the Code of Points.[49]

Apparatus Name Description Difficulty[a] Added to the Code of Points
Balance beam Sugihara 2/1 (720°) turn with free leg held upward in 180° split position throughout the turn E 2017 World Championships
  1. ^ Valid for the 2022-2024 Code of Points

Competitive history

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Year Event Team AA VT UB BB FX
2013 City of Jesolo Trophy 13
All-Japan Championships 8
NHK Trophy 11
All-Japan Event Championships 4 8
Junior Japan International 8 6
2014 All-Japan Championships 16
NHK Cup 12
2015 All-Japan Championships  
NHK Cup  
All-Japan Event Championships 8    
Asian Championships        
World Championships 5
2016 All-Japan Championships  
NHK Cup  
All-Japan Event Championships    
Olympic Games 4
Toyota International   4  
2017 All-Japan Championships  
NHK Cup  
All-Japan Event Championships 4 5
World Championships 6
Toyota International 9  
2018 Tokyo World Cup 6
All-Japan Championships 4
NHK Cup 4
Toyota International  
2019 Tokyo World Cup 4
All-Japan Championships 5
NHK Cup 4
All-Japan Event Championships 6  
Summer Universiade   4 4  
World Championships 11
Toyota International 6
2020 All-Japan Championships 8
2021 All-Japan Championships 4
NHK Cup 4
All-Japan Event Championships    
Olympic Games 5

