Kaori Kawanaka

{{Short description|Japanese archer (born 1991)}}

{{MedalTableTop|Kaori Kawanaka.jpg|200px|medals=

{{MedalSport | Women's recurve archery}}

{{MedalCountry | {{JPN}} }}

{{MedalOlympics}}

{{MedalBronze| 2012 London | Team}}

{{MedalCompetition | Asian Games}}

{{MedalBronze | 2014 Incheon | Team}}

{{MedalBronze | 2018 Jakarta-Palembang | Team}}

{{MedalCompetition|Asian Championships}}

{{MedalGold|2011 Tehran|Team}}

{{MedalBronze|2013 Taipei|Team}}

}}

{{Nihongo|Kaori Kawanaka|川中 香緒里|Kawanaka Kaori|born August 3, 1991{{cite web|url=http://www.london2012.com/athlete/kawanaka-kaori-1014181/|title=Kaori Kawanaka|website=London 2012|publisher=London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games|accessdate=20 April 2020|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120801031807/http://www.london2012.com/athlete/kawanaka-kaori-1014181/|archivedate=1 August 2012}}}} is a Japanese archer who competed at the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games.

Kawanaka won a bronze medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics in the women's team event with teammates Ren Hayakawa and Miki Kanie. Their success, which came after a narrow victory over Russia in the third-place match, marked the first Olympic medal for Japan in team archery.{{cite web|url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/2012/07/31/more-sports/olympics/japans-female-archers-win-bronze/|title=Japan's female archers win bronze|website=The Japan Times|date=31 July 2012|accessdate=20 February 2020}} Kawanaka was less successful in the women's individual event, losing in the opening elimination round.{{cite web|url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/2012/08/03/olympics/hayakawa-kanie-eliminated-in-womens-archery/|title=Hayakawa, Kanie eliminated in women's archery|website=The Japan Times|date=3 August 2012|accessdate=20 February 2020}}

Kawanaka has contested the Asian Games twice. She was the flagbearer for the Japanese team at the opening ceremony of the 2014 Asian Games,{{cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-games-asian-japan/women-front-and-center-of-japans-asian-games-team-idUSKBN0H60KU20140911|title=Women front and center of Japan's Asian Games team|work=Reuters|first=Teppai|last=Kasai|date=11 September 2014|accessdate=21 February 2020}} and later won bronze in the women's team recurve competition with Hayakawa and Yuki Hayashi.{{cite web|url=https://www.business-standard.com/article/news-ians/indian-women-s-team-finishes-4th-in-recurve-archery-114092800077_1.html|title=Indian women's team finishes 4th in recurve archery|website=Business Standard|agency=Indo-Asian News Service|date=28 September 2014|accessdate=21 February 2020}}

At the 2016 Summer Olympics, she again competed in the individual and team events, reaching the second round in the individual event, and the quarterfinal in the women's team event.{{Cite web|date=|title=Kaori Kawanaka Bio, Stats, and Results {{!}} Olympics at Sports-Reference.com|url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ka/kaori-kawanaka-1.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200114105944/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ka/kaori-kawanaka-1.html|archive-date=14 January 2020|access-date=|website=sports-reference.com}}