Born in 1990, Ryo Kiyuna is an international Karateka who competes for Japan. Kiyuna specialises in kata, which features one athlete on a mat performing a range of planned moves. Kiyuna has enjoyed a great deal of success in the sport, he is a three times World Champion and 2017 World Games winner and is reputed to be almost unbeatable by many.
He started to compete at the young age of 5 and took part in tournaments during his childhood, as well as playing baseball. Kiyuna studied English literature at university, and after graduating he represented Japan for the first time at the 2012 World Karate Championships in Paris. Kiyuna is renowned for his perfect timing, and his success on the world stage established him as a sure bet among Japanese athletes for a Gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics.
Karate is historically a core part of Japanese traditional culture and Kiyuna is deeply passionate about raising awareness of the sport and positivity surrounding the martial arts form. He is proud of being from Okinawa and makes a huge effort to spread the tradition of Okinawa Prefecture where karate originated. He puts his success down to hard work with a rigorous training regime, asserting that his goal is to “keep improving and reach my peak level at the Olympic Games”.