Aiko Uemura

Aiko Uemura (Jap.上 村 爱 子, Uemura Aiko, born December 9, 1979 in Itami, Hyōgo Prefecture) is a Japanese freestyle skier. She specializes in the disciplines of moguls and dual moguls ( moguls ) and, with two world titles to the world's most successful athletes. They will start for the operating crew of her employer, the resident in Nagano Contractors Kitano Kensetsu.

Biography

Uemura grew up in the ski Hakuba in Nagano on where they learned to ski. On March 23, 1996, she debuted in the freestyle skiing World Cup, and reached in Hasliberg as the youngest of all participants at once to third place. However, in the following two winters, she had trouble to confirm this result and never came across a seventh square. Also she reached seventh place at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano home. In the season 1998/99, two more podium finishes were added as fourth in the moguls competition at the 1999 World Cup in Hasliberg she missed a medal narrowest of margins.

Three other podium places there were in the 1999/2000 season, in 2000/ 01 even their four season, but a victory was still waiting. In contrast, Uemura won the World Championship 2001 in Whistler Mogul bronze medal while they was fourth in the dual moguls. Also in the 2001/ 02 season, she managed a victory, despite two further podiums. At the 2002 Winter Olympics, she placed herself in sixth.

After several failed attempts Uemura succeeded on January 18, 2003 in Lake Placid, the first World Cup victory, which they did follow three second places. She also won the gold medal at the Asian Winter Games 2003. Rather disappointing, however, was the 2003 World Cup in Deer Valley with a 14th place as best result. In the 2003 / 04 season, they did not reach the podium for the first time since 1998. Successful was the 2004/05 season with the second World Cup victory in Voss and winning the dual moguls bronze medal at the 2005 World Championships in Ruka.

Uemura's best performance in the 2005/06 season was a third place in the World Cup and the fifth place at the 2006 Winter Olympics, which they missed the target medal even at their third Olympic participation. Due to injury, she could take the 2006/07 season only a few weeks late in attack, a sixth place was the best result.

Although Uemura belonged for years to the best athletes, but it was only in the 2007/ 08 season, her breakthrough came in the absolute world top. After three top-10 results at the beginning of the season she was able to increase significantly and won from mid-February to mid-March 2008, five World Cup events in a row. With a big lead they secured the moguls discipline rating in the World Cup, and reached the World Cup third place. Two more World Cup victories followed in the 2008 /09 season, but they had their preparation all focused on the final 2009 World Cup in Japan: Inawashiro Uemura won both the moguls and dual moguls in the gold medal.

In June 2009, Uemura married the skier Kentaro Minagawa. Even with her ​​fourth at the Olympics, Vancouver 2010, she missed a medal just barely and came in fourth. In the World Cup season 2011/12 they once stood on the podium, in the winter of 2012/13 twice, once in the season also. At the Olympic Winter Games in Sochi in 2014 she was again able to win a medal and finished fourth.

Achievements

Olympic games

  • Nagano 1998: 7 Moguls
  • Salt Lake City 2002: 6 Moguls
  • Turin 2006: 5 Moguls
  • Vancouver 2010: 4 Moguls
  • Sochi 2014: 4 Moguls

World Championships

  • Nagano 1997: 16 Moguls
  • Hasliberg 1999: 4 Dual Moguls, Moguls 23
  • Whistler 2001: 3 Moguls, Dual Moguls 4
  • Deer Valley 2003: 14 Moguls, Dual Moguls 17
  • Ruka 2005: 3 Dual Moguls, Moguls 4
  • Madonna di Campiglio, 2007: 14 Moguls, Dual Moguls 19
  • Inawashiro 2009: 1 Moguls, Dual Moguls 1
  • Voss 2013: 5 Moguls, Dual Moguls 20

World Cup ratings

  • Season 1997/ 98: 8 Dual Mogul World Cup
  • Season 1998/99: 6 Moguls World Cup
  • 1999/2000 season: 6 Overall World Cup, World Cup Moguls 4, 5 Dual Mogul World Cup
  • Season 2000/ 01: 4th overall World Cup, 2nd Mogul World Cup
  • Season 2001/ 02: 5 Moguls World Cup
  • Season 2002/ 03: 5 Dual Mogul World Cup, World Cup Moguls 7
  • Season 2003/ 04: 9 Moguls World Cup
  • Season 2004/ 05: 7 - Mogul World Cup
  • Season 2007/ 08: 3rd Overall World Cup, 1st Mogul World Cup
  • Season 2008/ 09: 7 Overall World Cup, fifth Mogul World Cup
  • Season 2009/ 10: 7 - Mogul World Cup
  • Season 2012/13: 7 - Mogul World Cup

World Cup wins

Uemura won so far 36 podiums including 10 victories:

Other successes

  • Asian Winter Games 2003: 1 Moguls
  • 4 Japanese championship (Dual Moguls 2004; Mogul 2004, 2006 and 2007)
  • 1 victory in the European Cup
  • 1 victory in the Nor- Am Cup
  • 3 wins in Australia New Zealand Cup
37065
de