Kentaro Minagawa

{{Short description|Japanese alpine skier (born 1977)}}

{{nihongo|Kentaro Minagawa|皆川 賢太郎|Minagawa Kentarō|extra=born May 17, 1977}}{{cite web|url=http://www.fis-ski.com/de/606/615.html?type=biog&competitorid=40448§or=AL |title=Biography, MINAGAWA Kentaro |publisher=International Ski Federation |accessdate=2009-01-28 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110526124829/http://www.fis-ski.com/de/606/615.html?type=biog&competitorid=40448§or=AL |archivedate=2011-05-26 }} is a Japanese alpine skier.

File:皆川賢太郎.jpg

His first international successes were at the 1996 Junior World Championships in Schwyz, with a 5th rank in Slalom, and a 9th rank in Giant slalom.{{cite web|url=http://www.fis-ski.com/de/606/612.html?sector=AL&competitorid=40448&raceid=3765 |title=Results, Slalom 1996 FIS Junior World Ski Championships |publisher=International Ski Federation |accessdate=2009-01-28 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110526124938/http://www.fis-ski.com/de/606/612.html?sector=AL&competitorid=40448&raceid=3765 |archivedate=2011-05-26 }}{{cite web|url=http://www.fis-ski.com/de/606/612.html?sector=AL&competitorid=40448&raceid=3763 |title=Results, giant slalom 1996 FIS Junior World Ski Championships |publisher=International Ski Federation |accessdate=2009-01-28 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110526125033/http://www.fis-ski.com/de/606/612.html?sector=AL&competitorid=40448&raceid=3763 |archivedate=2011-05-26 }}

Since the 1997 Alpine Skiing World Cup he has been participating regularly in World Cup races, nine times ranking in the top ten.{{cite web|url=http://www.fis-ski.com/de/606/615.html?sector=AL&competitorid=40448&type=result&category=WC&season=ALL&sort=P&discipline=ALL&position=&place=&Submit=Search |title=Results, FIS World Cup, MINAGAWA Kentaro |publisher=International Ski Federation |accessdate=2009-01-28 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110526125102/http://www.fis-ski.com/de/606/615.html?sector=AL&competitorid=40448&type=result&category=WC&season=ALL&sort=P&discipline=ALL&position=&place=&Submit=Search |archivedate=2011-05-26 }}

Shortly before the 2006 Winter Olympics he ranked 4th in Wengen, Switzerland. At the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy he also ranked 4th, the best result of a Japanese skier since Chiharu Igaya's silver medal at the 1956 Winter Olympics.{{cite news|url= http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/so20060227a3.html|title= Minagawa close, but shut out of medal in slalom|date= 2006-02-27|newspaper= The Japan Times|accessdate= 2009-01-28}}

In June 2009, he married Japanese popular freestyle skier, Aiko Uemura.[http://www.almostjapanese.com/olympians-aiko-uemura-and-kentaro-minagawa-ties-the-knot Olympians Aiko Uemura and Kentaro Minagawa Ties the Knot] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090615045831/http://www.almostjapanese.com/olympians-aiko-uemura-and-kentaro-minagawa-ties-the-knot |date=2009-06-15 }} accessed 2010-06-09