Haruka Ueda

2.1. Birth and Youth

Haruka Ueda was born on April 27, 1988, in Kita Ward, Tokyo, Japan. She resided in Nishigahara, Kita Ward, until the fourth grade of elementary school. Standing at 70 in ^{(177 cm)} and weighing 150 lb ^{(68 kg)}, Ueda possesses an athletic build, and her blood type is O. At the age of five, she began her swimming training at the Tokyo Swimming Center, a renowned club associated with notable swimmers such as Kosuke Kitajima and Reiko Nakamura.

2.2. Education and Early Training

After graduating from Nishigahara Elementary School in 2001, Ueda attended Musashino Junior and Senior High School, a private institution, for six years. During her middle school years, her talent in swimming gradually began to emerge. By her second year of high school in 2005, she made her international debut on the world stage. Following her high school graduation in 2007, Ueda enrolled in the Department of Economics within the Faculty of Economics at Nihon University. Throughout her university years, she continued to train at the Tokyo Swimming Center, balancing her academic pursuits with rigorous swim practice.

3.1. Early Professional Period (2005-2009)

Ueda's ascent in the swimming world began in 2005, a pivotal year where she garnered strong results at the Japan Championships in Swimming. Her performance led to her selection for the 2005 World Aquatics Championships held in Montreal, Canada, where she debuted as a national representative, competing in the 200-metre freestyle and the freestyle relays. Immediately upon returning to Japan, she participated in the National High School Championships, representing her alma mater, and achieved two titles in the 200-metre and 400-metre freestyle events, establishing herself as a promising new talent.

In 2007, she competed in the 2007 World Aquatics Championships in Melbourne, Australia. The following year, in 2008, Ueda participated in the Japan Championships, which also served as the Olympic trials for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. Although her time in the 200-metre freestyle did not meet the individual Olympic qualifying standard, her victory and the collective performance of the top four swimmers secured her a spot on the freestyle relay team for Beijing. She also entered individual events at the Olympics, where she set a new Japanese national record of 1 minute, 57.64 seconds in the 200-metre freestyle preliminary heats, although she was eliminated in the semi-finals. Prior to the Olympics, on June 6, 2008, at the Japan Open Swimming Championships, she broke Chiba Suzu's nine-year-old 200-metre freestyle Japanese national record of 1 minute, 58.78 seconds, setting a new mark of 1 minute, 57.75 seconds.

3.2. Peak Career and Olympic Success (2010-2012)

After graduating from Nihon University, Ueda faced decisions regarding her future career path. She learned about the "Athnavi" program, an initiative by the Japanese Olympic Committee designed to support athletes in securing employment. Through this program, in 2011, she joined Kikkoman, a prominent Japanese food manufacturer, becoming one of the first female athletes to be hired through the scheme, alongside canoeist Yuriko Takeshita. Following her employment, Ueda continued her training under coach Norimasa Hirai as part of "Team Hirai," with the Tokyo Swimming Center serving as her primary training base while she officially represented Kikkoman.

In January 2012, Ueda competed in the Tokyo Metropolitan Swimming Championships, where she set a new Japanese national record of 54.33 seconds in the women's 100-metre freestyle. This performance qualified her for the Japan Championships later that year, which were the final selection trials for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. At these trials, she won the 100-metre freestyle with a new Japanese national record of 54.00 seconds, securing her place on the Olympic team. Although she also won the 50-metre and 200-metre freestyle events, she did not meet the individual qualifying standards for those disciplines. However, she was selected for the 4 × 200 metre freestyle relay team. At the London Olympics, Ueda also competed in the women's 4 × 100 metre medley relay final, contributing to a significant achievement. The team finished with a time of 3 minutes, 55.73 seconds, nearly two seconds faster than the previous Japanese record in the event, earning them a bronze medal. In recognition of this achievement, she received the Kita Ward Citizens' Cultural Encouragement Award in October 2012.

4.1. Olympic Games

• 2008 Beijing Olympics: Competed in the women's 200-metre freestyle, reaching the semifinals (13th place with 1:58.44), and was part of the women's 4 × 200 metre freestyle relay team.
• 2012 London Olympics: Earned a bronze medal in the women's 4 × 100 metre medley relay. Also competed in the women's 100-metre freestyle and was part of the women's 4 × 200 metre freestyle relay team.

4.2. World Aquatics Championships

Ueda participated in five World Aquatics Championships:

• 2005 World Aquatics Championships: Montreal, Canada - 200-metre freestyle (22nd place with 2:01.65).
• 2007 World Aquatics Championships: Melbourne, Australia - 100-metre freestyle (39th place with 0:57.21).
• 2009 World Aquatics Championships: Rome, Italy.
• 2011 World Aquatics Championships: Shanghai, China.
• 2013 World Aquatics Championships: Barcelona, Spain.

4.3. Pan Pacific Championships

• 2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships: Victoria, Canada - Bronze medal in the 4 × 200 metre freestyle relay.
• 2010 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships: Irvine, United States - Bronze medal in the 4 × 100 metre medley relay.

4.4. Other Major Competitions

• 2005 National High School Championships (Japan): Won both the women's 200-metre and 400-metre freestyle events.
• 2008 Japan Championships in Swimming: Placed 1st in the women's 200-metre freestyle, securing her Olympic qualification for the relay team.
• 2012 Japan Open (Long Course): Won the women's 100-metre freestyle with a time of 54.48 seconds.

6.1. Retirement from Competition

In December 2013, Haruka Ueda officially announced her retirement from competitive swimming. Following her retirement, she continued her employment at Kikkoman, transitioning fully into a corporate role within the company.

6.2. Marriage

In July 2014, Haruka Ueda married fellow Japanese swimmer Kazuya Kaneda. Kaneda was also an Olympic representative, having competed in the men's 200-metre butterfly at the 2012 London Olympics.