Ryo Kiyuna

Ryo Kiyuna in 2018
Personal information
Born	(1990-07-12) 12 July 1990 (age 33) Okinawa, Japan[1]
Sport
Country	Japan
Sport	Karate
Events	Individual kata Team kata
Medal record Men's karate Representing  Japan Summer Olympics 2020 Tokyo Individual kata World Championships 2014 Bremen Individual kata 2016 Linz Individual kata 2018 Madrid Individual kata 2021 Dubai Individual kata 2016 Linz Team kata 2018 Madrid Team kata 2012 Paris Individual kata Asian Championships 2015 Yokohama Individual kata 2017 Astana Individual kata 2018 Amman Individual kata 2019 Tashkent Individual kata 2021 Almaty Individual kata 2015 Yokohama Team kata 2017 Astana Team kata 2018 Amman Team kata 2019 Tashkent Team kata 2021 Almaty Team kata 2022 Tashkent Team kata 2013 Dubai Individual kata Asian Games 2018 Jakarta Individual kata World Games 2017 Wrocław Individual kata 2013 Cali Individual kata World Combat Games 2013 Saint Petersburg Individual kata

Ryo Kiyuna (喜友名諒, Kiyuna Ryō, born 12 July 1990)^[2] is an Okinawan karateka. He won the gold medal in the men's kata event at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan.^[3] He is also a four-time gold medalist in the men's kata event at the World Karate Championships and a two-time gold medalist in the men's team kata event, alongside Arata Kinjo and Takuya Uemura.^[4] He has also won multiple gold medals in both the individual and team kata events at the Asian Karate Championships.

Career

At the 2012 World Karate Championships held in Paris, France, Kiyuna won one of the bronze medals in the men's individual kata event.^[5] The following year, he represented Japan at the 2013 World Games in Cali, Colombia and he won the bronze medal in the men's kata event.^[6]

In 2014, at the World Karate Championships held in Bremen, Germany, Kiyuna won the gold medal in the men's individual kata event.^[5][7] At the 2016 World Karate Championships held in Linz, Austria, he won the gold medal in both the men's individual and men's team kata events.^[5][7][8] In 2017, Kiyuna won the gold medal in the men's kata event at the World Games held in Wrocław, Poland.^[5][9][10] In the final, he defeated Damián Quintero of Spain.^[10]

At the 2018 Asian Karate Championships held in Amman, Jordan, Kiyuna won the gold medal in the men's kata event.^[11] A month later, he won the gold medal in the men's kata event at the 2018 Asian Games held in Jakarta, Indonesia.^[5][2][12] In the final, he defeated Wang Yi-ta of Taiwan. In 2019, at the Asian Karate Championships held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, he won the gold medal in both the men's individual kata and men's team kata events.^[13][14]

Kiyuna represented Japan at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan.^[15][16] He won the gold medal in the men's kata event,^[17][18] becoming Japan's first gold medalist from Okinawa.^[19] In the final, he defeated Damián Quintero of Spain.^[20] He was also the flag bearer for Japan during the closing ceremony.^[21] A few months after the Olympics, he won the gold medal in the men's kata event at the 2021 World Karate Championships held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.^[22][23] In December 2021, he won the gold medal in both the men's individual and men's team kata events at the Asian Karate Championships held in Almaty, Kazakhstan.^[24][25]

Personal life

He studied at Okinawa International University.^[1] In December 2020, he contracted COVID-19.^[26]

Kiyuna's mother died in 2019 at the age of 57. At the gold medal ceremony for kata at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, Kiyuna paid tribute to his mother's support by carrying a framed picture of her during the proceedings.^[27][28]

Achievements