Akira Koga
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| Born | 8 March 1994 Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 75 kg (165 lb) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country | Japan | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Badminton | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Handedness | Right | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Men's & mixed doubles | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Highest ranking | 14 (MD with Taichi Saito, 12 December 2023) 69 (XD with Yuho Imai, 30 September 2025) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| BWF profile | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Akira Koga (古賀 輝, Koga Akira; born 8 March 1994) is a Japanese badminton player affiliated with the JTEKT badminton team.[1] He was a member of the Japanese junior team that won a gold medal at the 2012 Asian Junior Championships and a silver medal at the 2012 World Junior Championships. In his senior career, Koga has primarily competed in men's doubles with his partner Taichi Saito. He won a silver medal with the Japanese team at the 2021 Sudirman Cup, and has won multiple bronze medals at the Thomas Cup and the Asian Games.
Early career
Junior career
Koga began playing badminton in his hometown of Fukuoka, where his father coached a junior team and his mother had played at the university level. He started training in elementary school and later attended Saitama Sakae Junior and Senior High Schools.[2] During his junior career, he won several national titles, including the doubles title at the 2008 All Japan Junior High School Championships and the 2010 JOC Junior Olympic Cup. In 2011, he won the singles title at the National High School Championships (Inter-High), defeating Kento Momota in the final.[3][4]
In 2012, he contributed to Japan's first mixed team title at the Asian Junior Championships and a silver medal at the World Junior Championships. In the World Junior team final against China, he and partner Akane Yamaguchi were narrowly defeated in the decisive mixed doubles match by Zheng Siwei and Chen Qingchen, with a score of 22–24 in the third game.[5]
University career
From 2012 to 2016, Koga attended Waseda University, where he studied in the Faculty of Sport Sciences. There, he began his men's doubles partnership with Taichi Saito.[2][4] Together, they won the men's doubles title at the All Japan Inter-Collegiate Championships three times (2012, 2013, and 2015).[3]
In February 2013, during his second year at Waseda, Koga sustained a stress fracture that required surgery and a two-to-three-month recovery period. The injury and subsequent recovery affected his on-court movement and performance for the remainder of the season.[4] In his final year, Koga served as the Waseda team captain and received both the Athletics Honorary Award and the Azusa Ono Memorial Award in recognition of his collegiate achievements.[4][6][7]
Career
2016-2024: Partnership with Taichi Saito
Afer graduating in 2016, Koga joined the NTT East badminton team and began his senior career, maintaining his partnership with Taichi Saito. The pair won consecutive national titles at the Japan Ranking Circuit in 2017 and 2018 and secured their first international title at the 2018 South Australia International.[8] On the BWF World Tour, they finished as runners-up at four tournaments: the Orléans Masters, the Akita Masters, and the Indonesia Masters in 2019, and the Syed Modi International in 2023.[9][10][11][12] They also reached the semifinals of the 2021 Indonesia Open Super 1000 and the 2023 Canada Open Super 500.
2025: New partnerships and first World Tour title
Following Saito's retirement, Koga transferred to the JTEKT Stingers in 2025 and began competing with new partners. In men's doubles, he partnered with Naoya Kawashima, winning the Saipan International and finishing runner-up at the Northern Marianas International.[13][14] Transitioning to mixed doubles with Yuho Imai, Koga secured his first World Tour title at the Super 100 Kaohsiung Masters.[15] The pair also won the Mexican International and the Northern Marianas Open, and were runners-up at the Northern Marianas International.[16][17][18][14]
Later that year, Koga reached the mixed doubles quarterfinals at the Korea Masters with Hina Osawa.[19] He then partnered with Misaki Matsutomo at the Japan Masters, a Super 500 event. In their debut, they advanced to the semifinals before losing to the eventual champions, Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Supissara Paewsampran.[20] In November, it was announced Koga formed a new partnership with Natsu Saito.[21] Their international debut as a pair is planned for the Malaysia Open in January 2026.[22]
National team career
Representing Japan in team events, Koga won a silver medal at the 2021 Sudirman Cup. He has also won bronze medals at the Thomas Cup and the Asian Games.
