Mao Nakamura
![]() Nakamura at the 2018 Youth Summer Olympics | |||||||||||||||
Personal information | |||||||||||||||
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Nationality | Japanese | ||||||||||||||
Born | Japan | March 2, 2000||||||||||||||
Climbing career | |||||||||||||||
Type of climber | |||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Mao Nakamura (/ˈmɑːoʊˌnɑːkəˈmʊərə/ MAH-oh-NAH-kuh-MOOR-uh; 中村 真緒 (Nakamura Mao); born March 2, 2000) is a Japanese professional rock climber. She competes in international competition climbing, including the IFSC Climbing World Cup, Asian Championships, and youth-level IFSC events. Representing Japan, Nakamura specializes in bouldering and lead climbing, and is a member of the Japanese national climbing team..[1] She rose to international attention with strong performances on the World Cup circuit, notably placing 6th in bouldering at the 2024 IFSC World Cup in Prague, her career-best senior result to date.[2] Nakamura has also earned podiums in youth competitions, including multiple gold medals at the Asian Youth Championships and finalist placements at the IFSC Youth World Championships.[3][4]
Early life and education
[edit]Mao Nakamura was born on March 2, 2000, in Japan. She first became interested in climbing in elementary school—after joining a family outing that led her to a bouldering gym in 6th grade, she quickly fell in love with the sport and began training intensively.[5][6] She experimented with ballet, tennis, and piano, but by middle school, climbing had become her clear passion.[7] Describing herself as highly competitive, she began winning domestic youth competitions by high school and was selected to Japan’s national training programs.[8]
Nakamura attended Aoyama Gakuin University, majoring in Cultural Policy. While excelling academically, she maintained a rigorous training schedule—climbing five days a week (about 4–5 hours per session), complemented by morning runs and weekly fitness sessions—and expressed a strong desire to support future generations through climbing outreach.[9]
Climbing career
[edit]Mao Nakamura made her first international appearance at the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires, finishing sixth in the girls’ combined event[10]. She went on to earn three silver medals in Lead, Speed, and Boulder at the 2019 Asian Youth Championships in Bengaluru, and was a finalist across multiple disciplines—Lead (12th), Combined (8th), Boulder (24th), and Speed (18th)—at the IFSC Youth World Championships in Arco, Italy that same year[11]. In 2021, she entered the senior IFSC World Cup circuit full-time, posting strong Boulder results in Salt Lake City (10th) and Innsbruck (10th), and ultimately finishing 10th overall in the 2021 Boulder World Cup standings[12].
Nakamura continued to build momentum in 2022, achieving a Bronze in Boulder at the World Games in Birmingham and a Silver at the FISU University Championships in Innsbruck[13]. Her 2024 season saw consistent top-10 finishes in Boulder—including 6th in Salt Lake City and Prague, 4th in Innsbruck and at the NEOM Masters, 10th in Seoul, and 4th at the IFSC Asian Championships in Tai’an[14]. In 2025, Nakamura earned her first senior World Cup gold, becoming the only finalist to top all four boulders in Salt Lake City and securing the victory ahead of Zélia Avezou and Annie Sanders[15][16][17]. She also reached finals in Curitiba and Keqiao, placing fourth in each[18]
2021 World Cup season
[edit]In 2021, she debuted on the senior IFSC circuit, making two Boulder World Cup appearances in Salt Lake City (placing 14th in the first event and 10th in the second) and Innsbruck (10th), and finished 10th overall in the 2021 Boulder World Cup standings—ranking among Japan’s top scorers that season.[19][20]
2022 World Cup season
[edit]The year 2022 marked Nakamura’s expansion into multi-discipline competition. She captured bronze in Boulder at the World Games in Birmingham and silver at the FISU University Championships in Innsbruck.[21]
