Riki Nakaya

2.1. Childhood and Education

Nakaya was born on July 25, 1989, in Matsuyama, Ehime, Japan. His mother, a fan of professional wrestling, initially considered naming him after Tatsumi Fujinami, but ultimately chose the name 'Riki' after Riki Choshu due to kanji stroke count considerations. Nakaya began practicing judo in kindergarten, following in the footsteps of his older brother, at the Mitsuhama Judo Kai. During his youth, he competed against Haruna Asami from Iyo Judo Kai. Impressed by the training methods at Iyo Judo Kai, he and his brother later transferred there, a decision that would prove significant in his formative years. He later attended Nitta High School and Tokai University.

2.2. Junior Career and Transition to Senior Level

Nakaya showed significant promise during his junior judo career from 2007 to 2008, consistently competing in the lightweight division. In 2007, he won the A-Tournament U20 in Saint Petersburg, Russia, and secured a silver medal at the Asian U20 Championships in Hyderabad, India. The following year, 2008, saw him claim bronze medals at the A-Tournament U20 in Lyon, France, and the World U20 Championships in Bangkok, Thailand.

Domestically, Nakaya achieved notable success as a junior. He finished second at the National Junior High School Judo Tournament in 2004 and also secured second place at the All Japan Selected Junior Judo Tournament that same year. In high school, he won the Inter-High School Judo Tournament in 2006 during his second year but lost to his younger teammate Jumpei Morishita in the final during his third year, failing to achieve consecutive victories. He placed third at the All Japan Junior Judo Weight Category Championships in his second high school year and won it in his third year. After enrolling at Tokai University, he continued his winning streak at the All Japan Junior Judo Weight Category Championships, securing consecutive titles. He also won the All Japan Student Judo Weight Category Championships twice, in his second and third years of university. At the Kodokan Cup, he placed second in his third year of high school and continued to finish second or third in subsequent years before finally winning his first title in his third year of university.

Nakaya made his initial foray into senior-level judo by securing a bronze medal at the All Japan Championships in Fukuoka, marking his official transition to the senior circuit.

3.1. Early Senior Career and First World Title

Nakaya's early senior career saw him quickly establish himself on the international stage. In 2009, he made his debut at an international senior tournament, the Grand Slam Tokyo, where he won two fights by ippon and two yukos before losing to Canada's Nicholas Tritton in his third bout. He also secured a bronze medal at the All Japan Championships for the third consecutive time.

The year 2010 marked a significant turning point for Nakaya. At the World Cup in Vienna, he won all his fights by ippon to reach the final, where he ultimately lost to fellow Japanese judoka Hiroyuki Akimoto via two waza-aris, settling for silver. However, his breakthrough came at the Grand Slam in Tokyo later that year, where he defeated countryman Yuki Nishiyama in the final with a juji-gatame for ippon, earning his first senior international title.

Nakaya continued his momentum into 2011, winning his first Grand Slam Paris by defeating opponents like the Netherlands' Dex Elmont and Japan's Yasuhiro Awano, culminating in an ippon victory over Hungary's Attila Ungvari in the final. He then earned a bronze medal at the World Cup in Budapest. His first and only continental tournament appearance was at the Asian Championships in Abu Dhabi, where he reached the final with all ippon victories but lost to two-time world champion Wang Ki-chun of South Korea by waza-ari, securing a silver medal. In the team event at the Asian Championships, Japan won the silver medal, with Nakaya contributing to the victory.

Nakaya achieved his third Grand Slam title in Rio de Janeiro in 2011, winning three of his five fights by ippon, including a final victory over Portugal's João Pina. This success set the stage for the World Championships later that year, where he continued Japan's dominance in the lightweight division. He won his first five fights by ippon before facing Akimoto in the semi-final, whom he defeated with an osoto gari for waza-ari. In the final against Elmont, no throws were scored, but Nakaya won by earning a yuko due to a second shido (penalty) against Elmont. This victory made him a world champion and propelled him to the world number one ranking in the lightweight division by September 2011.

3.2. 2012 London Olympics and Subsequent Challenges

Despite his world champion status, Nakaya experienced a setback at the 2011 Grand Slam in Tokyo, where he failed to medal at a home event, losing to long-time rival Akimoto in the semi-final and finishing fifth. In his first appearance at a World Masters tournament in Almaty in 2012, he won his first two fights by ippon and narrowly defeated Akimoto by shido in the semi-final. However, in the final, he again faced Wang Ki-chun, and in a scoreless match, Wang defeated him by shido, leaving Nakaya with a silver medal.

Nakaya's performance in the lead-up to the 2012 Summer Olympics was strong. He secured his spot to represent Japan in London by winning his first All Japan Championships just two months before the Games, defeating future rival Shohei Ono in the final.