Achievements
BWF World Tour (1 title, 4 runners-up)
The BWF World Tour, which was announced on 19 March 2017 and implemented in 2018,[23] is a series of elite badminton tournaments sanctioned by the Badminton World Federation (BWF). The BWF World Tour is divided into levels of World Tour Finals, Super 1000, Super 750, Super 500, Super 300, and the BWF Tour Super 100.[24]
Men's doubles
| Year | Tournament | Level | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Orléans Masters | Super 100 | Taichi Saito | Lee Yang Wang Chi-lin |
21–16, 20–22, 15–21 | Runner-up | [9] |
| 2019 | Akita Masters | Super 100 | Taichi Saito | Ou Xuanyi Zhang Nan |
14–21, 19–21 | Runner-up | [10] |
| 2019 | Indonesia Masters | Super 100 | Taichi Saito | Ou Xuanyi Zhang Nan |
21–11, 10–21, 20–22 | Runner-up | [11] |
| 2023 | Syed Modi International | Super 300 | Taichi Saito | Choong Hon Jian Muhammad Haikal |
21–18, 18–21, 16–21 | Runner-up | [12] |
Mixed doubles
| Year | Tournament | Level | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Kaohsiung Masters | Super 100 | Yuho Imai | Wu Hsuan-yi Yang Chu-yun |
16–21, 21–13, 21–15 | Winner | [15] |
BWF International Challenge/Series (4 titles, 2 runners-up)
Men's doubles
| Year | Tournament | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | South Australia International | Taichi Saito | Danny Bawa Chrisnanta Terry Hee |
21–11, 19–21, 21–16 | Winner | [8] |
| 2025 | Northern Marianas International | Naoya Kawashima | Kim Jae-hyeon Lee Sang-won |
16–21, 15–21 | Runner-up | [14] |
| 2025 | Saipan International | Naoya Kawashima | Haruki Kawabe Kenta Matsukawa |
15–13, 15–12 | Winner | [13][25] |
Mixed doubles
| Year | Tournament | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Mexican International | Yuho Imai | Davi Silva Sânia Lima |
15–8, 9–15, 15–9 | Winner | [16] |
| 2025 | Northern Marianas International | Yuho Imai | Kim Jae-hyeon Kim Min-ji |
13–21, 21–16, 18–21 | Runner-up | [14] |
| 2025 | Northern Marianas Open | Yuho Imai | Haruki Kawabe Kokona Ishikawa |
21–19, 21–13 | Winner | [17][18] |
- BWF International Challenge tournament
- BWF International Series tournament
References
- ^ "Akira KOGA | Profile". JTEKT Sports. Retrieved 14 August 2025.
- ^ a b "[Series] Heisei 27 (2015) Academic Year Graduation Commemorative Special Feature, No. 48: Akira Koga / Badminton". Waseda Sports (in Japanese). 8 March 2016. Archived from the original on 28 September 2025. Retrieved 28 September 2025.
- ^ a b "[Series] My Grip ~Grip Particularities~ Vol. 17 Akira Koga (NTT East)". Badminton Spirit (in Japanese). 1 June 2018. Archived from the original on 20 April 2025. Retrieved 28 September 2025.
- ^ a b c d "[Badminton Series, Part 3] 'One for all ~Towards Recapturing the Throne~' Akira Koga × Taichi Saito". Waseda Sports (in Japanese). 18 October 2013. Archived from the original on 19 July 2025. Retrieved 28 September 2025.
- ^ "2012 World Junior Results". tournamentsoftware.com. BWF. Retrieved 31 August 2016.
- ^ "The 2015 Ono Azusa Memorial Award Ceremony was held". Waseda University (in Japanese). 28 April 2016. Archived from the original on 28 September 2025. Retrieved 28 September 2025.
- ^ "Athletics Honorary Award Data" (PDF). Waseda University (in Japanese). Archived (PDF) from the original on 9 April 2025. Retrieved 28 September 2025.
- ^ a b Matsuda, Keita (16 September 2018). "Result: Badminton South Australia International 2018". Nippon Badminton Association (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 8 April 2019. Retrieved 7 July 2025.
