Yugo Kobayashi

Yūgo Kobayashi
Kobayashi at 2019 BWF World Championships
Personal information
Born (1995-07-10) 10 July 1995
Miyagi Prefecture, Japan
Height1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Weight72 kg (159 lb)
Sport
CountryJapan
SportBadminton
HandednessLeft
Coached byLee Wan Wah[1]
Hiroyuki Endo[1]
Men's & mixed doubles
Highest ranking1 (MD with Takuro Hoki, 20 September 2022)
25 (XD with Misaki Matsutomo, 9 August 2018)
Current ranking8 (MD with Takuro Hoki, 21 April 2026)
BWF profile
Medal record
Men's badminton
Representing  Japan
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2021 Huelva Men's doubles
Silver medal – second place 2019 Basel Men's doubles
Sudirman Cup
Silver medal – second place 2021 Vantaa Mixed team
Bronze medal – third place 2023 Suzhou Mixed team
Bronze medal – third place 2025 Xiamen Mixed team
Thomas Cup
Bronze medal – third place 2020 Aarhus Men's team
Bronze medal – third place 2022 Bangkok Men's team
Asian Games
Bronze medal – third place 2022 Hangzhou Men's team
Asian Championships
Bronze medal – third place 2023 Dubai Men's doubles
Asia Mixed Team Championships
Silver medal – second place 2019 Hong Kong Mixed team
Asia Team Championships
Gold medal – first place 2026 Qingdao Men's team
Bronze medal – third place 2020 Manila Men's team
World Junior Championships
Silver medal – second place 2012 Chiba Mixed team
Asian Junior Championships
Gold medal – first place 2012 Gimcheon Mixed team
Bronze medal – third place 2013 Kota Kinabalu Mixed team

Yugo Kobayashi (小林 優吾, Kobayashi Yūgo; born 10 July 1995) is a Japanese badminton player affiliated with Tonami team.[2][3] He was the men's doubles silver medalist at the 2019 World Championships[4] and the men's doubles gold medalist at the 2021 World Championships, being first ever Japanese men's doubles to become world champions.

Career

2025

Kobayashi and Hoki began their 2025 season in April following Kobayashi's recovery from a knee injury.[5] They made their return at the Asian Championships, where they were eliminated in the first round.[6] In May, Kobayashi represented Japan at the Sudirman Cup in Xiamen, where the team earned bronze medals.[7] That same month, Kobayashi and Hoki reached the semi-finals of the Malaysia Masters.[8] The pair subsequently advanced to the quarter-finals of the Indonesia Open in June and the World Championships in August, followed by a semi-final appearance at the Korea Open in September.[9] In October, Kobayashi and Hoki won their first title of the year at the Super 750 Denmark Open. They defeated the Indian duo Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty in the semifinals—their first victory over the pair in six years. They claimed the title by overcoming the Indonesian pair Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Shohibul Fikri.[5]

2026

In January, Kobayashi and Hoki, reached the quarter-finals of both the Malaysia Open and the India Open.[10][11] The following month, he was a member of the Japanese squad that secured the nation's first men's team title at the Asia Team Championships in Qingdao.[12] Later in the season, the pair advanced to the second round at the All England Open in March and the Asian Championships in April.[13][14]

Achievements

World Championships

Men's doubles

Year Venue Partner Opponent Score Result Ref
2019 St. Jakobshalle,
Basel, Switzerland 		Japan Takuro Hoki Indonesia Mohammad Ahsan
Indonesia Hendra Setiawan 		23–25, 21–9, 15–21 Silver Silver [15]
2021 Palacio de los Deportes Carolina Marín,
Huelva, Spain 		Japan Takuro Hoki China He Jiting
China Tan Qiang 		21–12, 21–18 Gold Gold [16]

Asian Championships

Men's doubles

Year Venue Partner Opponent Score Result Ref
2023 Sheikh Rashid Bin Hamdan Indoor Hall,
Dubai, United Arab Emirates 		Japan Takuro Hoki Malaysia Ong Yew Sin
Malaysia Teo Ee Yi 		16–21, 24–26 Bronze Bronze [17]

BWF World Tour (7 titles, 5 runners-up)

The BWF World Tour, which was announced on 19 March 2017 and implemented in 2018,[18] is a series of elite badminton tournaments sanctioned by the Badminton World Federation (BWF). The BWF World Tours are divided into levels of World Tour Finals, Super 1000, Super 750, Super 500, Super 300, and the BWF Tour Super 100.[19]

