Satsuki Fujisawa

Fujisawa's junior career began with a championship at the 2008 Pacific Junior Curling Championships over China's Sun Yue. This qualified her and her Japanese team for the 2008 World Junior Curling Championships, where they finished seventh with a 3–6 record. Fujisawa defended her Pacific Junior title by winning the 2009 Pacific Junior Curling Championships defeating China's Liu Jinli in the final. At the 2009 World Junior Curling Championships, she skipped Japan to a last-place (10th) finish and a 2–7 record.

In 2011, Fujisawa played in her first non-junior international event, skipping for Japan at the 2011 Pacific-Asia Curling Championships. She placed fourth at the event, finishing with a 2–6 record. Fujisawa won her first World Curling Tour event in 2012 by winning the 2012 Shamrock Shotgun over the South Korean national team, skipped by Kim Eun-jung. Later that year, she skipped Japan to a silver medal at the 2012 Pacific-Asia Curling Championships. Later in the season, she skipped the Japanese women's team to a seventh-place finish at the 2013 World Women's Curling Championship. In September 2013, Fujisawa and her Karuizawa-based rink, who had won the last three straight national championships, participated in the national trials for the 2013 Olympic Qualification Event. They lost the best-of-seven final of the trials to Ayumi Ogasawara's Sapporo-based rink in six games, which eliminated their chances of competing at the 2014 Winter Olympic Games.

Fujisawa left the team and joined Mari Motohashi's rink as skip in May 2015, moving from Karuizawa back to Kitami, where she had grown up and played juniors until 2009. Half a year later, Fujisawa and her new team represented Japan at the 2015 Pacific-Asia Curling Championships, where she led Japan to its first gold medal since 2005 by winning the final match against South Korea's Kim Ji-sun. Later that season, Fujisawa, with third Chinami Yoshida, second Yumi Suzuki, lead Yurika Yoshida, and alternate Mari Motohashi also competed for Japan at the 2016 World Women's Curling Championship in Swift Current, Canada. In the round-robin stage of the event, they finished second with a 9–2 record and advanced to the playoffs. They lost the 1 vs. 2 game to Binia Feltscher from Switzerland and then rebounded with a semifinal win over Russia's Anna Sidorova to earn a berth into the gold medal match. There, the Swiss team defeated Fujisawa's rink again but secured silver, Japan's first-ever podium finish at a world championship.

Fujisawa skipped the Japanese rink at the 2016 Pacific-Asia Curling Championships. After posting a 6–1 round robin record, tied with China and South Korea, her team would lose to China's Wang Bingyu in the semifinal. This meant that she could not defend her silver medal at the World Championships, as she had to make it to the finals to qualify Japan for the 2017 Worlds.

Fujisawa began the 2017–18 season by winning the Hokkaido Bank Curling Classic.{{Cite web |url=https://www.curlingzone.com/event.php?task=Event&view=Main&eventid=4801 |title=Hokkaido Bank Curling Classic: Main}} The team won the 2017 Japanese Olympic Curling Trials in September 2017, defeating the Chiaki Matsumura rink three games to one in a best-of-five series.{{cite web |url=http://www.worldcurling.org/owg2018/team-japan-profile |title=PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games - Japan teams celebrating Olympic qualification after 20 years |website=www.worldcurling.org |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171010110004/http://www.worldcurling.org/owg2018/team-japan-profile |archive-date=10 October 2017}}{{Cite web |url=http://www.curling.or.jp/result/trial/pyeongchang2017/pyeongchang2017-result.html |title=平昌オリンピック日本代表決定戦 - 公益社団法人 日本カーリング協会 |website=www.curling.or.jp}}{{Cite web |url=https://www.curlingzone.com/event.php?eventid=5006&eventtypeid=82&view=Main |title=Japanese Olympic Trials: Main}} The team then went on to win a silver medal at the 2017 Pacific-Asia Curling Championships. After finishing in third after the double round robin with a record of 6–4, they upset China in the semifinal before losing to Korea in the final. The following month, she won her second tour event of the season, the 2017 Karuizawa International Curling Championship.