- ^ a b Anastasiadou-Galva, Despoina (24 March 2019). "Très Bien for Europe in Orléans!". Badminton Europe. Archived from the original on 19 September 2024. Retrieved 7 July 2025.
- ^ a b "[Akita Masters 2019] Previous Champions Sakuramoto & Takahata Achieve Their Second Consecutive Victory!<Final-2>". Badminton Spirit (in Japanese). 19 August 2019. Archived from the original on 15 June 2025. Retrieved 7 July 2025.
- ^ a b Tegar, Bimo (6 October 2019). "(Yuzu Indonesia Masters) Ou/Zhang Winners in 'Bumi Arema'". Djarum Badminton (in Indonesian). Archived from the original on 7 September 2024. Retrieved 7 July 2025.
- ^ a b "Syed Modi International: Day of the Underdog". Badminton World Federation. 3 December 2023. Archived from the original on 25 January 2025. Retrieved 7 July 2025.
- ^ a b "Champions Crowned at CENTURY INSURANCE Saipan International 2025 – Finals Recap". Badminton Oceania. 16 August 2025. Archived from the original on 16 August 2025. Retrieved 16 August 2025.
- ^ a b c d "Korea Dominates Finals Day – Northern Marianas International 2025". Badminton Oceania. 22 June 2025. Archived from the original on 22 June 2025. Retrieved 22 June 2025.
- ^ a b Chan, Chien-chuan (28 September 2025). "Badminton: World University Games Gold Medal Pair Wu Hsuan-yi & Yang Chu-yun Suffer Comeback Defeat to Finish as Runners-Up, 'A Pity We Couldn't Show we can't show our 'wheel dance' to everyone'". LTSports News (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 29 September 2025. Retrieved 29 September 2025.
- ^ a b "Champions in Mexico – Pan Am Circuit 2025". Badminton Pan America. 13 May 2025. Archived from the original on 26 May 2025. Retrieved 26 May 2025.
- ^ a b "Japan Dominates Finals at CROWNE PLAZA Northern Marianas Open". Badminton Oceania. 11 August 2025. Archived from the original on 10 August 2025. Retrieved 10 August 2025.
- ^ a b Sablan Jr., James (12 August 2025). "Japan sweeps Crowne Plaza badminton titles". Marianas Variety. Archived from the original on 12 August 2025. Retrieved 14 August 2025.
- ^ "Badminton Korea Masters 2025: Live Updates, Japanese Team Results, and Summary". International Olympic Committee (in Japanese). 10 November 2025. Archived from the original on 24 November 2025. Retrieved 24 November 2025.
- ^ "Badminton Kumamoto Masters 2025: Live Updates, Japanese Team Results, and Summary". International Olympic Committee (in Japanese). 16 November 2025. Archived from the original on 24 November 2025. Retrieved 24 November 2025.
- ^ "[Tournament Information] Nami Matsuyama, bronze medalist in the women's doubles at the World Championships, has entered the All Japan Championships in mixed doubles with Hiroki Midorikawa!". Badminton Spirit (in Japanese). 5 November 2025. Archived from the original on 22 November 2025. Retrieved 22 November 2025.
- ^ "Malaysia Open 2026 | Participants" (PDF). Badminton Association of Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved 18 November 2025.
- ^ Alleyne, Gayle (19 March 2017). "BWF Launches New Events Structure". Badminton World Federation. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
- ^ Sukumar, Dev (10 January 2018). "Action-Packed Season Ahead!". Badminton World Federation. Archived from the original on 13 January 2018. Retrieved 15 January 2018.
- ^ Sablan Jr., James (18 August 2025). "Japan, Korea, and India claim badminton titles in Century Insurance tourney". Marianas Variety. Archived from the original on 18 August 2025. Retrieved 18 August 2025.
External links
- Akira Koga at BWFBadminton.com
- Akira Koga at BWFWorldTourFinals.BWFBadminton.com
- Akira Koga at BWF.TournamentSoftware.com (archived)
- Akira Koga at Nippon Badminton Association (in Japanese) (archived)
- Akira Koga – Hangzhou 2022 at Team Japan (in Japanese) (in English)