Men's doubles

Year Tournament Level Partner Opponent Score Result Ref
2018 Korea Open Super 500 Japan Takuro Hoki Japan Hiroyuki Endo
Japan Yuta Watanabe 		21–9, 15–21, 10–21 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up [20]
2021 Denmark Open Super 1000 Japan Takuro Hoki Denmark Kim Astrup
Denmark Anders Skaarup Rasmussen 		21–18, 21–12 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner [21]
2021 Indonesia Masters Super 750 Japan Takuro Hoki Indonesia Marcus Fernaldi Gideon
Indonesia Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo 		21–11, 17–21, 21–19 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner [22]
2021 Indonesia Open Super 1000 Japan Takuro Hoki Indonesia Marcus Fernaldi Gideon
Indonesia Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo 		14–21, 18–21 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up [23]
2021 BWF World Tour Finals World Tour Finals Japan Takuro Hoki Indonesia Marcus Fernaldi Gideon
Indonesia Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo 		21–16, 13–21, 21–17 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner [24]
2022 Thailand Open Super 500 Japan Takuro Hoki Indonesia Fajar Alfian
Indonesia Muhammad Rian Ardianto 		13–4r 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner [25]
2022 Malaysia Open Super 750 Japan Takuro Hoki Indonesia Fajar Alfian
Indonesia Muhammad Rian Ardianto 		24–22, 16–21, 21–9 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner [26]
2023 Singapore Open Super 750 Japan Takuro Hoki China Liang Weikeng
China Wang Chang 		21–13, 21–18 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner [27]
2023 Japan Open Super 750 Japan Takuro Hoki Chinese Taipei Lee Yang
Chinese Taipei Wang Chi-lin 		19–21, 13–21 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up [28]
2023 Australian Open Super 500 Japan Takuro Hoki South Korea Kang Min-hyuk
South Korea Seo Seung-jae 		17–21, 17–21 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up [29]
2024 Japan Masters Super 500 Japan Takuro Hoki Indonesia Fajar Alfian
Indonesia Muhammad Rian Ardianto 		15–21, 21–17, 17–21 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up [30]
2025 Denmark Open Super 750 Japan Takuro Hoki Indonesia Fajar Alfian
Indonesia Muhammad Shohibul Fikri 		21–18, 15–21, 21–19 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner [5]

BWF Grand Prix (1 title, 1 runner-up)

The BWF Grand Prix had two levels, the Grand Prix and Grand Prix Gold. It was a series of badminton tournaments sanctioned by the Badminton World Federation (BWF) and played between 2007 and 2017.

Men's doubles

Year Tournament Partner Opponent Score Result Ref
2016 U.S. Open Japan Takuro Hoki Denmark Mathias Boe
Denmark Carsten Mogensen 		11–21, 20–22 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up [31]

Mixed doubles

Year Tournament Partner Opponent Score Result Ref
2016 U.S. Open Japan Wakana Nagahara Poland Robert Mateusiak
Poland Nadieżda Zięba 		21–16, 21–18 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner [31]
  BWF Grand Prix Gold tournament

BWF International Challenge/Series (2 titles)

Men's doubles

Year Tournament Partner Opponent Score Result Ref
2014 USA International Japan Takuro Hoki Canada Adrian Liu
Canada Derrick Ng 		21–17, 21–19 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner [32]
2016 Spanish International Japan Takuro Hoki Denmark Mathias Christiansen
Denmark David Daugaard 		21–10, 21–6 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner [33]
  BWF International Challenge tournament

