Akiyo Noguchi
 Noguchi at the World Cup in Vienna, 2010. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nationality | Japanese | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | May 30, 1989 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Occupation | Professional rock climber | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 167 cm (5 ft 6 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 49 kg (108 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spouse | Tomoa Narasaki (m. 2021) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Climbing career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Highest grade |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2021 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Known for | Winning the IFSC bouldering World Cup 4 times | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Updated on April 28, 2019 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
.svg.png){kind=icon}
.svg.png){kind=icon}
.svg.png){kind=icon}
Akiyo Noguchi (野口 啓代, Noguchi Akiyo; born May 30, 1989) is a Japanese professional rock climber who specializes in competition bouldering as well as outdoor bouldering and sport climbing.
She participates in both competition bouldering and competition lead climbing disciplines. She is known for winning the IFSC Climbing World Cup in Bouldering four times. In her home country, she won Bouldering Japan Cup nine times consecutively from 2005 to 2014, which no other Japanese athlete has been able to match. She retired from competition climbing after competing and winning a bronze medal in the 2020 Summer Olympics.[2][3][4]
Early life
Noguchi grew up on a cattle farm in the Ibaraki Prefecture. From a young age she would climb on buildings, trees and sometimes even on the cows. In 2000, when she was 11 years old, she tried a real climbing wall for the first time, during a holiday trip to Guam. Back at home she immediately joined a local climbing gym. Her father later built her a climbing wall in an old cattle barn on the farm.[5][6][7]
Competition climbing
In 2007, she started competing in the Bouldering World Cups, reaching the podium three times. In 2009, she won the World Cup in bouldering, over the previous year's champion Anna Stöhr.[8] Noguchi repeated as champion in 2010, 2014 and 2015.[9] In the 2011, 2012 and 2013 bouldering events at the World Cup she placed second.[9] She has also won the combined climbing title at the World Cup three times.[9]
Noguchi was also awarded the La Sportiva Competition Award in 2010, "for her victories and the positive spirit she exudes during competitions".[10]
In 2019 Akiyo Noguchi won a silver medal in the combined competition at the climbing World Championship which qualified her for the 2020 Summer Olympics. Noguchi had contemplated retirement from competition climbing as early as 2016, but when it was announced that climbing would become an Olympic sport in 2020 for the first time she decided to try and qualify for Olympics in her home country.[11] Noguchi attended her final IFSC Climbing World Cup in Innsbruck in June 2021, finishing a career of 169 World Cups and World Championships and 75 podium places.[12] On July 13, 2021, she published an autobiography.[13]
She finished her climbing career with a bronze medal at the 2020 Summer Olympics.[3][4]
Rock climbing
Redpointed routes
8c+ (5.14c):
- Mind Control - Oliana (SPN) - December 10, 2013
8b (5.13d):
- Liquid Finger - Joyama (JPN) - December 12, 2008
8B+ (V14):
8A+ (V12):
- Aguni - Mizugaki (JPN) - November 2014.[15]
- The Mandala - The Buttermilks (CAL) - 2015.[16]
- A Maze of Death - The Buttermilks (CAL) - 2016.[17]
- Euro Trash - Little Cottonwood Canyon (UT) - May 2022.[18]
8A (V11):
Personal life
On December 25, 2021, Noguchi and fellow Japanese sport climber Tomoa Narasaki announced their marriage on their respective social media pages.[21] In 2023, Akiyo gave birth to their first child, Keiyo.[22]
Rankings
World Cup
| 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2021 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lead | 42 | 21 | 24 | 5 | 11 | 8 | 20 | 13 | 7 | 10 | 30 | 17 | 15 | 8 | 9 | 22 |
| Bouldering | - | - | 6 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 9 |
| Combined | - | - | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 2 | - |
World Championships
| 2005 | 2007 | 2009 | 2011 | 2012 | 2014 | 2016 | 2018 | 2019 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lead | 3 | 11 | 8 | - | - | 9 | - | 8 | 5 |
| Bouldering | 21 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| Speed | - | - | 31 | - | - | - | - | 47 | 34 |
| Combined | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 4 | 2 |
World Cup podiums
.jpg)
Lead
| Season | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 2009 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 2010 | 2 | 2 | ||
| 2011 | 0 | |||
| 2012 | 0 | |||
| 2013 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 2014 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 2015 | 0 | |||
| 2016 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 2017 | 0 | |||
| 2018 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 2019 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 2021 | 1 | 1 | ||
| Total | 0 | 4 | 6 | 10 |
Bouldering
| Season | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| 2008 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 2009 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| 2010 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| 2011 | 4 | 1 | 5 | |
| 2012 | 3 | 3 | ||
| 2013 | 3 | 2 | 5 | |
| 2014 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 7 |
| 2015 | 1 | 3 | 4 | |
| 2016 | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| 2017 | 2 | 3 | 5 | |
| 2018 | 3 | 4 | 7 | |
| 2019 | 4 | 4 | ||
| Total | 21 | 20 | 17 | 58 |
See also
References
- ↑ "Akiyo Noguchi".
- ↑ "Sport Climbing NOGUCHI Akiyo". Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Archived from the original on 2021-08-04. Retrieved 2021-08-16.
