Contents
Risako Kawai
Winning Olympic wrestling gold at two different weight classes.
Rio gold · Tokyo gold
- Born
- 21 November 1994
- Birthplace
- Tsubata, Japan
More people
Risako Kawai
Japanese freestyle wrestler known in competition as Risako Kawai and later Risako Kinjo. She won Olympic titles in Rio and Tokyo before returning after childbirth to win another world title.
Early life
Wrestling family
Both parents wrestled, and she started at a children’s club run by her mother.
Sisters on the mat
Her younger sister Yukako also became an Olympic champion.
Career
- 2015
Senior breakthrough
Won world silver at 63 kg before her first Olympics.
- 2016–2021
Olympic campaigns
Represented Japan at Rio and Tokyo while moving down to 57 kg.
- 2022–2025
Return and retirement
Returned after childbirth, won the 2024 world title at 59 kg and retired in 2025.
Achievements
Rio gold
Won the women’s 63 kg Olympic title.
Tokyo gold
Won at 57 kg at the delayed Tokyo Olympics.
Fourth world title
Added 59 kg world gold to her three earlier world championships.
Beyond sport
Marriage and motherhood
Married wrestler Kiryu Kinjo and had a daughter in 2022.
A family double
She and Yukako won Olympic gold on consecutive days in Tokyo.
Sources & photo credit
Life, career and references ↗Career and achievements ↗Photo: スポーツ庁. CC BY 4.0 · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
