Kazuma Kaya

Kazuma Kaya (萱 和磨, Kaya Kazuma, born November 19, 1996 in Funabashi)[1] is a Japanese artistic gymnast.

Kazuma Kaya
Country represented Japan
Born (1996-11-19) November 19, 1996
Funabashi, Chiba, Japan
Height1.63 m (5 ft 4 in)
DisciplineMen's artistic gymnastics
LevelElite
Years on national teamJapan
ClubCentral Sports
Head coach(es)Yoshiri Saito, Hisashi Hizutori
Medal record
Men's artistic gymnastics
Representing  Japan
Olympic Games
Silver medal – second place2020 TokyoTeam
Bronze medal – third place2020 TokyoPommel Horse
World Championships
Gold medal – first place2015 GlasgowTeam
Gold medal – first place2023 AntwerpTeam
Silver medal – second place2021 KitakyushuPommel Horse
Silver medal – second place2022 LiverpoolTeam
Bronze medal – third place2015 GlasgowPommel Horse
Bronze medal – third place2018 DohaTeam
Bronze medal – third place2019 StuttgartTeam
Bronze medal – third place2019 StuttgartParallel Bars
Universiade
Gold medal – first place2019 NaplesTeam
Gold medal – first place2019 NaplesAll-Around
Gold medal – first place2021 ChengduFloor Exercise
Silver medal – second place2019 NaplesFloor Exercise
Silver medal – second place2021 ChengduTeam
Bronze medal – third place2019 NaplesPommel horse
Bronze medal – third place2021 ChengduAll-Around
Bronze medal – third place2021 ChengduParallel Bars

Kaya was part of the Japanese team that won the gold medal in the team event at the 2015 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships. He also won a gold medal in the 2015 Asian Championships in Hiroshima. At the 2018 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships he won bronze with the team to help Japan qualify to the 2020 Summer Olympics.

Personal life

Kaya began gymnastics in 2004 at the age of eight. He was inspired by watching the Japanese artistic gymnastics team win gold in the team event at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece.[2]

Kaya won the Inzai Citizen Honorary Award in 2015 and the Narashino Mayor Award in 2014.[2] He received a doctoral degree in sports science from Juntendo University.[2]

On 11 January 2022, Kazuma Kaya registered for marriage with his longtime girlfriend Seira Eto. The wedding ceremony was held on 15 January 2023 with the participation of Kohei Uchimura, Kenzo Shirai, Daiki Hashimoto & many other elite gymnasts.

Career

2015

Kaya competed at the 2015 World Championships in Glasgow, Scotland, where he placed third on pommel horse. His team placed first.[2]

2018

Kaya competed at the 2018 World Championships in Doha, Qatar, where he placed sixth on the all-around. His team placed third.[2]

2019

Kaya competed at the 2019 World Championships in Stuttgart, Germany, where he placed third on the all-around and parallel bars, and fifth on pommel horse. His team placed third.[2]

2021

At the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan, Kaya competed for Japan, a team that included Kaya, Daiki Hashimoto, Takeru Kitazono and Wataru Tanigawa.[3] The team won Olympic silver with a combined score of 262.397, 0.103 points between the winning team.[4] He also won a bronze on the individual pommel horse event.

At the 2021 World Championships also held at home in the replacement city of Kitakyushu, Kaya won the silver on individual pommel horse, and placed sixth on both individual floor exercise and parallel bars events.

Competitive history
Year Event Team AA FX PH SR VT PB HB
2015
World Championships1st place, gold medalist(s)103rd place, bronze medalist(s)
2018
World Championships6
2019
World Championships3rd place, bronze medalist(s)53rd place, bronze medalist(s)
2021
Olympic Games2nd place, silver medalist(s)3rd place, bronze medalist(s)
World Championships—62nd place, silver medalist(s)6

References
  1. 第15回アジア競技大会日本代表選手 (in Japanese). Japan Gymnastic Association. Archived from the original on March 13, 2010. Retrieved September 16, 2010.
  2. "Artistic Gymnastics KAYA Kazuma". Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Archived from the original on 2021-10-15. Retrieved 2021-07-27.
  3. "Artistic Gymnastics - Team Japan". Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Archived from the original on 2021-08-03. Retrieved 2021-07-27.
  4. "Artistic Gymnastics - Final Results". Tokyo 2020. Archived from the original on 2021-07-25. Retrieved 2021-07-27.


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