- 1 2 "The Tokyo Olympics will be Akiyo Noguchi's First … and Last". Climbing. 2021-06-19. Retrieved 2021-08-16.
- 1 2 "Who Is Akiyo Noguchi? - Why Japan's Legend Is Retiring In 2021 - Climber News". www.climbernews.com. 3 July 2021. Retrieved 2021-08-16.
- ↑ "Indoor Weekly: Akiyo Noguchi on Cows and Olympics". Gripped. 6 June 2018. Archived from the original on 2019-07-15.
- ↑ "Akiyo Noguchi explains 2020 Olympic event sports climbing". hakuhodo-global.com. Archived from the original on 2019-07-15.
- ↑ "Owndays meets #3 Akiyo Noguchi". Archived from the original on 2019-07-15.
- ↑ planetmountain.com, ed. (June 16, 2009). "Coppa del Mondo Boulder 2009: Fischhuber e Noghuchi al top, Moroni è terzo". Retrieved 2012-04-29.
- 1 2 3 4 IFSC, ed. (August 20, 2019). "World Cup Rankings". Retrieved 2019-08-20.
- ↑ Vinicio Stefanello (July 18, 2010). "Arco Rock Legend 2010 a Manolo, Ondra e Noguchi". Arco2011 (in Italian). Archived from the original on 2011-07-23. Retrieved 2011-12-22.
- ↑ Clarke, Owen (June 19, 2021). "The Tokyo Olympics will be Akiyo Noguchi's First … and Last". climbing.com. Retrieved 2021-07-01.
- ↑ "Second Gold of the Week for Garnbret, three boulder medals for Team Japan, and a farewell to Noguchi". IFSC. June 26, 2021. Retrieved 2021-07-01.
- ↑ "野口啓代、初の自伝本 『私とクライミング 野口啓代自伝』を7月13日に発刊｜CLIMBERS". クライマーズ公式サイト｜CLIMBERSはクライミング、ボルダリングをテーマにした総合WEBサイト (in Japanese). 4 June 2021. Retrieved 2021-07-29.
- ↑ "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 2025-10-22.
- ↑ "Akiyo Noguchi Crimps To Glory On 'Aguni' V12 | EpicTV Climbing Daily, Ep. 383".
- ↑ Noguchi, Akiyo [@noguchi_akiyo]; (11 April 2015). "Today I sent TheMandala V12!!!!!! I spend more than 50 tries. That was my first time to get the 2nd crimp and I send The Mandala on that try. I was so moved when I stand on top of the this beautiful boulder. 本日4月10日、今ツアーの最大の目標であるTheMandala V12を完登しました。50トライ以上の末、3週間の遠征の帰国直前の今日。疲労も指皮も限界に達しており、最後と決めたトライでの完登でした。ずっと止められなかった2手目が初めて止まり、完登を確信した瞬間から涙が溢れ、岩の上に立った時には嬉しさのあまり号泣していました。クライミングを始めた頃から憧れていたこの課題の完登は、まだまだ経験の浅い私の外岩でのチャレンジに大きな自信を与えてくれました。これからもひとつの岩と向き合い、もっともっと限界の難易度に挑戦していきたいです。そして今回、TNFのサポートにより、TheMandalaと私の3週間の映像を全て撮影してくれています。公開を楽しみにしていてください◡̈⃝❤︎ #bishoprocktripjp". Retrieved 20 July 2026 – via Instagram.
- 1 2 "Rock Trip 2016 in Bishop". YouTube.
- ↑ "Akiyo Noguchi's Rock Trip to Joe's Valley". YouTube. 23 July 2022.
- ↑ youtube (ed.). "Monsterman SD". YouTube.
- ↑ up-climbing.com, ed. (February 9, 2010). "Two female 8A – Noguchi and Matthes". Retrieved 2011-12-22.
- ↑ "Japanese sport climbing stars Noguchi, Narasaki announce marriage". Kyodo News. December 26, 2021. Retrieved December 28, 2021.
- ↑ "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 2025-09-15.
- 1 2 3 IFSC, ed. (August 20, 2019). "Noguchi's profile and rankings". Retrieved 2019-08-20.
External links
- Akiyo Noguchi at World Climbing (archive)
- Akiyo Noguchi at the World Games
- Akiyo Noguchi at Olympics.com
- Akiyo Noguchi at Olympedia
- Akiyo Noguchi – Tokyo 2020 at Team Japan (in Japanese) (in English)
- 1989 births
- Living people
- Japanese female climbers
- Japanese rock climbers
- Japanese competition climbers
- Olympic sport climbers for Japan
- Olympic bronze medalists for Japan
- Olympic medalists in sport climbing
- Sport climbers at the 2020 Summer Olympics
- Medalists at the 2020 Summer Olympics
- Asian Games sport climbers for Japan
- Asian Games gold medalists for Japan
- Asian Games medalists in sport climbing
- Sport climbers at the 2018 Asian Games
- Medalists at the 2018 Asian Games
- IFSC Climbing World Championships medalists
- IFSC Climbing World Cup overall medalists
- Competitors at the 2009 World Games
- Competitors at the 2017 World Games
- Boulder climbers
- People from Ryūgasaki, Ibaraki