At the London Olympics, Nakaya defeated his first two opponents by ippon. He advanced to the final by narrowly beating Tajikistan's Rasul Boqiev by yuko and Dex Elmont by shido. In the gold medal match, he faced Russia's Mansur Isaev, who scored a yuko with a kata guruma counter-attack, ultimately winning the gold. Isaev's celebration, which involved crawling on top of Nakaya, drew criticism from many spectators and commentators. Nakaya's silver medal was one of only three for Japan, alongside Kaori Matsumoto's single gold, making it the country's worst judo campaign at the Olympics.

3.3. Second World Championship Title and Key Rivalries

Following the Olympics, Nakaya's competitive journey continued with mixed results, characterized by a deepening rivalry with Shohei Ono and a remarkable return to world championship form. At the 2012 Grand Slam in Tokyo, he lost to the rising star Ono in the final by ippon and waza-ari, marking a period of Ono's growing dominance. However, Nakaya managed to reclaim his title at the 2013 All Japan Championships, defeating Yuki Nishiyama in the final, and was selected for the World Championships.

At the 2013 World Championships, Nakaya secured ippon victories in his first two matches and then defeated Chinese Taipei's Huang Chun-ta by waza-ari. In the quarter-final, he faced Mongolia's Sainjargalyn Nyam-Ochir, who threw him with an osoto guruma for ippon. Nakaya sustained a concussion from the throw and had to be hospitalized, preventing him from competing in the repechage and finishing in seventh place. In Nakaya's absence, Ono won the world championship title, continuing Japan's lightweight success.

Nakaya demonstrated a strong comeback at the 2013 Grand Slam in Tokyo, achieving an all-ippon tournament by defeating all his opponents, including South Korea's Bang Gui-man in the final with osaekomi-waza. However, at the 2014 Grand Slam in Paris, he suffered a setback, losing to Mansur Isaev by hansoku-make (disqualification for leg grab) in the second round, just six months before the World Championships. This was followed by another loss to his rival Ono in the 2014 All Japan Championships final, where Ono defeated him with an uki otoshi for ippon, leaving Nakaya with a silver medal.

Despite these challenges, Nakaya made a powerful return at the 2014 World Championships. Ranked number sixteen, he faced difficult opponents such as Israel's Sagi Muki and Azerbaijan's Rustam Orujov, defeating them both. In an unexpected final matchup against North Korea's Hong Kuk-hyon, ranked number 32, Nakaya secured his second World Championship title with one of his signature moves, an ippon seoi nage for ippon. He attributed his success to meticulous research into his opponents' techniques. He also contributed to Japan's victory in the World Mixed Team Championships that year.

3.4. Later Career and Retirement

Nakaya's later career saw continued competition and further encounters with his rivals before his eventual retirement. In 2015, he earned a bronze medal at the All Japan Championships, an event where Shohei Ono also took bronze. He followed this with a bronze at the Masters in Rabat, defeating Mongolia's Odbayar Ganbaatar by ippon after losing to Georgia's Nugzari Tatalashvili.

Nakaya participated in his fourth World Championships in Astana in 2015, winning all five matches by ippon to reach the final. He defeated long-time opponents Attila Ungvari in the quarter-final and Hong Kuk-hyon in the semi-final. However, in the final, he faced his teammate and primary rival Shohei Ono and lost by waza-ari, settling for his second World Championship silver medal. He also secured a gold medal with the Japanese team at the World Mixed Team Championships in 2015.

His efforts to qualify for the 2016 Summer Olympics faced challenges. At the 2015 Grand Slam in Tokyo, he lost in his second fight to Russia's Musa Mogushkov. In February 2016, at the Grand Slam in Paris, Nakaya lost to Akimoto in the quarter-final and then had to concede his bronze medal match against Sagi Muki due to a broken arm, finishing in fifth place. Ranked sixth in the Olympic qualifiers and third in Japan behind Ono and Akimoto, with only one judoka per nation able to qualify, Nakaya was ultimately not selected for the Rio Olympics.

Following this, he competed in the Kodokan Cup in 2016, placing second after losing to Arata Tachikawa in the final. In 2017, Nakaya earned a silver medal at the Grand Slam in Baku and a bronze at the All Japan Championships. He was part of the Japanese team that won gold at the World Mixed Team Championships in Budapest in 2017, although his personal record in the tournament was one win and one loss. After the 2017 season, Nakaya changed his weight class to -81 kg and competed at the All Japan Business Judo Individual Championships in 2018, where he placed third.

On December 14, 2020, Nakaya announced his retirement from competitive judo through his corporate sponsor, ALSOK. He subsequently took on a coaching role for the ALSOK Judo Club starting in January 2021.

