Koki Watanabe
{{Short description|Japanese badminton player}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2023}}
{{Infobox badminton player
| name = Koki Watanabe
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1999|1|29}}
| birth_place = Koshigaya, Saitama, Japan
| height = 1.66 m
| weight = 65 kg
| country = {{JPN}}
| years_active =
| retired =
| handedness = Right
| coach = Sho Sasaki (2025–){{cite web |title=Announcement of the 2025 Japan National Team Players and Staff |url=https://www.badminton.or.jp/press_release/docs/pressRelease_20250121.pdf |publisher=Nippon Badminton Association |access-date=23 January 2025 |language=ja |date=21 January 2025}}
Kazumasa Sakai (2024–)
| event = Men's singles
| career_record = 176 wins, 105 losses ({{tennis win percentage|won=176|lost=105|decimals=2}})
| highest_ranking = 11
| date_of_highest_ranking = 22 October 2024
| current_ranking = 16
| date_of_current_ranking = 15 April 2025
| played =
| titles =
| medaltemplates =
{{MedalSport | Men's badminton }}
{{MedalCountry | {{JPN}} }}
{{MedalCompetition | Asian Games }}
{{MedalBronze | 2022 Hangzhou | Men's team }}
{{MedalCompetition | Asia Team Championships }}
{{MedalBronze | 2020 Manila | Men's team }}
{{MedalBronze | 2024 Selangor | Men's team }}
{{MedalCompetition | World Junior Championships }}
{{MedalBronze | 2015 Lima | Boys' singles }}
{{MedalBronze | 2016 Bilbao | Mixed team }}
{{MedalCompetition | Asian Junior Championships }}
{{MedalBronze | 2015 Bangkok | Mixed team }}
{{MedalBronze | 2016 Bangkok | Mixed team }}
| bwfbadminton_id = 97174
}}
{{nihongo|Koki Watanabe|渡邉 航貴|Watanabe Kōki|born 29 January 1999}} is a Japanese badminton player.{{cite web |title=Players: Koki Watanabe |url=https://bwfbadminton.com/player/97174/koki-watanabe |publisher=Badminton World Federation |access-date=11 January 2019}} He graduated from the Saitama Sakae High School, and was part of the BIPROGY team since 2017.{{cite web |title=渡邉 航貴 |url=https://www.biprogy.com/badminton/team/koki.html |publisher=Biprogy |access-date=12 June 2024 |language=ja}} Watanabe has won a Super 500 title at the Canada Open and was the runner-up in the Super 750 at the Denmark Open.
Career
Watanabe started his badminton career when he was four years old, entered the badminton club under the influence of his sister.{{cite news |title=もらった応援をうまく力に変えて、東京オリンピック出場を目指します！ |url=https://www.city.koshigaya.saitama.jp/citypromotion/oshiete/tokimeki/watanabe_kouki.html |publisher=Koshigaya City |date=14 June 2016 |access-date=14 January 2019 |language=ja}} He later concentrate his badminton career in the kindergarten, and when he was in the elementary school, he won the Saitama school championships in third consecutive years. Watanabe entered the Saitamasakaechugakko Koto school, and won the singles title at the national junior championships, also placed third in the doubles event. He was part of the national junior team that competed at the 2015 and 2016 Asia and World Junior Championships, winning the World boys' singles bronze medal in 2015, he also helped the national team win the 2015, 2016 Asian, also 2016 World Junior bronze medals.{{cite news |title=日本選手は準決勝敗退。銅メダル６個！ 世界ジュニア2015《個人戦》５日目結果 |url=https://www.badspi.jp/201511151810/ |publisher=Badminton Spirit |date=7 November 2015 |access-date=14 January 2019 |language=ja}}
In 2018, Watanabe became the runner-up at the BWF Super 100 tournament Russian Open.{{cite news |title=「ロシアオープン2018」女子ダブルス星千智・中西貴映組 優勝！男子シングルス渡邉航貴 準優勝！女子シングルス海老原詩織 準優勝！ |url=https://www.unisys.co.jp/com/sponsors/badminton/news/180730_2_russian.html |publisher=Unisys |date=29 July 2018 |access-date=14 January 2019 |language=ja}}
= 2024: Canada Open winner =
