Yu Minobe
After five months of waiting out a pandemic postponement, the Japanese gymnasts will finally get the chance to compete in Takasaki today, beginning with qualifications for the men and women, and concluding with an all-around final on Tuesday.
The program’s star, Mai Murakami, is expected to compete, as is Asuka Teramoto, who is slowly making her way back after suffering an Achilles injury earlier in the year, but the two you should keep an eye on here are the Hatakeda sisters. Hitomi, a member of the 2018 and 2019 world championships teams who took bronze at the American Cup this year, and first-year senior Chiaki, who competed at junior worlds last year, both showed up to training this weekend with some promising upgrades, and are hoping to make an early impression, though this competition doesn’t count toward the Olympic selection.
Notably not on the roster are 2016 Olympians Aiko Sugihara and Yuki Uchiyama, as well as Nagi Kajita, a member of the worlds teams in 2018 and 2019. But on the plus side, Sae Miyakawa will compete here, and it’ll be interesting to see how she looks now that she’s further removed from her abusive coaching situation. I was also delighted to see 2008 and 2012 Olympian Yu Minobe listed! Minobe announced last year that she was coming back from retirement, and she competed a couple of simple routines at the Senior Championships in 2019, but this is the first time we’ll see the now 30-year-old in action at a higher level.
Also keep an eye on 2019 worlds competitor Akari Matsumura, the strong vault and beam double threat Ayaka Sakaguchi, two-time world cup beam medalist Mana Oguchi, and 2018 Youth Olympic Games competitor Chiharu Yamada. As a special treat, we’ll also see Sri Lankan gymnast Milka Gehani competing as a guest. Gehani competed at the Youth Olympic Games in 2018 and made her worlds debut last year, finishing 114th in the all-around to likely secure the tripartite nomination for Tokyo 2020.
A full list of competitors is below. The women begin competing tomorrow, September 21, with the top groups going up on the 22nd, some of which will be streamed live beginning at 2:45 pm local time (which is 1:45 am EDT).
| COMPETITORS | |
| Kaho Aiyama, Seed Gymnastics Hana Akaho, Sabae High School Kyoka Akiyama, Tosu High School Megumi Aoki, Kano Gymnastics Mishira Bessho, Sohgoh Yuka Bito, Kano Gymnastics Yuna Endo, Fuji Sports Club Mirea Fujiwara, Asahi Life Milka Gehani, Asahi Life Soyoka Hanawa, Kano Gymnastics Nonoka Harada, Gym Net Eri Harashima, Kagoshima Sports Seri Haruguchi, Try Gymnastics Chiaki Hatakeda, Central Sports Hitomi Hatakeda, Central Sports Koto Hasegawa, Asahi Life Itoi Higashiyama, Seiai High School Yuna Hiraiwa, Toda Sport Mizuka Hirama, Seiai High School Aki Hokane, Kyoto Jumping Koharu Hosaka, Seiai High School Yuka Hoshi, Sohgoh Ai Yuna Ima, Seiai High School Wakana Inagaki, Let’s Gymnastics Karin Inokuchi, Seiai High School Misato Ishikawa, Kanoya Azumi Ishikura, Zero Gymnastics Momoko Iwai, Asahi Life Natsume Iwasaki, Asahi Life Nanao Kando, Seed Gymnastics Amane Kariya, Chukyo Gymnastics Arisa Kasahara, Let’s Gymnastics Riyu Kato, Sabae High School Sanatsu Katsuno, Gym Net Kai Kawaguchi, Gym Net Runa Kawashima, Ogaki Kyoritsu Bank Ayame Kitada, Kaorigaoka Liberté High School Rina Kitagawa, Shitennoji High School Chizuru Kobayashi, Kagoshima Sports Miko Kobayashi, Tosu High School Yumiko Kodama, Kano Gymnastics Himawari Koga, Tosu Gymnastics Mihona Koike, Shigakukan Gymnastics Azuki Kokufugata, Gym Net Tamaki Kondo, Sabae High School Ayaka Kumano, Seiai High School Kiko Kuwajima, Asahi Life Rin Makibayashi, Let’s Gymnastics Hinata Matsubara, MTS Akari Matsumura, Gym Net Aoiko Mineno, Ogaki Kyoritsu Bank Yu Minobe, Yamanashi High School Sae Miyakawa, Takasu Clinic Shoko Miyata, Sabae High School |
Nonoka Momii, Tosu Gymnastics Marin Mune, Sabae High School Mai Murakami, NSSU Anna Nakai, Chukyo Gymnastics Yumika Nakamura, NSSU Izumi Nitta, Chukyo Gymnastics Natsumi Ogawa, Zero Gymnastics Shiori Ogawa, Niigata Gymnastics Mian Ogoshi, Kano Gymnastics Mana Oguchi, Oizumi Club Yuri Okiyama, Try Gymnastics Ayumi Okuma, Tosu High School Moe Okuma, Oizumi Club Karen Okusa, Oizumi Club Ruri Omura, Chukyo Gymnastics Misora Saito, Shitennoji High School Ayaka Sakaguchi, Gym Net Koyuna Sakakibara, Narawa Gymnastics Mieko Sasaki, Moe Sekizuka, Try Gymnastics Yui Sekizuka, Try Gymnastics Mikako Serita, Kano Gymnastics Miu Shakema, Tosu High School Riho Shigematsu, Tosu Gymnastics Suzuka Shimizu, Seiai High School Shizuku Sonezaki, Tosu Gymnastics Hinata Sumito, Shitennoji High School Kanna Suzuki, Zero Gymnastics Nina Suzuki, Zero Gymnastics Airei Tabata, Seiai High School Tomiuka Tada, Kagoshima Sports Yamabuki Tajima, Tosu Gymnastics Himena Takada, Let’s Gymnastics Ran Takagi, Sohgoh Tomomi Takeuchi, Kagoshima Sports Kotomi Taya, Zero Gymnastics Asuka Teramoto, Miki House Ako Tochihara, Asahi Life Hikari Toyama, Seiai High School Misaki Tsuji, MTS Ryori Tsujimae, Try Gymnastics Miho Tsutsui, Let’s Gymnastics Kohane Ushioku, Let’s Gymnastics Hazuki Watanabe, Chukyo Gymnastics Kotomi Watanabe, Sohgoh Chiharu Yamada, Asahi Life Mio Yamamoto, Let’s Gymnastics Rina Yamamoto, Sabae High School Nao Yamashita, Let’s Gymnastics Ririko Yamashita, W Gymnastics Minami Yoshioka, Seiai High School Wakano Yumi, Tosu High School Sakura Yumoto, Narawa Gymnastics |
The Gymternet 
Any word on Urara Ashikawa?
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Probably not bothering with this one since she’s a specialist and it’s an all-around competition! She mainly focuses just on beam, especially in the last year.
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So we will find out the 2021 Olympic Team by the end of next week then?
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No, these aren’t nationals. The Olympic team is determined by individual national championships and the NHK Trophy.
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