Fujisawa skipped the Japanese team that won the 2018 Olympics women curling bronze medal.{{citation |last=Keating |first=Steve |title=Curling: Japan win bronze to claim first Olympic medal |newspaper=Reuters |date=24 February 2018 |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-olympics-2018-curl-w-gbr-jpn/curling-japan-win-bronze-to-claim-first-olympic-medal-idUSKCN1G80KK}}

Fujisawa again represented Japan at the 2018 Pacific-Asia Curling Championships. She led her team to an undefeated 6–0 record in the round robin but lost to the Koreans (skipped by Kim Min-ji in the final. The next month, she represented Japan in the second leg of the 2018–19 Curling World Cup in Omaha, United States, which her team would end up winning, this time defeating Kim and her South Korean rink in the final.{{Cite web |url=https://www.curlingworldcup.com/news/japan-clinch-womens-final-after-last-stone-drama |title=Japan clinch women's final after last-stone dram |website=Curling World Cup |date=9 December 2018 |access-date=10 December 2018 |archive-date=10 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181210111044/https://www.curlingworldcup.com/news/japan-clinch-womens-final-after-last-stone-drama |url-status=dead}}

Team Fujisawa began the 2019–20 season at the 2019 Hokkaido Bank Curling Classic, where they lost in the final to Jiang Yilun. Next, they won the ADVICS Cup. They had two more playoff appearances at their next two events, the Booster Juice Shoot-Out and the 2019 Colonial Square Ladies Classic, where they had semifinal and quarterfinal finishes, respectively. Next, they had a semifinal finish at the 2019 Curlers Corner Autumn Gold Curling Classic. In Grand Slam play, they made the quarterfinals at the Masters and the semifinals of the Tour Challenge, National and Canadian Open. They had two more playoff appearances on tour at the Red Deer Curling Classic, where they lost in the quarterfinals, and the Karuizawa International, where they lost the final to Anna Sidorova. For the first time in four seasons, Team Fujisawa won the Japan Curling Championships, defeating Seina Nakajima in the final. The team was set to represent Japan at the 2020 World Women's Curling Championship before the event got cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.{{Cite news |url=https://www.tsn.ca/cp-newsalert-world-women-s-curling-championship-cancelled-1.1456723 |title=World Women's Curling Championship Cancelled |website=The Sports Network |author=The Canadian Press |date=12 March 2020 |access-date=20 March 2020}}{{Cite news |url=https://worldcurling.org/2020/03/wwcc2020-cancelled/ |title=World Women's Curling Championship 2020 cancelled in Prince George, Canada |date=12 March 2020 |website=World Curling Federation |access-date=20 March 2020 |archive-date=14 March 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200314163901/https://worldcurling.org/2020/03/wwcc2020-cancelled/ |url-status=dead}} The Japanese Championship would be their last event of the season as both the Players' Championship and the Champions Cup Grand Slam events were also cancelled due to the pandemic.{{Cite news |url=https://thegrandslamofcurling.com/gsoc-cancels-remaining-events-of-2019-20-season/ |title=GSOC cancels remaining events of 2019–20 season |website=Grand Slam of Curling |publisher=Grand Slam of Curling |date=13 March 2020 |access-date=20 March 2020}}

