Ayaka Takahashi

Jayce September 6, 2024 1 0

Character Introduction

Takahashi Reika (たかはしあやか, April 19, 1990), born in Kashihara City, Nara Prefecture, is a Japanese female badminton player and a former member of Japan’s national badminton team (Team A). Her sibling Sayaka Takahashi is also a badminton player. Her duo with Misaki Matsutomo debuted at No. 1 in the women’s doubles world rankings on October 30, 2014, becoming the first Japanese pair to reach No. 1 in the world rankings. The pair won the 2016 Olympic Games, defeating the Danish pair of Kristina Petersen/Camilla Rütter Juhl to win the title, earning Japan its first Olympic gold medal in badminton.The pair retired from the sport in August 2020 and moved on to coach the Japanese junior team.

In April 2009, Reika Takahashi played separately with Misaki Matsutomo in the Osaka Badminton International Challenge, defeating teammates Kaori Mori/Ikuma Wakizaka 2-1 (21-16, 16-21, 24-22) in the women’s doubles final to win her first international title.

In December 2009, she and Misaki Matsutomo played in the Indian Badminton Grand Prix and won their first international Grand Prix title by defeating Nadaya Melati/Devi Tika Pematasari of Indonesia 2-1 (21-14, 15-21, 21-15) in the women’s doubles final.

In September 2012, she and Misaki Matsutomo played in the Indonesia Badminton Golden Grand Prix, winning the women’s doubles final 2-1 (21-12, 12-21, 21-13) against the tournament’s No. 2 seeded team of Yim Hye-Won/Jang Ye-Na of South Korea.

In September 2014, Reika Takahashi represented Japan at the Asian Games badminton tournament in Incheon, South Korea, where the Japanese women’s team won the bronze medal in the first team event. She and Misaki Matsutomo played in the women’s doubles event. In the final, facing the tournament’s No. 7 seed, Indonesia’s Nitia Krishinda Maheswari/Gracia Poli, they were defeated in straight sets, 0-2 (15-21, 9-21), to win the runner-up spot in the women’s doubles at the Asian Games. In December of the same year, she and Misaki Matsutomo competed in the BWF Super Series Finals, finishing at the top of the group stage with a strong performance; in the final, they won their first ever women’s doubles title at the year-end finals, defeating China’s Tian Qing/Zhao Yunlei in straight sets, 2-0 (21-17, 21-14).

In March 2016, Reika Takahashi and Misaki Matsutomo played in the All England Badminton Premier Superseries, defeating China’s Tang Yuanli/Yu Yang again in the women’s doubles final, 2-0 (21-10, 21-12), as the pair won their first ever All-England title.

In August 2016, for the first time, she represented Japan in the women’s doubles event of the Olympic badminton tournament held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, playing with Misaki Matsutomo as the No. 1 seed. In the final, facing Denmark’s Kristina Petersen/Camilla Rütter Juhl, after a 3-set thriller, Reika Takahashi and Misaki Matsutomo came back from a first-set loss to win 2-1 (18-21, 21-9, 21-19), winning Japan’s first badminton gold medal at the Olympics.

In April 2017, Takahashi and Matsutomo Misaki participated in the Asian Badminton Championships in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, and in the final, they welcomed the dark horse of the year, Kim Hye-lin/Yoo Hae-won of South Korea, and defeated their rivals in three sets, 2-1 (21-19, 16-21, 21-10), which was also the first Japanese team to achieve a second consecutive title in the event.

In January 2018, Reika Takahashi and Misaki Matsutomo competed in the Indonesia Masters Badminton Championships, winning the women’s doubles final, defeating the tournament’s eighth seed and Indonesian powerhouse, Gracia Poli/Apriliani Rahayu, 2-0 (21-17, 21-12).

On August 19, 2020, she held a press conference to announce her official retirement from the sport as of September, and has been the coach of the Japan Junior Team since April.

Equipment Used

NANOFLARE 800; AEROBITE; BG80 POWER; VOLTRIC 80; DUORA 7; DUORA 7 Dark Gunmetal Gray; WAVE FANG SS; SHBA3LEX