Risa Sugawara

, née , is a Japanese gymnastics coach and former artistic gymnast. She was a five-time all-around national champion and competed at the 1996 Summer Olympics, where she finished 29th in the individual all around.

Personal life Sugawara was born in Toda, Saitama. Her parents were both gymnasts; her father, Hiroshi Sugawara won a silver team medal at the men's gymnastics event at the 1974 Asian Games, and her mother, Takako Hasegawa, competed at the 1972 Summer Olympics. Her older brother, , is a politician who became the mayor of Toda in 2018. When she was an active gymnast, she looked up to teammate Mari Kosuge.

Career She began gymnastics at the Toda Sports Center, where her parents coached.

In 1996, Sugawara entered Nippon Sport Science University. She spent three years studying abroad at the Australian Institute of Sport. She now works as a coach in Toda and has two children. Her students include Olympians Hiraiwa Yuna and Rina Kishi. She has also spoken about her struggles with disordered eating to maintain her body weight during her time as a gymnast and the changing trend in women's gymnastics toward building more muscle in order to complete difficult elements.

Competition history