Team Fujisawa played in no World Curling Tour events during the abbreviated 2020–21 season as there were no events held in Japan or Asia.{{Cite web |url=https://worldcurlingtour.org/women/schedule/2021 |title=2020–21 World Curling Tour: Women's Schedule |website=World Curling Tour |access-date=27 April 2021}} The team would compete in the 2021 Japan Curling Championships, held from 8 to 14 February 2021 in Wakkanai, Hokkaido, as the defending champions.{{Cite news |url=https://www3.nhk.or.jp/sports/story/9084/index.html |title=市川美余さん 知っておきたいカーリング女子4強解説！ 日本選手権に向けて (Miyo Ichikawa Curling Girls 4 Strong Commentary You Want To Know! Ahead of the Japan Championship) |publisher=NHK Sports |language=Japanese |date=7 February 2021 |access-date=27 April 2021}} After an unblemished 6–0 round robin record, the team defeated Team Sayaka Yoshimura of Hokkaido Bank to advance to the final where they would once again face Yoshimura.{{Cite web |url=https://www.curlingzone.com/event.php?view=Team&eventid=6849&teamid=151388&profileid=28412#1 |title=Fujisawa Runner-Up at 2021 Japan Curling Championships |website=CurlingZone |access-date=27 April 2021}} Down one in the tenth, Team Yoshimura scored two points to win the national championship 7–6 over Team Fujisawa.{{Cite news |url=https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20210214/k10012867161000.html |title=カーリング日本選手権 女子 北海道銀行が6年ぶり2回目の優勝 (Curling Japan Championship Women's Hokkaido Bank wins for the second time in six years) |publisher=NHK |language=Japanese |date=14 February 2021 |access-date=27 April 2021}} This meant that once again, the team would not get to represent Japan at the World Championships. Team Fujisawa ended their season at the 2021 Champions Cup and 2021 Players' Championship Grand Slam events, which were played in a "curling bubble" in Calgary, Alberta, with no spectators, to avoid the spread of the coronavirus.{{Cite news |url=https://thegrandslamofcurling.com/humptys-champions-cup-start-moved-to-thursday/ |title=Humpty's Champions Cup start moved to Thursday |publisher=Grand Slam of Curling |author=Jonathan Brazeau |date=12 April 2021 |access-date=27 April 2021}} The team had quarterfinal finishes at both events, losing out to Rachel Homan at the Champions Cup and Anna Hasselborg at the Players'.{{Cite news |url=https://thegrandslamofcurling.com/koe-clips-jacobs-to-jump-into-champions-cup-semifinals/ |title=Koe clips Jacobs to jump into Humpty's Champions Cup semis |publisher=Grand Slam of Curling |author=Jonathan Brazeau |date=18 April 2021 |access-date=27 April 2021}}{{Cite news |url=https://thegrandslamofcurling.com/gushue-eliminates-edin-to-reach-players-championship-semis/ |title=Gushue eliminates Edin to reach Players' Championship semis |publisher=Grand Slam of Curling |author=Jonathan Brazeau |date=24 April 2021 |access-date=27 April 2021}}

In their first event of the 2021–22 season, Team Fujisawa finished runner-up at the 2021 Hokkaido Bank Curling Classic. They then played in the 2021 Japanese Olympic Curling Trials, which were held in a best-of-five contest between the Fujisawa and Sayaka Yoshimura rinks.{{Cite web |url=https://japan-curling.jp/ |title=Zen-Noh Women's Curling Japan Tournament |language=ja |website=Japan Curling Association |access-date=18 June 2022}} After losing the first two games, Team Fujisawa rattled off three straight victories to win the trials and earn the right to represent Japan at the 2021 Olympic Qualification Event. There, the team finished third in the round robin and then defeated South Korea to secure their spot in the 2022 Winter Olympics.{{Cite web |url=https://worldcurling.org/2021/12/oqe-women-final-1/ |title=Japan women qualify for Beijing 2022 |publisher=World Curling Federation |date=17 December 2021 |access-date=18 June 2022 |archive-date=17 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211217124327/https://worldcurling.org/2021/12/oqe-women-final-1/ |url-status=dead}} At the Games, Fujisawa led her team of Chinami Yoshida, Yumi Suzuki, Yurika Yoshida and Kotomi Ishizaki to a 5–4 round robin record, enough to qualify as the fourth seeds in the playoff round. They then defeated the number one seeds in Switzerland's Silvana Tirinzoni to advance to the Olympic final, where they would face Great Britain's Eve Muirhead.{{Cite news |url=https://worldcurling.org/2022/02/beijing-w-sf/ |title=Japan and Great Britain advance to the women's Olympic final |publisher=World Curling Federation |date=18 February 2022 |access-date=18 June 2022}} The team could not keep their momentum going in the final, however, dropping the match 10–3, earning the silver medal.{{Cite news |url=https://www.cnn.com/world/live-news/beijing-winter-olympics-02-20-22-spt/h_1e0312d42a548ef11313678be9a87b61 |title=Twenty years in the making, Great Britain wins gold in women's curling |publisher=CNN News |date=19 February 2022 |access-date=18 June 2022}} Elsewhere on tour for the season, Team Fujisawa lost in the final of the 2021 Curlers Corner Autumn Gold Curling Classic after a previously undefeated record. In November, they went undefeated to claim the Red Deer Curling Classic.{{Cite web |url=https://www.curlingzone.com/event.php?eventid=6513&eventtypeid=82&view=Main#1 |title=2021 Vesta Energy Curling Classic |website=CurlingZone |access-date=18 June 2022}} In Grand Slam play, they only qualified in one of three events they played in, the 2022 Players' Championship, where they reached the quarterfinals. The team wrapped up their season at the 2022 Japan Curling Championships. There, they went 7–1 through the round robin and won the 1 vs. 2 page playoff game over Hokkaido Bank. They then defeated the Ikue Kitazawa's Chubu Electric Power team 7–3 in the final to claim the national title.{{Cite magazine |url=https://www.si.com/curling/news/15-year-old-wins-japanese-curling-title |title=15-Year-Old Wins Japanese Curling Title |publisher=The Curling News |magazine=Sports Illustrated |date=29 May 2022 |access-date=18 June 2022}}

