The current world No.1 and Japan's most complete singles player — World Champion 2022 and 2023, Olympic gold medallist at Paris 2024 and the player who ended Chinese dominance of women's badminton through relentless speed and energy.
Akane Yamaguchi was born in Osaka, Japan in 1997. She won consecutive World Championship titles in 2022 and 2023 and the Olympic gold medal at Paris 2024. She reached World No.1 and won the BWF World Tour Finals. Her back-to-back World Championships ended an eight-year period of Chinese dominance in women's singles. Her combination of extraordinary speed, creative shot construction and competitive consistency made her the defining women's badminton player of the early 2020s. Her Paris 2024 gold completed a full set of major titles and established her as one of the greatest women's badminton players in history.
Exceptional speed, court coverage, and defensive skills
How They Played
Aggressive baseline play with exceptional defensive retrievals
Lasting Impact
First Japanese woman to win BWF World Championships and Olympic gold
World Champion 2022, 2023
Career Honours
- World Champion 2022, 2023
- Olympic Gold 2024
- BWF World No.1