Koki Watanabe celebrated a significant milestone in his badminton career by winning his first Super 500 title at the Canada Open.{{cite web |title=[Canada Open 2024] Koki Watanabe wins his first Super 500 title! Nakanishi and Iwanaga win their fourth title of the season! |url=https://www.badspi.jp/202407081046/ |publisher=Badminton Spirit |access-date=3 January 2025 |language=ja |date=8 July 2024}} This victory is particularly meaningful, as it fulfills one of his long-held dreams. Watanabe expressed his satisfaction with this achievement and emphasized the importance of staying focused and taking one step at a time to reach his goals. In the final match, Watanabe faced Alex Lanier, the defending champion from 2022. The match was hard-fought, with Watanabe winning the third game 21–6. Lanier admitted that he ran out of energy in the third game, which allowed Watanabe to dominate and secure the title.{{cite news |last1=Sukumar |first1=Dev |title=Canada Open: ‘dream Come True’ |url=https://bwfworldtour.bwfbadminton.com/news-single/2024/07/08/canada-open-dream-come-true |access-date=20 October 2024 |publisher=Badminton World Federation |date=8 July 2024}}
Awards and nominations
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable"
|+ |
| scope="col"|Award
! scope="col"|Year ! scope="col"|Category ! scope="col"|Result ! scope="col" class="unsortable"|{{Abbr|Ref.|References}} |
|---|
| scope="row" |BWF Awards
| align="center"|2019 |Eddy Choong Most Promising Player of the Year |{{nom}} |
Achievements
= BWF World Junior Championships =
Boys' singles
| class="sortable wikitable" style="font-size: 90%;"
! Year ! Venue ! Opponent ! Score ! Result ! Ref |
| style="background:#98FB98"
| align="center" | 2015 | align="left" | Centro de Alto Rendimiento de la Videna, | align="left" | {{flagicon|TPE}} Lu Chia-hung | align="left" | 18–21, 12–21 | style="text-align:left; background:white" | Bronze Bronze | style="text-align:center; background:white" | {{cite web |last1=Alleyne |first1=Gayle |title=Historic Singles Finals – Day 5: YONEX BWF World Junior Championships 2015 |url=https://bwfbadminton.com/news-single/2015/11/14/historic-singles-finals-day-5-yonex-bwf-world-junior-championships-2015 |publisher=Badminton World Federation |access-date=19 April 2025 |archive-url=https://archive.ph/9mXdD |archive-date=19 April 2025 |date=14 November 2015}} |
= BWF World Tour (3 titles, 3 runners-up) =
The BWF World Tour, which was announced on 19 March 2017 and implemented in 2018,{{cite web |last=Alleyne |first=Gayle |title=BWF Launches New Events Structure |url=http://bwfbadminton.com/news-single/2017/03/19/bwf-launches-new-event-structure/ |publisher=Badminton World Federation |date=19 March 2017 |access-date=29 November 2017 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201164159/http://bwfbadminton.com/news-single/2017/03/19/bwf-launches-new-event-structure/ |archive-date=1 December 2017}} 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, and the BWF Tour Super 100.{{cite web |last=Sukumar |first=Dev |title=Action-Packed Season Ahead! |url=http://bwfworldtour.com/news-single/2018/01/10/action-packed-season-ahead/ |publisher=Badminton World Federation |date=10 January 2018 |access-date=15 January 2018 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180113162925/http://bwfworldtour.com/news-single/2018/01/10/action-packed-season-ahead/ |archive-date=13 January 2018}}
Men's singles
= BWF International Challenge/Series (2 titles) =
Men's singles
: {{Color box|#D8CEF6|border=darkgray}} BWF International Challenge tournament
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{BWFB|97174}}
- {{BWFT|71F9CCD6-EC2B-460D-B143-A796AD3E3BC6|member_id=97174}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Watanabe, Koki}}
Category:Badminton players from Saitama Prefecture
Category:Japanese male badminton players
Category:Badminton players at the 2022 Asian Games
Category:Asian Games bronze medalists for Japan
Category:Asian Games medalists in badminton