Riko Gunji (郡司莉子, Gunji Riko, born 31 July 2002) is a Japanese badminton player.[1] She is the gold medalist at the 2019 BWF World Junior Championships in the girls' singles.
| Riko Gunji 郡司莉子 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country | Japan | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 31 July 2002 Ebina, Kanagawa, Japan | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.60 m (5 ft 3 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Handedness | Right | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coach | Tatsuya Watanabe | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Women's singles | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career record | 142 wins, 32 losses (81.61%) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Highest ranking | 36 (7 February 2023) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Current ranking | 43 (1 October 2024) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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| BWF profile | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Career
editGunji was the finalist in the Under-15 at the 2016 Singapore Youth International Series. In the same tournament, she won the girls' doubles title with partner Akari Nakashizu.[2] She was the girls' singles Under-17 champion of 2017 Singapore Youth International Series beating Peeraya Khantaruangsakul of Thailand.[3] She won the bronze medal in 2018 BWF World Junior Championships mixed team event. In the girls' singles, she lost in the second round to China's Wang Zhiyi.
In 2019, she reached the final of Dutch Junior International where she earned second best position after losing to China's Han Qianxi. She lost another final at the India Junior International event to Thai player Benyapa Aimsaard. In 2019 World Junior Championships, she entered the tournament seeded 7th. She went on to stun several higher seeded players in the tournament. She defeated Thailand's Phittayaporn Chaiwan in semifinal, who was a top seeded player in 2 straight games. In the final she won the World Junior title, beating out China's Zhou Meng.[4]
Achievements
editWorld Junior Championships
editGirls' singles
| Year | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Kazan Gymnastics Center, Kazan, Russia |  Zhou Meng
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21–13, 12–21, 21–14 |  Gold
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BWF World Tour (1 title, 2 runners-up)
editThe BWF World Tour, which was announced on 19 March 2017 and implemented in 2018,[5] is a series of elite badminton tournaments sanctioned by the Badminton World Federation (BWF). The BWF World Tour is divided into levels of World Tour Finals, Super 1000, Super 750, Super 500, Super 300 (part of the HSBC World Tour), and the BWF Tour Super 100.[6]
Women's singles
| Year | Tournament | Level | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Indonesia Masters | Super 100 | Gao Fangjie
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10–21, 12–21 |  Runner-up
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| 2023 | Kaohsiung Masters | Super 100 |  Liang Ting-yu
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20–22, 21–15, 14–21 | Runner-up
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| 2024 (I) | Indonesia Masters | Super 100 |  Hina Akechi
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21–10, 22–20 |  Winner
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BWF International Challenge/Series (8 titles, 3 runners-up)
editWomen's singles
| Year | Tournament | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Belgian International | Hsu Wen-chi
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12–21, 21–16, 23–21 | Winner
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| 2022 | Mexican International | Natsuki Nidaira
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21–14, 19–21, 21–14 | Winner
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| 2022 | Réunion Open | Natsuki Oie
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21–5, 21–14 | Winner
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| 2022 (II) | Indonesia International | Gao Fangjie
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9–21, 11–21 | Runner-up
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| 2022 | Norwegian International | Natsuki Nidaira
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21–14, 18–21, 16–21 | Runner-up
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| 2022 | Irish Open | Natsuki Nidaira
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21–13, 21–11 | Winner
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| 2024 | Thailand International |  Mutiara Ayu Puspitasari
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21–14, 21–15 | Winner
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| 2024 | Luxembourg Open | Hina Akechi
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16–21, 14–21 | Runner-up
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| 2024 | Denmark Challenge | Hina Akechi
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20–22, 21–16, 21–11 | Winner
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| 2024 | Saipan International | Asuka Takahashi
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21–14, 14–21, 21–16 | Winner
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| 2024 | Malaysia International | Ruzana
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19–21, 21–15, 21–11 | Winner
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- BWF International Challenge tournament
- BWF International Series tournament
- BWF Future Series tournament
BWF Junior International (2 runners-up)
editGirls' singles
| Year | Tournament | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Dutch Junior International | Han Qianxi
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13–21, 21–23 | Runner-up
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| 2019 | India Junior International |  Benyapa Aimsaard
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19–21, 21–18, 21–23 | Runner-up
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- BWF Junior International Grand Prix tournament
- BWF Junior International Challenge tournament
- BWF Junior International Series tournament
- BWF Junior Future Series tournament
Record against selected opponents
editRecord against Year-end Finals finalists, World Championships semi-finalists, and Olympic quarter-finalists. Accurate as of 23 August 2024.[7]
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References
edit- ^ "郡司莉子" (in Japanese). Badminton Spirit. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
- ^ "Results – 2016 OUE Singapore Youth International Series". Badminton World Federation. 4 December 2016.
- ^ "Results – 2017 OUE Singapore Youth International Series". Badminton World Federation. 3 December 2017.
- ^ "Hat-trick For Vitidsarn – World Juniors Finals". Badminton World Federation. 13 October 2019.
- ^ Alleyne, Gayle (19 March 2017). "BWF Launches New Events Structure". Badminton World Federation. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
- ^ Sukumar, Dev (10 January 2018). "Action-Packed Season Ahead!". Badminton World Federation. Archived from the original on 13 January 2018. Retrieved 15 January 2018.
- ^ "Riko Gunji head to head". BWF-Tournament Software. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