2024 World Cup season
[edit]In 2024, Nakamura secured multiple World Cup top‑10 finishes, including 6th in Boulder at Salt Lake City and Prague, 4th in Innsbruck, and 10th in Seoul. She also placed 4th in Boulder at the IFSC Asian Championships in Tai’an and at the NEOM IFSC Masters event.[22][23]
2025 World Cup season
[edit]Nakamura’s breakthrough came in 2025 when she won her first senior IFSC World Cup Boulder event in Salt Lake City—the only climber to top all four finals boulders—earning gold ahead of Zélia Avezou and Annie Sanders.[24][25][26] She also reached finals in Curitiba and Keqiao, placing fourth in both events.[27]
World Cup results
[edit]Asian Youth Championship Titles
[edit]Year | Event | Location | Discipline | Medal |
---|---|---|---|---|
2019 | Asian Youth Championships – Bengaluru | Bengaluru, India | Lead | Silver 🥈 |
2019 | Asian Youth Championships – Bengaluru | Bengaluru, India | Speed | Silver 🥈 |
2019 | Asian Youth Championships – Bengaluru | Bengaluru, India | Bouldering | Silver 🥈 |
2018 | Asian Youth Championships – Chongqing | Chongqing, China | Bouldering | Gold 🥇 |
2017 | Asian Youth Championships – Singapore | Singapore | Bouldering | Gold 🥇 |
2015 | Asian Youth Championships – Putrajaya | Putrajaya, Malaysia | Bouldering | Gold 🥇 |
IFSC World Cup Podiums
[edit]Year | Event | City | Discipline | Rank |
---|---|---|---|---|
2025 | IFSC Climbing World Cup – Salt Lake City | Salt Lake City, USA | Bouldering | 1st 🥇 |
Full IFSC World Cup Results
[edit]Year | Event | City | Date | Discipline | Rank |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2025 | IFSC World Cup | Salt Lake City, USA | 2025-05-26 | Boulder | 1 |
2025 | IFSC World Cup | Curitiba, BRA | 2025-05-19 | Boulder | 4 |
2025 | IFSC World Cup | Keqiao, CHN | 2025-04-20 | Boulder | 4 |
2024 | NEOM IFSC Masters | Neom | 2024-11-13 | Boulder | 4 |
2024 | IFSC Asian Championships | Tai'an | 2024-10-14 | Boulder | 4 |
2024 | IFSC World Cup | Seoul | 2024-10-06 | Lead | 30 |
2024 | IFSC World Cup | Seoul | 2024-10-06 | Boulder | 10 |
2024 | IFSC World Cup | Prague | 2024-09-22 | Boulder | 6 |
2024 | IFSC World Cup | Briançon | 2024-07-19 | Lead | 30 |
2024 | IFSC World Cup | Chamonix | 2024-07-14 | Lead | 21 |
2024 | IFSC World Cup | Innsbruck | 2024-06-30 | Boulder | 4 |
2024 | IFSC World Cup | Salt Lake City | 2024-05-06 | Boulder | 6 |
2024 | IFSC World Cup | Keqiao | 2024-04-10 | Boulder | 11 |
2022 | World Games | Birmingham, USA | 2022-07-17 | Boulder | 3 |
2022 | FISU University Championships | Innsbruck | 2022-06-17 | Boulder | 2 |
2021 | IFSC World Championships | Moscow | 2021-09-21 | Boulder | 14 |
2021 | IFSC World Cup | Innsbruck | 2021-06-26 | Boulder | 10 |
2021 | IFSC World Cup | Salt Lake City | 2021-05-31 | Boulder | 14 |
2021 | IFSC World Cup | Salt Lake City | 2021-05-23 | Boulder | 10 |
2019 | IFSC World Cup | Vail | 2019-06-08 | Boulder | 6 |
2019 | IFSC World Cup | Wujiang | 2019-05-05 | Boulder | 12 |
2019 | IFSC World Cup | Wujiang | 2019-05-05 | Speed | 48 |
2019 | IFSC World Cup | Chongqing | 2019-04-28 | Boulder | 16 |
2019 | IFSC World Cup | Chongqing | 2019-04-28 | Speed | 50 |
2019 | IFSC World Cup | Moscow | 2019-04-14 | Boulder | 23 |
2019 | IFSC World Cup | Moscow | 2019-04-14 | Speed | 60 |
2019 | IFSC World Cup | Meiringen | 2019-04-06 | Boulder | 51 |
2018 | IFSC World Cup | Munich | 2018-08-18 | Boulder | 10 |
2018 | IFSC World Cup | Vail | 2018-06-09 | Boulder | 13 |
2018 | IFSC World Cup | Hachioji | 2018-06-03 | Boulder | 35 |
2018 | IFSC World Cup | Chongqing | 2018-05-06 | Boulder | 20 |
2018 | IFSC World Cup | Chongqing | 2018-05-06 | Speed | 36 |
2018 | IFSC World Cup | Moscow | 2018-04-22 | Boulder | 31 |
2018 | IFSC World Cup | Meiringen | 2018-04-14 | Boulder | 15 |
2017 | IFSC World Cup | Hachioji | 2017-05-07 | Boulder | 43 |
2016 | IFSC World Cup | Kazo | 2016-04-24 | Boulder | 33 |
References
[edit]- ^ "2022年度 スポーツクライミング日本代表選手". Japan Mountaineering and Sport Climbing Association (JMSCA) (in Japanese). Retrieved June 7, 2025.
