Yukiko Ueno

Japanese softball pitcher who led Japan to two Olympic gold medals, famous for her incredible endurance and pitching 413 times in 3 days at Beijing 2008.

Yukiko Ueno was born on 22 July 1982 in Fukuoka, Japan, and developed into one of the most dominant pitchers in the history of international softball, renowned for a fastball that topped out at 128 kilometres per hour, among the fastest ever recorded in the women's game, alongside a change-up widely regarded as the finest in the sport. Ueno made her Olympic debut at the 2004 Athens Games, throwing the first perfect game in Olympic softball history against China and helping Japan win a bronze medal. She delivered the signature performance of her career at the 2008 Beijing Olympics: after a gruelling semi-final defeat to the United States, she pitched a complete-game victory over Australia in the bronze medal playoff, and with only a single night's rest, returned to pitch a complete game once more in the gold medal final against the Americans, throwing 28 innings across two days to deliver Japan's first-ever Olympic softball title. Ueno added a second Olympic gold at the Tokyo 2020 Games, held in 2021, pitching Japan past the United States once again in the final at 39 years old, and has also won three World Cup titles, including MVP honours in 2024. Ueno became the first player in Japanese softball league history to reach 250 career wins in 2025, continuing to compete into her forties for Bic Camera Takasaki Bee Queen, and remains widely regarded as one of the greatest pitchers, and biggest single-game competitors, the sport has ever produced.

Right-handed pitcher known for powerful fastball, excellent control, and exceptional endurance

Considered one of the greatest softball pitchers of all time and a national hero in Japan

• Olympic Gold 2008, 2020
• Olympic Bronze 2004
• 413 pitches in 3 days (2008)
• 2x World Championship gold (2012, 2014)