Yudai Okimoto

Yūdai Okimoto
Okimoto at the 2025 Kaohsiung Masters
Personal information
Born (2005-05-28) 28 May 2005
Hiroshima, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan
Height1.65 m (5 ft 5 in)
Weight62 kg (137 lb)
Sport
CountryJapan
SportBadminton
HandednessRight
Coached byKazumasa Sakai
Men's singles
Career record95 wins, 24 losses (79.83%)
Highest ranking40 (20 January 2026)
Current ranking41 (10 February 2026)
BWF profile
Medal record
Men's badminton
Representing  Japan
Asia Team Championships
Gold medal – first place 2026 Qingdao Men's team
Asian Junior Championships
Gold medal – first place 2023 Yogyakarta Mixed team
Silver medal – second place 2023 Yogyakarta Boy's singles

Yudai Okimoto (沖本 優大, Okimoto Yūdai; born 28 May 2005) is a Japanese badminton player.[1][2] He is a member of the Japanese national team and plays for the BIPROGY team.[3] As a junior, he won a team gold medal and a boys' singles silver medal at the 2023 Asian Junior Championships. He won his first senior international title at the 2024 Finnish International. On the World Tour, his best achievement is a runner-up finish at the 2025 Korea Masters, a Super 300 tournament.

Early life

Born and raised in Hiroshima, Okimoto was primarily interested in baseball. An avid fan of the Hiroshima Toyo Carp, he played third base in a youth league. His childhood dream was to become a professional baseball player. His idol was not a badminton star but Carp infielder Tetsuya Kokubo.[4][5]

Okimoto began playing badminton at age six and pursued it alongside baseball. He spent his weekends practicing badminton on Saturday mornings and playing baseball in the afternoons.[4][5] A turning point occurred when he won the All-Japan Elementary School Championships for three consecutive years, beginning in 2015, while training with the Hara Junior Club. Following these achievements, he decided to focus exclusively on badminton.[6] He credits his baseball background, particularly playing third base, for contributing to his defensive instincts and shoulder strength in badminton. His court movement is described as reminiscent of a baseball infielder's.[7]

Career

2023: Junior career and World Tour debut

Okimoto attended Saitama Sakae Junior and Senior High School in Saitama Prefecture.[5] During his final year in 2023, he won a triple crown at the National High School Invitational Tournament, claiming the team, boys' singles, and boys' doubles titles.[8] He subsequently won the boys' singles and doubles titles at the National High School Championships (Inter-High).[9]

Internationally, Okimoto won consecutive titles on the 2023 European junior circuit, defeating Hu Zhe'an in the Dutch Junior International final and Eogene Ewe in the German Junior final.[10][11] At the 2023 Asian Junior Championships, he helped Japan win its first mixed team gold medal in 11 years and earned a silver medal in boys' singles.[12] He concluded his junior career with a quarterfinal finish at the World Junior Championships.[13]

Okimoto was selected for the Japanese national B team in 2023, partnering with Daigo Tanioka in men's doubles.[4] In their World Tour debut at the Indonesia Masters Super 100 I, they defeated former world No. 1 Tan Wee Kiong and his partner, Nur Mohd Azriyn Ayub.

2024: First international title

Okimoto joined BIPROGY Badminton Team on 1 April 2024, shifting his focus to men's singles.[3] That year, he won his first senior title at the Finnish International, followed by a victory at the Mauritius International and a runner-up finish at the Réunion Open.[14][15]

2025: First Super 300 final and World Top 50

In 2025, Okimoto reached consecutive finals in the Northern Mariana Islands, winning the Northern Marianas Open and finishing as runner-up at the Saipan International.[16][17][18][19] He later reached his first World Tour final at the Malaysia Super 100, finishing as runner-up.[20] He subsequently finished runner-up at his first Super 300 final at the Korea Masters.[21] Okimoto entered the world top 50 for the first time, reaching a career-high ranking of world number 42 on 16 December 2025.

2026

Okimoto was part of the Japanese team that won Japan's first men's team title at the Asia Team Championships.[22]

Achievements

Asian Junior Championships

Boys' singles

Year Venue Opponent Score Result Ref
2023 Among Rogo Sports Hall, Yogyakarta, Indonesia China Hu Zhe'an 21–13, 14–21, 14–21 Silver Silver [12]

BWF World Tour (2 runners-up)

The BWF World Tour, which was announced on 19 March 2017 and implemented in 2018,[23] is a series of elite badminton tournaments sanctioned by the Badminton World Federation (BWF). The BWF World Tour is divided into levels of World Tour Finals, Super 1000, Super 750, Super 500, Super 300, and the BWF Tour Super 100.[24]

Men's singles

Year Tournament Level Opponent Score Result Ref
2025 Malaysia Super 100 Super 100 China Dong Tianyao 14–21, 17–21 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up [20][25]
2025 Korea Masters Super 300 Singapore Jason Teh 14–21, 15–21 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up [21]

BWF International Challenge/Series (3 titles, 2 runners-up)