The Fujisawa rink won their second event of the 2022–23 season, going undefeated to win the Advics Cup.{{Cite web |url=https://www.curlingzone.com/event.php?view=Main&eventid=7419 |title=2022 ADVICS Cup |website=CurlingZone |access-date=22 July 2023}} At the 2022 National, the team went undefeated until the semifinals where they were stopped by Kerri Einarson 8–5.{{Cite news |url=https://thegrandslamofcurling.com/gushue-meets-edin-einarson-takes-on-tirinzoni-in-boost-national-finals/ |title=Gushue meets Edin, Einarson takes on Tirinzoni in Boost National finals |publisher=Grand Slam of Curling |author=Jonathan Brazeau |date=8 October 2022 |access-date=22 July 2023}} They also lost to Team Einarson at the next Slam, 6–5 in a tiebreaker. Because they won the 2022 national championship, Team Fujisawa represented Japan at the 2022 Pan Continental Curling Championships where they finished third in the round robin with a 6–2 record.{{Cite news |url=https://worldcurling.org/2022/11/pccc-sf-women/ |title=Women's round-robins draw to a close |publisher=World Curling Federation |date=5 November 2022 |access-date=22 July 2023}} They then beat Canada's Einarson in the semifinal before defeating Korea's Ha Seung-youn 8–6 in the championship game.{{Cite news |url=https://worldcurling.org/2022/11/women-final-pccc/ |title=Japan women claim first Pan Continental title |publisher=World Curling Federation |date=7 November 2022 |access-date=22 July 2023}} The team again missed the playoffs at the 2022 Masters after a 1–3 record.{{Cite news |url=https://thegrandslamofcurling.com/team-jones-edge-team-lawes-to-slide-into-wfg-masters-playoffs/ |title=Team Jones edge Team Lawes to slide into WFG Masters playoffs |publisher=Grand Slam of Curling |author=Jonathan Brazeau |date=9 December 2022 |access-date=22 July 2023}} In the new year, the team was the first qualifier at the 2023 Canadian Open, winning all three of their pre-qualifying matches. They then won 8–7 over Anna Hasselborg in the quarterfinals and 7–6 over Gim Eun-ji in the semifinals to reach their first Slam final. There, they became the first Asian team to win a Slam, excluding defunct events, with a 5–3 win over Team Einarson.{{Cite news |url=https://thegrandslamofcurling.com/fujisawa-wins-co-op-canadian-open-to-become-first-gsoc-champion-from-asia/ |title=Fujisawa wins Co-op Canadian Open to become first GSOC champion from Asia |publisher=Grand Slam of Curling |author=Jonathan Brazeau |date=15 January 2023 |access-date=22 July 2023}} Team Fujisawa won their second straight national title at the 2023 Japan Curling Championships, defeating SC Karuizawa Club's Asuka Kanai 7–5 in the final.{{Cite web |url=https://japan-curling.jp/ |title=Zen-Noh Japan Curling Championships 2023 |language=ja |website=Japan Curling Association |access-date=22 July 2023}} This qualified them for the 2023 World Women's Curling Championship where they qualified for the playoffs with a 7–5 record.{{Cite news |url=https://worldcurling.org/2023/03/dayseven-wwc/ |title=Live Blog: Day seven at the WWCC |publisher=World Curling Federation |date=24 March 2023 |access-date=11 July 2023 |archive-date=11 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230711034711/https://worldcurling.org/2023/03/dayseven-wwc/ |url-status=dead}} They were then eliminated by Canada 6–4 in the qualification round.{{Cite news |url=https://worldcurling.org/2023/03/qualification-games-wwcc/ |title=Semi-finals set at World Women's |publisher=World Curling Federation |date=25 March 2023 |access-date=22 July 2023}} They finished their season with a quarterfinal appearance at the 2023 Players' Championship and a semifinal appearance at the 2023 Champions Cup, losing out to the Einarson rink at both events.{{Cite news |url=https://thegrandslamofcurling.com/einarson-faces-homan-in-kioti-tractor-champions-cup-womens-final/ |title=Einarson faces Homan in KIOTI Tractor Champions Cup women's final |publisher=Grand Slam of Curling |author=Jonathan Brazeau |date=7 May 2023 |access-date=22 July 2023}}

