Takeru Yamamoto

Takeru Yamamoto
Curler
Born	(2006-08-09) 9 August 2006 (age 18)[1] Karuizawa, Nagano[1]
Team
Curling club	SC Karuizawa Club [ja], Karuizawa, Nagano
Skip	Riku Yanagisawa
Third	Tsuyoshi Yamaguchi
Second	Takeru Yamamoto
Lead	Satoshi Koizumi
Curling career
Member Association	Japan
World Championship appearances	1 (2023)
Pan Continental Championship appearances	2 (2022, 2023)
Medal record Men's Curling Representing  Japan Pan Continental Championships 2023 Kelowna Representing Nagano Japan Curling Championships 2022 Tokoro 2023 Tokoro 2024 Sapporo

Takeru Yamamoto (山本 遵, Yamamoto Takeru, born 9 August 2006) is a Japanese curler. He is a two-time Japanese men's champion, playing second for the SC Karuizawa team, skipped by Riku Yanagisawa.

Career

Yamamoto joined the SC Karuizawa team in 2022, at just the age of 15. The team played in the 2022 Japan Curling Championships, going undefeated in the round robin. In the playoffs, they lost the 1 vs. 2 game to Hayato Sato's Sapporo International University team. They rebounded by defeating Yasumasa Tanida in the semifinal, before defeating Sato in the final, winning the gold medal.^[2]

With the win, the team represented Japan at the inaugural 2022 Pan Continental Curling Championships. There, the team went 3–4 in the round robin. This was still good enough to make it to the playoffs, but they lost the semifinal to Canada, and the bronze medal game to the United States.^[3] The team had a strong season on the tour, winning the Prestige Hotels & Resorts Curling Classic, Karuizawa International Curling Championships and the King Cash Spiel.^[4] The team would tour Canada for over three months from August to December, and were based out of Kelowna, British Columbia,^[5] where they trained with their coach Bob Ursel.^[6] Later in the season, they had another successful run at the Japanese national championships in 2023. There, they went 7–1 in the round robin, before winning the 1 vs. 2 game against Kohsuke Hirata, and beating Hirata again in the final.^[7] The win qualified the team to represent Japan at the 2023 World Men's Curling Championship. At just the age of 16, Yamamoto, was dubbed a "fan favourite" of the crowds at the World Championships in Ottawa.^[8] At the Worlds, the team finished with a 5–7 record, missing the playoffs and finishing seventh overall.^[9]

Personal life

As of 2023, Yamamoto is a high school student.^[1]

References

1. "2023 World Men's Curling Championship Media Guide" (PDF). Curling Canada. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
2. "15-Year-Old Wins Japanese Curling Title". Sports Illustrated.
3. "Pan Continental Curling Championships 2022". World Curling Federation. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
4. "Takeru Tamamoto: Events". CurlingZone. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
5. "Japan's Canadian Curling Road Trip". Sports Illustrated.
6. "Japanese men's curling team in Kelowna training for a run at the world championships". Castanet.
7. "Familiar Faces Take Japan Curling Titles". Sports Illustrated.
8. "Canada rebounds with solid victory over Japan at world men's curling championship". Ottawa Sun.
9. "Gushue, Canada wrap up round robin with win over Edin, Sweden". TSN. April 7, 2023. Retrieved April 8, 2023.

External links

• Takeru Yamamoto at World Curling