Japanese artistic gymnast
Sugawara Risa
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| Nationality | Japanese |
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| Born | (1977-08-15) 15 August 1977 (age 47)
Saitama, Japan |
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| Sport | Gymnastics |
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Lisa Toyoshima (豊島リサ, Toyoshima Risa), née Risa Sugawara (菅原リサ, Sugawara Risa), is a Japanese gymnastics coach and former artistic gymnast.[1] She was a five-time all-around national champion and competed at the 1996 Summer Olympics, where she finished 29th in the individual all around.[2][3]
Personal life
Sugawara was born in Toda, Saitama. Her parents were both gymnasts; her father, Hiroshi Sugawara won a silver team medal at the men's gymnastics event at the 1974 Asian Games, and her mother, Takako Hasegawa, competed at the 1972 Summer Olympics.[4] Her older brother, Fumihito Sugawara [ja], is a politician who became the mayor of Toda in 2018.[5] When she was an active gymnast, she looked up to teammate Mari Kosuge.[6]
Career
She began gymnastics at the Toda Sports Center, where her parents coached.[1] In 1994, she won her first national all-around title.[2] She also competed at the 1994 Asian Games, where she won a silver medal with the team.[7]
In 1996, Sugawara entered Nippon Sport Science University.[6] That year, she tied for Japanese champion with Yuki Ohata [ja].[2] She represented Japan at the 1996 Summer Olympics and finished 29th in the individual all-around.[3]
From 1997–1999, she won an additional three all-around national titles in a row.[2] At the 1997 Summer Universiade, she won gold in the balance beam and floor finals, along with a silver on uneven bars and a bronze medal in the team event. At the 1998 Asian Games, she again won silver with the Japanese team. She also won individual bronze medals in the all-around and on the floor event.
Sugawara retired in 1999 due to injuries.[8] She spent three years studying abroad at the Australian Institute of Sport. She now works as a coach in Toda and has two children.[1] Her students include Olympians Hiraiwa Yuna and Rina Kishi. She has also spoken about her struggles with disordered eating to maintain her body weight during her time as a gymnast and the changing trend in women's gymnastics toward building more muscle in order to complete difficult elements.[4]
Competition history
References
External links
