Keigo Sonoda

Jayce September 6, 2024 2 0

Character Introduction

Sonoda Keigo (Japanese: そのだけいご , February 20, 1990) is a Japanese male badminton player and a former member of the Japan national badminton team (A team). Born in Kumamoto Prefecture, he graduated from Kumamoto Prefectural Yatsushiro Third Junior High School and Kumamoto Prefectural Yatsushiro Higashi High School. He has been with Tonami Transportation Co. since 2010, and is currently part of the company’s Human Resources Department, where he is a member of the company’s badminton team and the vice-captain, player No. 2. He retired from badminton in April 2022, and has coached the Tonami Transportation badminton team.

In 2011, Keigo Sonoda competed for Tonami Transportation in the Men’s Singles at the All Japan Comprehensive Badminton Championships, winning a bronze medal. In April of the same year, he competed in the Osaka Badminton International Challenge, defeating teammate Sho Sentani 2-1 (18-21, 21-16, 21-16) in the men’s singles final to win his first international title. He also won the men’s doubles final with Zunetoshi Kurose, sweeping teammates Chou Wada/Tatsuya Watanabe 2-0 (21-14, 21-14) to win the title once again, and is also the double champion winner of this tournament.

In 2012, Sonoda won his first international professional title at the Canadian Open Men’s Doubles Final, defeating teammates Yukiyuki Saeki / Ryota Hata 2-0 (21-15, 21-10) with Kenshi Kamura.

In 2014, Keigo Sonoda represented Japan in the Thomas Cup men’s team event, ultimately helping Japan win its first ever Thomas Cup.

In November 2016, he played in the Hong Kong Badminton Superseries with Kenshi Kaemura, winning the men’s doubles final by defeating the tournament’s No. 4 seed and Danish powerhouse, Mathias Bowie/Karsten Mogensen, 2-0 (21-19, 21-19).

In April 2017, Keigo Sonoda participated in the World Badminton Championships in Glasgow, Scotland, where he and Kenshi Kamura played in the men’s doubles event, as the No. 4 seed, and faced the new and veteran Indonesian duo of Muhammad Ahsan/Liane Agang Saputra in the semifinals, but ended up losing 0-2 (12-21, 15-21) to this Indonesian duo, and did not have a chance to break into the final.

In June 2018, Keigo Sonoda and Kenshi Kaemura played in the Malaysia Open Badminton Championships, winning the men’s doubles final with a 2-0 (21-8, 21-10) sweep of teammates Dayu Endo/Indah Watanabe. In July of the same year, he competed at the World Badminton Championships in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China, where he and Kenshi Kaimura played in the men’s doubles as the tournament’s No. 5 seeds, and won the World Championships men’s doubles runner-up title, defeating the tournament’s No. 4 seeds, Li Junhui/Liu Yuchen of China, 0-2 (12-21, 19-21) in the final.

In May 2019, Keigo Sonoda represented Japan at the Sudirman Cup in Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China, helping the national team win second place in the mixed team.

In July 2021, he and Kenshi Kamura competed in the men’s doubles badminton tournament at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, advancing to the last eight of the tournament as the second-ranked team from Group C. They were defeated in the last eight by the Indonesian duo of Hendra Setyawan/Muhammad Ahsan to reach the last eight.

On September 8, 2021, he announced his retirement from the Japan national team, and will concentrate on the domestic tournaments of his club. on April 10, 2022, Keigo Sonoda’s national teammate Isao Watanabe held a retirement show for him, along with Kenshi Kaemura and Taiyuki Endo, and he will be coaching the badminton team of Tonami Transportation Ltd. after retiring from the national team.