Ryo Kiyuna
Okinawa's kata master and four-time world champion
- Born
- July 12, 1990, Okinawa City, Okinawa, Japan
- Nationality
Japan- Style
- Okinawan kata master
- Weight
- Kata
- Active
- 2012–2022
- Status
- Retired · age 36
The medals
Olympic gold (2020); 4 individual world titles (+2 team kata titles)
The story
yo Kiyuna grew up in Okinawa, where karate began, and learned his kata under Tsuguo Sakumoto, himself a three-time world champion. Kiyuna won the individual world title in 2014, 2016, 2018 and 2021, the first man to win four, and added two world team kata titles. At the Nippon Budokan in 2021 he beat Spain's Damián Quintero 28.72 to 27.66 for Olympic gold, becoming Okinawa's first Olympic medallist, and held a framed photo of his late mother during the medal ceremony. He also carried Japan's flag at the closing ceremony. French magazine Karate-K counted a single defeat in almost a decade at the top, in a 2018 Premier League final. He retired in February 2023, at 32.
- Olympic champion, kata (2020)
- World champion, kata (2014, 2016, 2018, 2021)
- World champion, team kata (2016, 2018)
- Asian Games champion (2018); World Games champion (2017)
- Asian champion, kata (2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021)
- Japan's flag bearer at the Tokyo 2020 closing ceremony
Defining matches
- 2016WINvs Antonio Díaz (World Championships kata semi-final, Linz, 3-2)
- 2018WINvs Damián Quintero (World Championships kata final, Madrid, 5-0)
- 2018LOSSvs Damián Quintero (Karate 1-Premier League Dubai final; his only defeat in almost a decade, per Karate-K)
- 2021WINvs Damián Quintero (Tokyo Olympic kata final, 28.72–27.66)
- 2021WINvs Damián Quintero (World Championships kata final, Dubai, Ohan Dai, 28.38–26.66)
Choose your kata like a fight plan: Kiyuna saved long, powerful forms such as Anan Dai and Ohan Dai for the medal rounds. Film yourself and check that every stance holds its height and every technique ends in a clean, still stop.
1997–2008
2002–2016
2014–now