- ^ "Results – Boulder – Prague (CZE) 2024". IFSC. Retrieved June 7, 2025.
- ^ "Mao Nakamura – Athlete Profile". IFSC. Retrieved June 7, 2025.
- ^ "2018年アジアユース選手権 – 成績一覧". JMSCA (in Japanese). Retrieved June 7, 2025.
- ^ "頭脳×体力×技術 錬磨により頂点へ〈大学・中村 真緒さん〉". Aoyama Gakuin University (in Japanese). July 2, 2021. Retrieved June 7, 2025.
- ^ "青学大・中村真緒 ボルダリングだけは、ずっと飽きなかった". 4years.asahi.com (in Japanese). July 17, 2019. Retrieved June 7, 2025.
- ^ "青学大・中村真緒 ボルダリングだけは、ずっと飽きなかった". 4years.asahi.com (in Japanese). July 17, 2019. Retrieved June 7, 2025.
- ^ "青学で広げた視野と深めた知識を携えボルダリングで世界へ". Aoyama Gakuin University (in Japanese). July 8, 2021. Retrieved June 7, 2025.
- ^ "頭脳×体力×技術 錬磨により頂点へ〈大学・中村 真緒さん〉". Aoyama Gakuin University (in Japanese). July 2, 2021. Retrieved June 7, 2025.
- ^ "Combined, Girls – Results". Olympedia. Retrieved June 7, 2025.
- ^ "Mao Nakamura – Athlete Profile". IFSC. Retrieved June 7, 2025.
- ^ "IFSC Bouldering World Cup 2021 Women OVERALL Ranking". IFSC. Retrieved June 7, 2025.
- ^ "Mao Nakamura – Athlete Profile". IFSC. Retrieved June 7, 2025.
- ^ "Mao Nakamura – Athlete Profile". IFSC. Retrieved June 7, 2025.
- ^ Busch, Sven (May 26, 2025). "Japan's Nakamura Mao finally claims first‑ever World Cup win at Boulder event in Salt Lake City". Olympics.com. International Olympic Committee. Retrieved June 7, 2025.
- ^ "Nakamura takes deserved first World Cup gold". IFSC. May 26, 2025. Retrieved June 7, 2025.
- ^ Thompson, James (May 26, 2025). "Japanese Climber Secures First IFSC Boulder World Cup Gold in Salt Lake City". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved June 7, 2025.
- ^ "Japan's Mao Nakamura – Athlete Profile". IFSC. Retrieved June 7, 2025.
- ^ "IFSC Bouldering World Cup 2021 Women OVERALL Ranking". IFSC. Retrieved June 7, 2025.
- ^ "IFSC Climbing World Cup – Salt Lake City 2021 – Results". Austrian Climbing Association. Retrieved June 7, 2025.
- ^ "Mao Nakamura – Athlete Profile". IFSC. Retrieved June 7, 2025.
- ^ "Mao Nakamura – Athlete Results". IFSC. Retrieved June 7, 2025.
- ^ "IFSC World Cup Salt Lake City 2024 – Boulder Results". IFSC. Retrieved June 7, 2025.
- ^ Busch, Sven. "Japan's Nakamura Mao finally claims first‑ever World Cup win at Boulder event in Salt Lake City". Olympics News. International Olympic Committee. Retrieved June 7, 2025.
- ^ "Nakamura takes deserved first World Cup gold". IFSC. May 25, 2025. Retrieved June 7, 2025.
- ^ Thompson, James (May 26, 2025). "Japanese Climber Secures First IFSC Boulder World Cup Gold in Salt Lake City". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved June 7, 2025.
- ^ "Perfect scores as Salt Lake semi‑final sizzles". IFSC. May 24, 2025. Retrieved June 7, 2025.
- Japanese rock climbers
- Competition climbers
- Boulder climbers
- Japanese sportswomen
- Aoyama Gakuin University alumni
- 2000 births
- Living people
- 21st-century Japanese women
- Sport climbers at the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics
- Competitors at the 2022 World Games
- World Games bronze medalists
- World Games medalists in sport climbing