Nao Kodaira

Memorable sporting achievement

Winning gold in the 500m at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang. (Athlete, 23 Nov 2018)

Reason for choosing this sport

She was encouraged to take up the sport by her sisters.

Hero / Idol

Canadian speed skater Cindy Klassen. (Athlete, 21 Nov 2019)

When and where did you begin this sport?

She first tried the sport in 1989 at age three in Chino, Japan.

Sporting philosophy / motto	"I want to enjoy skating. Gold, silver or bronze, that doesn't matter." (isu.org, 12 Nov 2021)
Most influential person in career	Canadian speed skater Cindy Klassen. (Athlete, 21 Nov 2019)

www.ai-hosp.or.jp/cloverlink/blog/
instagram.com/nao.kodaira/

Hobbies	Studying Dutch, photography, cooking, walking. (skatingjapan.or.jp, 09 Nov 2021)
Injuries	She has been persistently troubled by backache. (isu.org, 12 Nov 2021) She suffered from discomfort in her left hip joint throughout the 2020/21 season. (nbs-tv.co.jp, 04 Oct 2021; shimintimes.co.jp, 05 Oct 2021) She damaged a ligament in her leg 15 months before the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver. (shueisha.co.jp, 17 Jan 2014) She severely sprained her left ankle in grade nine of middle school. (shueisha.co.jp, 17 Jan 2014)
Awards and honours	In 2019 she was elected as one of the Japanese Olympic Committee [JOC] Symbol Athletes. The same year, she received the Big Sports Award at the 53rd Asahi TV Big Sports Awards in Japan. (jiji.com, 16 Apr 2019; joc.or.jp, 24 Jan 2019; Asahi TV YouTube channel, 15 Jan 2019) In 2018, along with Japanese figure skater Yuzuru Hanyu, she was presented with the People's Honour Award by the prime minister of Japan. (sanspo.com, 19 Feb 2018) In 2018 she received a number of honours, including the Matsumoto Citizen Honorary Award, the Chino Special Citizen Honorary Award, the Nagano Prefecture Citizen Honorary Award, and the Special Award of the Mayor of Nagano. (city.matsumoto.nagano.jp, 16 May 2018; sankei.com, 04 Apr 2018, 02 Mar 2018, 21 Feb 2018) She was flag bearer for Japan at the closing ceremony of the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang. (OIS, 25 Feb 2018) In 2017 she was given the Best Athlete Award at the annual Japanese Olympic Committee [JOC] Awards. (joc.or.jp, 08 Jun 2018) In 2016 she was presented with an Excellence Award by the Japanese Olympic Committee [JOC]. In 2014 she had been given a Special Achievement Award by the JOC. (nikkansports.com, 09 Jun 2017; joc.or.jp, 12 Jun 2015) In 2010 she was presented with the Chino Citizen Honorary Award in Japan. (nagano-np.co.jp, 31 Jul 2010)
Nicknames	Boze Kat ['Angry Cat' in Dutch]. (Twitter profile, 18 Sep 2018; news.yahoo.co.jp, 07 Feb 2017)
Other information	RETIREMENT She announced her retirement from competitive speed skating in April 2022. (nikkansports.com, 13 Apr 2022) VOLUNTEER WORK In 2020 she worked as a volunteer at Yamadaino Orchards in Nagano, Japan, after the apple farm was affected by a typhoon the previous year. She also wore a red racing suit decorated with an apple design at the 2020 All Japan Single Distances Championships in Nagano in a show of support for the relief efforts in the region. "Through the 2018 Olympic Winter Games, I was cheered up by a lot of fans, but I also learned from them that I wanted to become a person who can cheer others up. Through the volunteer work, I gained the courage that I couldn't get in my daily life or during training. I want to express the value of sports beyond the gold medal at the [2018] Olympics." (Instagram profile, 20 Jun 2020, 26 Oct 2020; nikkei.com, 22 Oct 2020; TV Tokyo Sports YouTube channel, 06 Nov 2020; asahi.com, 24 Oct 2020) OLYMPIC HONOUR In 2018 the Chino Sports Park International Skating Center in her hometown of Chino, Japan, was renamed the Nao Ice Oval in recognition of her achievements in the sport. (city.chino.lg.jp, 03 Dec 2018; navi.chinotabi.jp, 2019) TRAINING OVERSEAS She trained in the Netherlands in 2014 and 2015 under the guidance of Dutch speed skater Marianne Timmer. "I was just curious as to what was waiting for me [in the Netherlands]. I simply thought I'd like to take the best of both Japan and the Netherlands. There is a limit to what you can be given by others but there is no limit to what you can discover for yourself." (kyodonews.net, 02 Feb 2018; sankei.com, 21 Aug 2017; news.yahoo.co.jp, 07 Feb 2017; nikkan-gendai.com, 24 Oct 2016)

twitter.com/nao_kodaira

Milestones

She became the first female Japanese athlete to win an Olympic gold medal in speed skating by triumphing in the 500m at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang. Her victory, at age 31 years and 268 days, also made her the oldest Japanese athlete to have won a gold medal at the Olympic Winter Games, breaking the record previously held by ski jumper Masahiko Harada, who placed first in the men's team event in 1998 at age 29. (SportsDeskOnline, 07 Jan 2020; OIS, 18 Feb 2018)