For a second year in a row, Team Fujisawa won the Advics Cup to begin their season, going undefeated to claim the title.{{Cite news |url=https://www.curlingzone.com/post.php?postid=7935 |title=Fujisawa undefeated en route to third Advics Cup title |publisher=CurlingZone |access-date=22 April 2024}} Because they defended their title at the national championship, they again represented Japan at the 2023 Pan Continental Curling Championships, this year finishing second through the round robin with a 6–1 record. In the semifinal, they stole the win against the United States' Tabitha Peterson before coming up short against Korea's Gim Eun-ji in the final, settling for silver.{{Cite news |url=https://worldcurling.org/2023/11/women-gold/ |title=Korea women win Pan Continental Curling Championship |publisher=World Curling Federation |date=4 November 2023 |access-date=22 April 2024}} In December, the team went undefeated at the 2023 Western Showdown until the semifinal where they lost 6–2 to Jolene Campbell. In the new year, they could not defend their national title, failing to reach the playoff round of the 2024 Japan Curling Championships.{{Cite magazine |url=https://www.thecurlingnews.com/news/new-curling-champions-in-japan |title=New Curling Champions in Japan |publisher=The Curling News |magazine=Sports Illustrated |date=4 February 2024 |access-date=22 April 2024}} They bounced back with a strong run at the Sun City Cup before losing the final to Isabella Wranå.{{Cite web |url=https://www.curlingzone.com/event.php?view=Team&eventid=7935&teamid=179741&profileid=32357 |title=2024 Sun City Cup |website=CurlingZone |access-date=22 April 2024}} In Grand Slam play, the team only qualified in one of five events during the 2023–24 season, losing in the quarterfinals of the 2024 Canadian Open to Team Einarson.{{Cite news |url=https://thegrandslamofcurling.com/jones-homan-face-again-in-semifinals-at-co-op-canadian-open/ |title=Jones, Homan face again in semifinals at Co-op Canadian Open |publisher=Grand Slam of Curling |author=Jonathan Brazeau |date=20 January 2024 |access-date=22 April 2024}}

After the 2018 Olympics, Fujisawa was awarded a wild-card spot in the 2018 Japan Mixed Doubles Curling Championship with fellow Olympian Tsuyoshi Yamaguchi.{{Cite web |url=http://www.curling.or.jp/result/jmdcc/2018/jmdcc2018toppage.html |language=ja |title=11th Zen-Noh Japan Mixed Doubles Curling Championship |website=Japan Curling Association |date=2018 |access-date=6 May 2019}} Despite having never teamed together and having very little mixed doubles experience overall, Fujisawa and Yamaguchi went undefeated to win the championship and the right to represent Japan at the 2018 World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship, where they would finish fifth overall.{{Cite web |url=http://wmdcc2018.worldcurling.org/data/CUR_WMDCC2018P/WMDCC2018_Results_Book.pdf |title=World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship 2018: RESULTS BOOK |website=World Curling Federation |date=28 April 2018 |access-date=6 May 2019}}