6.1. Overall Win-Loss Record

As of February 6, 2016, Riki Nakaya's overall competitive record stood as follows:

6.2. Major International and National Achievements

Nakaya's career is decorated with numerous medals from significant tournaments:

• Olympic Games:**
  • Silver: 2012 London (-73 kg)
• World Judo Championships (Individual):**
  • Gold: 2011 Paris (-73 kg), 2014 Chelyabinsk (-73 kg)
  • Silver: 2015 Astana (-73 kg)
• World Judo Team Championships:**
  • Gold: 2014 Chelyabinsk, 2015 Astana, 2017 Budapest (Mixed team)
  • Bronze: 2011 Paris
• Judo World Masters:**
  • Silver: 2012 Almaty (-73 kg)
  • Bronze: 2015 Rabat (-73 kg)
• IJF Grand Slam:**
  • Gold: 2010 Tokyo (-73 kg), 2011 Paris (-73 kg), 2011 Rio de Janeiro (-73 kg), 2013 Tokyo (-73 kg)
  • Silver: 2012 Tokyo (-73 kg), 2017 Baku (-73 kg)
  • Bronze: 2011 Tokyo (-73 kg)
• World Judo Juniors Championships:**
  • Bronze: 2008 Bangkok (-73 kg)
• Asian Judo Championships:**
  • Silver: 2011 Abu Dhabi (-73 kg)
• Asian Junior Judo Championships:**
  • Silver: 2007 Hyderabad (-73 kg), 2008 Sana'a (-73 kg)
• National Achievements (Japan):**
  • 2004: National Junior High School Judo Tournament - 2nd place
  • 2004: All Japan Selected Junior Judo Tournament - 2nd place
  • 2006: Inter-High School Judo Tournament - 1st place
  • 2006: All Japan Junior Judo Weight Category Championships - 3rd place
  • 2007: Russian Junior International - 1st place
  • 2007: Inter-High School Judo Tournament - 2nd place
  • 2007: All Japan Junior Judo Weight Category Championships - 1st place
  • 2007: Kodokan Cup All Japan Judo Weight Category Championships - 2nd place
  • 2008: All Japan Selected Judo Weight Category Championships - 3rd place
  • 2008: French Junior International - 1st place
  • 2008: All Japan Junior Judo Weight Category Championships - 1st place
  • 2008: World Junior Championships - 3rd place
  • 2008: All Japan Student Judo Weight Category Team Championships - 3rd place
  • 2008: Kodokan Cup All Japan Judo Weight Category Championships - 3rd place
  • 2009: All Japan Selected Judo Weight Category Championships - 3rd place
  • 2009: All Japan Student Judo Weight Category Championships - 1st place
  • 2009: All Japan Student Judo Weight Category Team Championships - 1st place
  • 2009: Kodokan Cup All Japan Judo Weight Category Championships - 2nd place
  • 2010: World Cup Vienna - 2nd place
  • 2010: All Japan Selected Judo Weight Category Championships - 3rd place
  • 2010: World Cup Salvador - 1st place
  • 2010: All Japan Student Judo Weight Category Championships - 1st place
  • 2010: Grand Prix Rotterdam - 5th place
  • 2010: All Japan Student Judo Weight Category Team Championships - 2nd place
  • 2010: Kodokan Cup All Japan Judo Weight Category Championships - 1st place
  • 2010: Grand Slam Tokyo - 1st place
  • 2011: Grand Slam Paris - 1st place
  • 2011: World Cup Budapest - 3rd place
  • 2011: Asian Judo Championships Individual - 2nd place, Team - 2nd place
  • 2011: Grand Slam Rio de Janeiro - 1st place
  • 2011: World Championships - 1st place
  • 2011: World Team Championships - 3rd place
  • 2011: Grand Slam Tokyo - 3rd place
  • 2012: World Masters - 2nd place
  • 2012: All Japan Selected Judo Weight Category Championships - 1st place
  • 2012: London Olympics - 2nd place
  • 2012: Grand Slam Tokyo - 2nd place
  • 2013: Asian Championships Team - 2nd place
  • 2013: All Japan Selected Judo Weight Category Championships - 1st place
  • 2013: World Championships - 7th place
  • 2013: Grand Slam Tokyo - 1st place
  • 2014: All Japan Selected Judo Weight Category Championships - 2nd place
  • 2014: World Championships - 1st place
  • 2014: World Team Championships - 1st place
  • 2015: All Japan Selected Judo Weight Category Championships - 3rd place
  • 2015: World Masters - 3rd place
  • 2015: World Championships - 2nd place
  • 2015: World Team Championships - 1st place
  • 2016: Grand Slam Paris - 5th place
  • 2016: All Japan Selected Judo Weight Category Championships - 2nd place
  • 2016: Kodokan Cup All Japan Judo Weight Category Championships - 2nd place
  • 2017: Grand Slam Baku - 2nd place
  • 2017: All Japan Selected Judo Weight Category Championships - 3rd place
  • 2017: World Team Championships - 1st place
  • 2018: All Japan Business Judo Individual Championships (81kg) - 3rd place

6.3. World Ranking Progression

Riki Nakaya's International Judo Federation (IJF) world ranking fluctuated throughout his career, reflecting his standing among the global elite.

As of September 3, 2018, his world ranking was 34th with 570 points.

6.4. Head-to-Head Records with Key Opponents

Nakaya had notable rivalries with several top judokas in his weight class. His head-to-head records against key opponents (as of December 2018) include: