Noriko Nakayama

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Noriko Nakayama
Medal record
Women's badminton
Representing  Japan
Uber Cup
Gold medal – first place 1966 Wellington Women's team
Gold medal – first place 1969 Tokyo Women's team
Gold medal – first place 1972 Tokyo Women's team
Silver medal – second place 1975 Jakarta Women's team
Gold medal – first place 1978 Auckland Women's team
Asian Games
Gold medal – first place 1966 Bangkok Women's singles
Gold medal – first place 1966 Bangkok Women's team
Bronze medal – third place 1966 Bangkok Women's doubles

Noriko Nakayama (née Takagi; born 1943) is a Japanese former badminton player, the first true international badminton star from that nation, who won numerous Japanese national and major international titles from the mid-1960s to the early 1970s.

Nakayama claimed seven of these at the Danish Open, two in singles and five in women's doubles. She was the champion at World Invitational Championships held in Glasgow, in 1969 in Women's doubles category with Hiroe Amano. At the prestigious All-England Championships she shared the women's doubles title with her compatriot and singles rival Hiroe Yuki in 1971, and won the singles title over Yuki in 1972, having previously lost twice in the finals.[1] She also won the women's singles event at the Olympic Games Demonstration in 1972. In four successive Uber Cup (women's international team) competitions, between 1965 and 1975 she was unbeaten in singles, thus leading the way to three world team titles for Japan.[2] With the birth of her eldest daughter, she hung her racket in 1975. As of 2017, she is still actively associated with the sport, coaching at the local level.

Achievements

Olympic Games (demonstration)

Women's singles
Year Venue Opponent Score Result
1972 Munich, West Germany Indonesia Utami Dewi 11–5, 11–3 Gold

Asian Games

Women's singles
Year Venue Opponent Score Result
1966
Bangkok, Thailand
Thailand Sumol Chanklum 11–0, 11–4 Gold Gold
Women's doubles
Year Venue Partner Opponent Score Result
1966
Bangkok, Thailand
Japan Kazuko Goto Indonesia Minarni
Indonesia Retno Kustijah
5–15, 11–15 Bronze Bronze

International tournaments

Women's singles
Year Tournament Opponent Score Result
1967 All England Open
Judy Hashman
11–5, 8–11, 10–12 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up
1967 Denmark Open Netherlands Imre Rietveld 11–5, 11–3 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
1968 Singapore Open Japan Hiroe Yuki 11–7, 10–12, 11–4 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
1968 Denmark Open Sweden Eva Twedberg 9–12, 12–9, 10–12 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up
1969 All England Open Japan Hiroe Yuki 5–11, 5–11 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up
1969 Denmark Open Japan Hiroe Yuki 10–12, 2–11 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up
1971 U. S. Open Japan Hiroe Yuki 11–5, 11–9 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
1971
Canadian Open
Japan Hiroe Yuki 9–12, 0–11 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up
1971 Denmark Open Japan Hiroe Yuki 11–7, 11–7 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
1972 All England Open Japan Hiroe Yuki 11–5, 3–11, 11–7 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
1972 Denmark Open Sweden Eva Twedberg 4–11, 6–11 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up
Women's doubles
Year Tournament Partner Opponent Score Result
1967 Singapore Open Japan Hiroe Amano Indonesia Minarni
Indonesia Retno Kustijah
6–15, 13–18 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up
1967 Denmark Open Japan Hiroe Amano Netherlands Imre Rietveld
Denmark Ulla Strand
15–12, 9–15, 15–8 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
1968 All England Open Japan Hiroe Amano Indonesia Minarni
Indonesia Retno Kustijah
5–15, 6–15 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up
1968 Singapore Open Japan Hiroe Yuki Malaysia Rosalind Singha Ang
Sweden Eva Twedberg
15–6, 15–11 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
1968 Denmark Open Japan Hiroe Amano Denmark Karin Jørgensen
Denmark Ulla Strand
15–11, 15–11 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
1969 Denmark Open Japan Hiroe Yuki Japan Hiroe Amano
Japan Tomoko Takahashi
15–9, 15–9 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
1970 Denmark Open Japan Hiroe Amano Japan Etsuko Takenaka
Japan Machiko Aizawa
17–15, 12–15, 9–15 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up
1971 All England Open Japan Hiroe Yuki
Judy Hashman
15–10, 18–13 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
1971 U. S. Open Japan Hiroe Yuki United States Ethel Marshall
United States Dorothy O'Neil
15–8, 15–2 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
1971
Canadian Open
Japan Hiroe Yuki Japan Etsuko Takenaka
Japan Machiko Aizawa
Walkover 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
1971 Denmark Open Japan Hiroe Yuki Japan Etsuko Takenaka
Japan Machiko Aizawa
15–10, 15–3 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
1972 Denmark Open Japan Hiroe Yuki Japan Etsuko Takenaka
Japan Machiko Aizawa
15–11, 11–15, 17–15 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
Mixed doubles
Year Tournament Partner Opponent Score Result
1968 Singapore Open Denmark Svend Andersen Thailand Sangob Rattanusorn
Thailand Pachara Pattabongse
15–8, 15–11 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner

References

  1. ^ Pat Davis. The Guinness Book of Badminton (Guinness Superlatives Limited, Enfield, Middlesex, England, 1983). 106, 108. and Herbert Scheele, Ed. The International Badminton Federation Handbook for 1971 (Canterbury, Kent, England, 1971). 164.
  2. ^ Pat Davis. The Guinness Book of Badminton (Guinness Superlatives Limited, Enfield, Middlesex, England, 1983). 133, 134, 135. and Herbert Scheele, Ed. The International Badminton Federation Handbook for 1967 (Canterbury, Kent, England, 1967). 105-107.