Men's singles

Year Tournament Opponent Score Result Ref
2024 Finnish International France Grégoire Deschamp 17–21, 21–9, 21–17 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner [14]
2024 Réunion Open India Tharun Mannepalli 15–21, 15–21 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up [15]
2024 Mauritius International Indonesia Rizki Ansyahri 16–21, 21–7, 21–14 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner [26]
2025 Northern Marianas Open South Korea Kim Hae-deun 13–21, 21–15, 21–18 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner [16][17]
2025 Saipan International Japan Riki Takei 14–16, 4–15 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up [18][19]
  BWF International Challenge tournament
  BWF International Series tournament
  BWF Future Series tournament

BWF Junior International (2 titles, 1 runner-up)

Boys' singles

Year Tournament Opponent Score Result Ref
2023 German Junior Malaysia Eogene Ewe 21–16, 14–21, 21–18 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner [10]
2023 Dutch Junior International China Hu Zhe'an 21–7, 11–21, 14–3 retired 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner [11][27]
2022 Malaysia Junior International Japan Sora Ogaki 17–21 12–21 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up [28]
  BWF Junior International Grand Prix tournament
  BWF Junior International Series tournament

Performance timeline

Key
W F SF QF #R RR Q# A G S B NH N/A DNQ
(W) won; (F) finalist; (SF) semi-finalist; (QF) quarter-finalist; (#R) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; (RR) round-robin stage; (Q#) qualification round; (A) absent; (G) gold, (S) silver or (B) bronze medal; (NH) not held; (N/A) not applicable; (DNQ) did not qualify.
To avoid confusion and double counting, these charts are updated at the conclusion of a tournament or when the player's participation has ended.

National team

  • Junior level
Team events 2023 Ref
Asian Junior Championships G [29][30]
World Junior Championships 5th
  • Senior level
Team events 2026 Ref
Asia Team Championships G [22]

Individual competitions

  • Junior level
Events 2023 Ref
Asian Junior Championships S [12]
World Junior Championships QF [13]
  • Senior level
Tournament BWF World Tour Best Ref
2024 2025 2026
Swiss Open A Q ('26)
Ruichang China Masters A 3R A 3R ('25) [31]
Orléans Masters A Q ('26)
Baoji China Masters A QF QF ('25) [32]
Indonesia Masters Super 100 A 2R QF ('25)
QF
Kaohsiung Masters A QF QF ('25)
Malaysia Super 100 2R F F ('25) [20][25]
Korea Masters A F F ('25) [33][21]
Syed Modi International A 1R 1R ('25) [34]
Guwahati Masters A QF QF ('25)
Year-end ranking 195 42 40
Tournament 2024 2025 2026 Best Ref

Record against selected opponents

Record against Year-end Finals finalists, World Championships semi-finalists, and Olympic quarter-finalists. Accurate as of 10 November 2025.[35]