References

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  1. ^ a b "Sugihara Aiko". International Gymnastics Federation. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Aiko Sugihara". Olympedia. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
  3. ^ "Aiko Sugihara". Olympics.com. International Olympic Committee. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
  4. ^ "6° Trofeo Città di Jesolo Classifica individuale" (PDF). Gymnastics Results (in Italian). Italian Gymnastics Federation. 23 March 2013. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
  5. ^ "第67回全日本体操個人総合選手権 女子個人総合" (PDF). Gymnastics Results (in Japanese). Japan Gymnastics Association. 12 May 2013. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
  6. ^ Hopkins, Lauren (9 June 2013). "2013 NHK Trophy Results". The Gymternet. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
  7. ^ Hopkins, Lauren (30 June 2013). "2013 All-Japan Event Championships Results". The Gymternet. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
  8. ^ "2013 International Junior Gymnastics Competition" (PDF). Gymnastics Results. 23 September 2013. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
  9. ^ Hopkins, Lauren (9 May 2014). "2014 All-Japan Championships Results". The Gymternet. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
  10. ^ Hopkins, Lauren (8 June 2014). "2014 NHK Trophy Results". The Gymternet. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
  11. ^ Hopkins, Lauren (7 May 2015). "2015 Japanese Championships Results". The Gymternet. Retrieved 29 October 2021.
  12. ^ "Uchimura, Sugihara claim titles at NHK Cup". The Japan Times. 17 May 2015. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
  13. ^ Hopkins, Lauren (29 June 2015). "2015 Japanese Event Championships Results". The Gymternet. Retrieved 29 October 2021.
  14. ^ "6th Senior Artistic Gymnastics Asian Championships Women's Final Team All-Around Result" (PDF). Gymnastics Results. Japan Gymnastics Association. 31 July 2015. Retrieved 29 October 2021.
  15. ^ "6th Senior Artistic Gymnastics Asian Championships Women's Final Individual All-Around Result" (PDF). Gymnastics Results. Japan Gymnastics Association. 31 July 2015. Retrieved 29 October 2021.
  16. ^ "6th Senior Artistic Gymnastics Asian Championships Women's Finals Apparatus Result Uneven Bars" (PDF). Gymnastics Results. Japan Gymnastics Association. 2 August 2015. Retrieved 29 October 2021.
  17. ^ "6th Senior Artistic Gymnastics Asian Championships Women's Finals Apparatus Result Floor" (PDF). Gymnastics Results. Japan Gymnastics Association. 2 August 2015. Retrieved 29 October 2021.
  18. ^ "46th Artistic Gymnastics World Championships, Glasgow (GBR) Women's Team Final" (PDF). Gymnastics Results. International Gymnastics Federation. 27 October 2015. Retrieved 29 October 2021.
  19. ^ Hopkins, Lauren (1 April 2016). "2016 All-Japan Championships Results". The Gymternet. Retrieved 29 October 2021.
  20. ^ "Teramoto takes step toward Rio with NHK Cup triumph". The Japan Times. 4 May 2016. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
  21. ^ Hopkins, Lauren (7 June 2016). "2016 All-Japan Event Championships Results". The Gymternet. Retrieved 29 October 2021.
  22. ^ "Artistic Gymnastics Women's Team Final" (PDF). Gymnastics Results. Rio 2016. 9 August 2016. Retrieved 29 October 2021.
  23. ^ Hopkins, Lauren (10 December 2016). "2016 Toyota International Results". The Gymternet. Retrieved 29 October 2021.
  24. ^ Hopkins, Lauren (7 April 2017). "2017 All-Japan Championships Results". The Gymternet. Retrieved 29 October 2021.
  25. ^ Hopkins, Lauren (20 August 2017). "2017 NHK Trophy Results". The Gymternet. Retrieved 29 October 2021.
  26. ^ Hopkins, Lauren (25 June 2017). "2017 All-Japan Event Championships Results". The Gymternet. Retrieved 29 October 2021.
  27. ^ "47th Artistic Gymnastics World Championships 2017 Montréal (CAN) Women's Individual All-Around Final" (PDF). Gymnastics Results. International Gymnastics Federation. 6 October 2017. Retrieved 29 October 2021.
  28. ^ Hopkins, Lauren (10 December 2017). "2017 Toyota International Results". The Gymternet. Retrieved 29 October 2021.
  29. ^ Hopkins, Lauren (16 April 2018). "2018 Tokyo World Cup Results". The Gymternet. Retrieved 29 October 2021.
  30. ^ Hopkins, Lauren (1 May 2018). "2018 All-Japan Championships Results". The Gymternet. Retrieved 29 October 2021.
  31. ^ Hopkins, Lauren (21 May 2018). "2018 NHK Trophy Results". The Gymternet. Retrieved 29 October 2021.
  32. ^ Hopkins, Lauren (8 December 2018). "2018 Toyota International Results". The Gymternet. Retrieved 29 October 2021.
  33. ^ Hopkins, Lauren (9 April 2019). "2019 Tokyo World Cup Results". The Gymternet. Retrieved 30 October 2021.
  34. ^ Hopkins, Lauren (28 April 2019). "2019 All-Japan Championships Results". The Gymternet. Retrieved 30 October 2021.
  35. ^ "Asuka Teramoto wins NHK Cup women's title for third time". The Japan Times. 18 May 2019. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
  36. ^ Hopkins, Lauren (26 June 2019). "2019 All-Japan Event Championships Results". The Gymternet. Retrieved 30 October 2021.
  37. ^ "30th Summer Universiade 2019 Artistic Gymnastics Teams Qualification Women Team Results" (PDF). 30th Summer Universiade 2019 Main Results. 6 July 2019. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
  38. ^ "30th Summer Universiade 2019 Artistic Gymnastics All-Around Final SENIORS Women" (PDF). 30th Summer Universiade 2019 Main Results. 6 July 2019. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
  39. ^ "30th Summer Universiade 2019 Artistic Gymnastics Apparatus Final SENIORS Women" (PDF). 30th Summer Universiade 2019 Main Results. 7 July 2019. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
  40. ^ "30th Summer Universiade 2019 Artistic Gymnastics Apparatus Final SENIORS Women" (PDF). 30th Summer Universiade 2019 Main Results. 7 July 2019. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
  41. ^ "49th FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Championships Stuttgart (GER), 4 October - 13 October 2019 Women's Team Qualification" (PDF). Gymnastics Results. International Gymnastics Federation. 4 October 2019. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
  42. ^ "List of the Artistic Gymnastics 2020 Olympic Qualifiers" (PDF). Gymnastics Results. International Gymnastics Federation. 5 October 2019. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
  43. ^ Hopkins, Lauren (16 December 2019). "2019 Toyota International Results". The Gymternet. Retrieved 30 October 2021.
  44. ^ Hopkins, Lauren (12 December 2020). "2020 All-Japan Championships Results". The Gymternet. Retrieved 30 October 2021.
  45. ^ Hopkins, Lauren (17 April 2021). "2021 All-Japan Championships Results". The Gymternet. Retrieved 30 October 2021.
  46. ^ "MURAKAMI Mai lifts NHK Trophy to punch ticket to second Games". Olympics.com. International Olympic Committee. 15 May 2021. Retrieved 30 October 2021.
  47. ^ Hopkins, Lauren (8 June 2021). "2021 All-Japan Event Championships Results". The Gymternet. Retrieved 30 October 2021.
  48. ^ "Artistic Gymnastics: Women's Team Final – Results" (PDF). International Olympic Committee. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 July 2021. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
  49. ^ "2022-2024 Code of Points Women's Artistic Gymnastics" (PDF). International Gymnastics Federation. pp. 129, 209. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 May 2021. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
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