Kunio Suzuki (鈴木 國央, Suzuki Kunio, born 9 February 1976 in Yokkaichi, Mie) is a Japanese sailor, who specialized in the Laser and two-person keelboat (Star) class.[1] He earned a bronze medal in his respective category at the 2002 Asian Games in Busan, South Korea, and also represented his nation Japan in two editions of the Olympic Games (2000 and 2004).[2] Suzuki also trains full-time for the Wakayama Marina City Regatta in Wakayama.[3]
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nationality |  Japan | ||||||||||||||
| Born | 9 February 1976 Yokkaichi, Mie, Japan | ||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||||||||||||||
| Weight | 84 kg (185 lb) | ||||||||||||||
| Sailing career | |||||||||||||||
| Class | Dinghy | ||||||||||||||
| Club | Wakayama Marina City | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Suzuki made his official debut at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, where he placed twenty-seventh in the Laser class with a net grade of 202, surpassing Seychelles' Allan Julie by a single mark.[4]
When South Korea hosted the 2002 Asian Games in Busan, Suzuki sailed vigorously to pick up a bronze medal in the Laser class with a satisfying score of 26, finishing behind the host nation's Kim Ho-kon by an eighteen-point deficit.[2]
At the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Suzuki qualified for his second Japanese team in the Laser class by placing sixty-first and obtaining a berth from the World Championships in Bodrum, Turkey. Sailing through the race series with a similar effort from the previous Olympics, Suzuki dropped his position to thirty-fifth with a net score of 281 in a fleet of forty-two sailors.[5]
Shortly after his second Olympics, Suzuki set a temporary retirement from his own category, but came back to the sailing scene in 2006 to team up with Daichi Wada in the Star class.[6]
References
edit- ^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Kunio Suzuki". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 13 November 2014.
- ^ a b "Final Report: Korea Dominant". International Sailing Federation. 9 October 2002. Retrieved 13 November 2014.
- ^ セーリング スター級ヨーロッパ選手権（フィンランド・ヘルシンキ）日本ナショナルチーム 鈴木國央・和田大地組 3位を獲得スター級日本人選手として主要国際大会 初の表彰台 [Japan's Kunio Suzuki and Daichi Wada finished third at the Star Sailing Class European Championships (Helsinki, Finland), as they set their first medal podium in an international tournament] (in Japanese). Japan Sailing Federation. 8 July 2011. Retrieved 12 November 2014.
- ^ "Sydney 2000: Sailing – Men's Laser Class" (PDF). Sydney 2000. LA84 Foundation. p. 131. Retrieved 5 September 2013.
- ^ "Sailing: Mixed Laser Class". Athens 2004. BBC Sport. 15 August 2004. Retrieved 31 January 2013.
- ^ Fitzpatrick, Lynn (16 April 2008). "Who are Kunio Suzuki and Daichi Wada". International Star Class. Archived from the original on 13 November 2014. Retrieved 13 November 2014.
External links
edit- Kunio Suzuki at World Sailing
- Kunio Suzuki at Olympics.com
- Kunio Suzuki at Olympedia
- Japanese Olympic Team Profile (in Japanese)
