Uzume Kawasaki

Uzume Kawasaki is a Japanese retired individual rhythmic gymnast. She is a 3-time (2014–2016) Japanese champion, and she competed at the 2014 and 2018 Asian Games.

Early and personal life Kawasaki was named for Ame-no-Uzume, a goddess known for dancing, as her father liked Japanese mythology. She began gymnastics at age 5 and started competing at age 10. Her favorite apparatus was the clubs.

Kawasaki studied sports science at Waseda University. However, in her first year of high school in 2013, she won a youth championship with clean routines, which grew her confidence. In November, she won her first all-around title at the Japanese Championships. Kawasaki said she had always performed in a lively way, no matter what music she used, but that she had begun to perform to dramatic music like that used by figure skaters Mao Asada and Daisuke Takahashi. She also said she had studied the movements of figure skaters to improve her expressiveness. In November, she won her second consecutive Japanese title.

At the 2016 Asian Championships, Kawasaki placed 7th and qualified for three apparatus finals. She finished 8th with ball and clubs and 7th with ribbon. In December, she had surgery on her foot.

In 2017, Kawasaki competed in the All-Japan University Championships, where she placed second. She also competed at the 2017 Summer Universiade, where she was 13th in the all-around and 5th in the ribbon final.

In 2018, she competed at her second Asian Games. She finished 12th in the qualification round and 4th in the team event.

Kawasaki competed at the national team selection trials in 2019, but she felt nervous and made several mistakes. Although she had dreamed of competing in the 2020 Summer Olympics, she began to accept that it was unlikely she would be selected and began to focus on enjoying her participation in gymnastics. She planned to begin coaching in her former club after she graduated.