References

  1. ^ "Yudai OKIMOTO | Profile". Badminton World Federation. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
  2. ^ "Yudai OKIMOTO | Profile". Badminton Association of Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved 16 August 2025.
  3. ^ a b "Kakeru Kumagai, Yudai Okimoto, Daigo Tanioka, and Kanae Sakai joined the team on Monday, April 1st". BIPROGY (in Japanese). 1 April 2024. Archived from the original on 20 May 2025. Retrieved 15 August 2025.
  4. ^ a b c Hirano, Takaya (30 March 2023). "Former baseball player and Hiroshima fan, Yudai Okimoto, who stands at just 164cm tall, wins three titles at the high school badminton tournament". The Answer (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 17 July 2023. Retrieved 18 August 2025.
  5. ^ a b c "Yudai OKIMOTO | Profile". Badminton S/J League (in Japanese). Retrieved 18 August 2025.
  6. ^ "Yudai OKIMOTO | Profile". J Sports (in Japanese). Retrieved 18 August 2025.
  7. ^ Yamanobe, Kaho (10 September 2024). "The 19-Year-Old Badminton Prodigy Who Admires Shohei Ohtani: From "No. 3 Batter, Third Base" in Elementary School → To Becoming High School Badminton Champion, Yudai Okimoto's Dream". The Answer (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 8 July 2025. Retrieved 18 August 2025.
  8. ^ "[2023 National High School Selection] Yudai Okimoto wins both singles and doubles! A magnificent triple crown!! (Men's Individual Competition)". Badminton Spirit (in Japanese). 28 March 2023. Archived from the original on 13 June 2025. Retrieved 18 August 2025.
  9. ^ "Inter-High Badminton: Saitama Sakae's Yudai Okimoto wins a double crown in singles and doubles... 'I wanted to make everyone on the team happy". Yomiuri Shimbun (in Japanese). 21 August 2023. Archived from the original on 14 January 2024. Retrieved 15 August 2025.
  10. ^ a b "YONEX German Junior: Japan, China and Korea win" (in German). 14 March 2023. Archived from the original on 26 May 2025. Retrieved 26 May 2025.
  11. ^ a b "Past winners: Men's Singles". Dutch Junior International. Archived from the original on 26 May 2025. Retrieved 26 May 2025.
  12. ^ a b c "A Special Day for Indonesia in Yogyakarta". Badminton Asia. 16 July 2023. Archived from the original on 26 May 2025. Retrieved 26 May 2025.
  13. ^ a b "Ayush Shetty wins bronze in BWF World Junior Championships". Sportstar. 8 October 2023. Archived from the original on 9 October 2023. Retrieved 15 August 2025.
  14. ^ a b "Here Are The Winners Of The Yonex Finnish International Badminton". Finnish Badminton Association (in Finnish). 28 April 2024. Archived from the original on 22 February 2025. Retrieved 16 August 2025.
  15. ^ a b Marchal, Pierre (8 July 2024). "Saint-Denis Réunion Badminton Open: An International Level". Zinfos974 (in French). Archived from the original on 9 August 2024. Retrieved 16 August 2025.
  16. ^ a b "Japan Dominates Finals at CROWNE PLAZA Northern Marianas Open". Badminton Oceania. 11 August 2025. Archived from the original on 10 August 2025. Retrieved 10 August 2025.
  17. ^ a b Sablan Jr., James (12 August 2025). "Japan sweeps Crowne Plaza badminton titles". Marianas Variety. Archived from the original on 12 August 2025. Retrieved 14 August 2025.
  18. ^ a b "Champions Crowned at CENTURY INSURANCE Saipan International 2025 – Finals Recap". Badminton Oceania. 16 August 2025. Archived from the original on 16 August 2025. Retrieved 16 August 2025.
  19. ^ a b Sablan Jr., James (18 August 2025). "Japan, Korea, and India claim badminton titles in Century Insurance tourney". Marianas Variety. Archived from the original on 18 August 2025. Retrieved 18 August 2025.
  20. ^ a b c "Yudai Okimoto takes second place in the men's singles at the Malaysian Super 100 2025!". BIPROGY (in Japanese). 20 October 2025. Archived from the original on 26 October 2025. Retrieved 26 October 2025.
  21. ^ a b c "Korea Masters: Jason Teh Breaks Lean Spell". Badminton World Federation. 9 November 2025. Archived from the original on 15 November 2025. Retrieved 15 November 2025.
  22. ^ a b "Badminton Asia Team: Maiden Title for Korea, Japan". Badminton World Federation. 8 February 2026. Archived from the original on 9 February 2026. Retrieved 9 February 2026.
  23. ^ Alleyne, Gayle (19 March 2017). "BWF Launches New Events Structure". Badminton World Federation. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 18 October 2025.
  24. ^ Sukumar, Dev (10 January 2018). "Action-Packed Season Ahead!". Badminton World Federation. Archived from the original on 13 January 2018. Retrieved 18 October 2025.
  25. ^ a b Zamri, Adam (19 October 2025). "Aaron-Khai Xing soar to maiden senior crown but wait continues for Ling Ching". The Star. Archived from the original on 22 October 2025. Retrieved 26 October 2025.
  26. ^ "「モーリシャスインターナショナル2024」男子シングルス 沖本 優大、女子ダブルス 大澤 佳歩・⽥部 真唯（山陰合同銀行） 初優勝！" (in Japanese). BIPROGY Inc. 15 July 2024. Retrieved 23 August 2024.
  27. ^ "U19 Japanese shuttlers win two titles at Dutch Junior" (in Japanese). BadPal. 7 March 2023. Archived from the original on 26 May 2025. Retrieved 26 May 2025.
  28. ^ Peter, Fabian (10 September 2022). "Juniors need a booster shot". New Straits Times. Archived from the original on 25 May 2025. Retrieved 25 May 2025.
  29. ^ "A Sweet Ending to an 11-Year Wait". Badminton Asia. 11 July 2023. Retrieved 23 February 2025.
  30. ^ "[Asian Junior Championships 2023] Japan defeats host Indonesia 3-2! Becomes the Asian champion for the first time in 11 years! <Team Competition/Final>" (in Japanese). Badminton Spirit. 11 July 2023. Retrieved 16 December 2024.
  31. ^ Komiyama, Hajime (17 March 2025). "Ruichang China Masters 2025 | Results". Badminton Association of Japan (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 8 September 2025. Retrieved 2 December 2025.
  32. ^ Takajoh, Rinryu (8 September 2025). "Baoji China Masters 2025 | Results". Badminton Association of Japan (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 2 December 2025. Retrieved 2 December 2025.
  33. ^ "Korea Masters: Okimoto Surges into Final". Badminton World Federation. 9 November 2025. Archived from the original on 10 November 2025. Retrieved 10 November 2025.
  34. ^ Igarashi, Yu (1 December 2025). "Syed Modi India International 2025 | Results". Badminton Association of Japan (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 2 December 2025. Retrieved 2 December 2025.
  35. ^ "Yudai Okimoto head to head". Badminton World Federations. Retrieved 2 December 2025.
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