Fujisawa and Yamaguchi successfully defended their title in 2019,{{Cite web |url=http://www.curling.or.jp/result/jmdcc/2019/jmdcc2019results.html |language=ja |title=12th Zen-Noh Japan Mixed Doubles Curling Championship |website=Japan Curling Association |date=18 March 2019 |access-date=6 May 2019}} and represented Japan at the 2019 World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship. There, they made it to the quarterfinal, where they lost to Australia.{{Cite web |url=http://wmdcc2019.worldcurling.org/data/CUR_WMDCC2019P/WMDCC2019_ResultsBook.pdf |title=World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship 2019: RESULTS BOOK |website=World Curling Federation |date=27 April 2019 |access-date=6 May 2019}}

Fujisawa graduated from Hokkaido Kitami Hokuto High School in Kitami City in 2010. From then to early 2015, residing in Nagano Prefecture, she was employed as a curler and office worker for Chubu Electric Power, which has owned a competitive women's curling team based in Karuizawa, Nagano since 2009. Since returning to Kitami, she has been an employee of one of the local companies sponsoring her present team. She is currently an insurance agent.{{cite web |url=https://www.curling.ca/files/2020/03/2020-World-Womens-Curling-Championship-media-guide.pdf |title=2020 World Women's Curling Championship Media Guide |author= |date= |publisher=Curling Canada |access-date=9 March 2020}}

Fujisawa began bodybuilding in 2023, and competed in the MOLA cup.{{cite web |url=https://www.koreaboo.com/news/park-bo-young-satsuki-fujisawa-transformation/ |title=Olympian Who Went Viral For Resembling Actress Park Bo Young Is Making Headlines For Shocking Transformation |author= |date= |publisher=Koreaboo |access-date=25 July 2023}}

Fujisawa and her team became the first Asian team to win a Grand Slam event (excluding defunct Slams) at the 2023 Canadian Open.{{Cite news |url=https://www.sportsnet.ca/curling/article/fujisawa-wins-co-op-canadian-open-to-become-first-gsoc-champion-from-asia/ |title=Fujisawa wins Co-op Canadian Open to become first GSOC champion from Asia |publisher=Sportsnet |access-date=15 January 2023}} China's Wang Bingyu had won the 2010 Curlers Corner Autumn Gold Curling Classic, which was considered a Slam at the time.{{Cite news |title=Chinese skip captures Autumn Gold |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/116560197/calgary-herald/ |access-date=15 January 2023 |publisher=Calgary Herald |date=12 October 2010}}

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{{reflist}}

• {{commons category-inline}}
• {{Sports links}}
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20220227181612/https://results.beijing2022.cn/beijing-2022/olympic-games/en/results/curling/athlete-profile-n1042393-satsuki-fujisawa.htm Satsuki Fujisawa] at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics (archived)
• [https://www.locosolare.jp/ Team Loco Solare, Official site] {{in lang|ja}}

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Category:1991 births

Category:Living people

Category:Japanese female curlers

Category:Japanese female bodybuilders

Category:Pacific-Asian curling champions

Category:Pan Continental curling champions

Category:Continental Cup of Curling participants

Category:Asian Games bronze medalists for Japan

Category:Asian Games medalists in curling

Category:Curlers at the 2017 Asian Winter Games

Category:Medalists at the 2017 Asian Winter Games

Category:Olympic curlers for Japan

Category:Olympic medalists in curling

Category:Olympic silver medalists for Japan

Category:Olympic bronze medalists for Japan

Category:Curlers at the 2018 Winter Olympics

Category:Curlers at the 2022 Winter Olympics

Category:Medalists at the 2018 Winter Olympics

Category:Medalists at the 2022 Winter Olympics

Category:Sportspeople from Kitami

Category:21st-century Japanese sportswomen