References

  1. ^ a b "Announcement of the 2025 Japan National Team Players and Staff" (PDF) (in Japanese). Nippon Badminton Association. 21 January 2025. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
  2. ^ "Players: Yugo Kobayashi". Badminton World Federation. Retrieved 20 October 2016.
  3. ^ "Badminton player: 小林 優吾 Yugo Kobayashi" (in Japanese). Tonami. Archived from the original on 30 September 2018. Retrieved 20 October 2016.
  4. ^ Sukumar, Dev (26 August 2019). "Wristy Trickery Wins the Day – Basel 2019". Badminton World Federation. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
  5. ^ a b c Pierre, Dianne (20 October 2025). "Denmark Open: Three-Peat Royalty". bwfworldtour.com. Badminton World Championships. Retrieved 20 October 2025.
  6. ^ "Jojo, Shi Off to Winning Start in Ningbo". Badminton Asia. 9 April 2025. Archived from the original on 10 April 2025. Retrieved 18 April 2026.
  7. ^ "Defending champions China power past Japan to reach Sudirman Cup final". New Straits Times. 3 May 2025. Archived from the original on 21 July 2025. Retrieved 21 July 2025.
  8. ^ "Red-hot Wei Chong-kai Wun ONE Step Away From Malaysia Master Glory". Bernama. 24 May 2025. Archived from the original on 29 May 2025. Retrieved 18 April 2026.
  9. ^ Sukumar, Dev (27 September 2025). "Korea Open: Christie Eyes Year's First Title". Badminton World Federation. Archived from the original on 28 September 2025. Retrieved 18 April 2026.
  10. ^ Martinez, Sara Gonzalez (9 January 2026). "Lane/Vendy reach new milestone at Super 1000 level". Badminton Europe. Archived from the original on 13 February 2026. Retrieved 18 April 2026.
  11. ^ "Badminton India Open 2026: Updates, Japanese Team Results, and Summary". International Olympic Committee (in Japanese). 18 January 2026. Archived from the original on 18 April 2026. Retrieved 18 April 2026.
  12. ^ "Badminton Asia Team: Maiden Title for Korea, Japan". Badminton World Federation. 8 February 2026. Archived from the original on 9 February 2026. Retrieved 19 April 2026.
  13. ^ "'My head is not 100% in my match': How the Popov brothers balance it all". Badminton England. 6 March 2026. Archived from the original on 18 April 2026. Retrieved 18 April 2026.
  14. ^ "Asian Badminton Championships 2026: Updates, Japanese Team Results, and Summary". International Olympic Committee (in Japanese). 11 April 2026. Archived from the original on 15 April 2026. Retrieved 18 April 2026.
  15. ^ "Momota, Nagahara, Matsumoto become Japan's 1st repeat badminton world champs". Kyodo News+. 26 August 2019. Retrieved 19 April 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  16. ^ Sukumar, Dev (19 December 2021). "Breakthrough Titles for Thailand, Japan". Badminton World Federations. Archived from the original on 7 December 2024. Retrieved 20 October 2025.
  17. ^ Subramaniam, Saktesh (29 April 2023). "Badminton Asia Championships: Yew Sin-Ee Yi book spot in finals". The Vibes. Archived from the original on 2 May 2023. Retrieved 20 October 2025.
  18. ^ Alleyne, Gayle (19 March 2017). "BWF Launches New Events Structure". Badminton World Federation. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
  19. ^ Sukumar, Dev (10 January 2018). "Action-Packed Season Ahead!". Badminton World Federation. Archived from the original on 13 January 2018. Retrieved 15 January 2018.
  20. ^ Diamond, James (30 September 2018). "Chou Tien Chen wins third title of 2018 at BWF Korea Open". Inside the Games. Retrieved 18 October 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  21. ^ Goh, ZK (24 October 2021). "Viktor Axelsen triumphs over Momota Kento at Denmark Open in Odense". International Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on 16 August 2024. Retrieved 18 October 2025.
  22. ^ Pierre, Dianne (21 November 2021). "Indonesia Masters: Doubles Delight for Japan". Badminton World Federation. Archived from the original on 26 March 2025. Retrieved 18 October 2025.
  23. ^ Pierre, Dianne (28 November 2021). "Indonesia Open: Magic Three-Peat for Minions". Badminton World Federations. Archived from the original on 22 January 2025. Retrieved 20 October 2025.
  24. ^ Liew, Vincent (5 December 2021). "Viktor Axelsen, Takuro Hoki/Yugo Kobayashi Win 2021 BWF World Tour Finals". BadmintonPlanet.com. Archived from the original on 5 December 2021. Retrieved 8 July 2025.
  25. ^ "Thailand Open 2022 - Fajar Injured, Hoki/Kobayashi Champions". Djarum Badminton. 22 May 2022. Archived from the original on 5 July 2022. Retrieved 20 October 2025.
  26. ^ "Hoki-Kobayashi claim their maiden Malaysia Open title". Bernama. 3 July 2022. Archived from the original on 4 July 2022. Retrieved 18 October 2025.
  27. ^ Kumar, Prem (12 June 2023). "Singapore Open: Hoki/Kobayashi's 'Stubbornness' Vindicated". Badminton World Federation. Archived from the original on 12 June 2023. Retrieved 8 July 2025.
  28. ^ Sukumar, Dev (30 July 2023). "Japan Open: They're Back!". Badminton World Federations. Archived from the original on 8 November 2024. Retrieved 18 October 2025.
  29. ^ Liew, Stanley (6 August 2023). "Zhang Beiwen Secures Victory at the 2023 Australian Open Final". BadmintonPlanet.com. Archived from the original on 18 February 2025.
  30. ^ Jiwani, Rory (17 November 2024). "Kumamoto Masters Japan 2024: Singles triumphs for Yamaguchi Akane and Li Shifeng". International Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on 18 October 2025. Retrieved 18 October 2025.
  31. ^ a b Sukumar, Dev (11 July 2016). "Boe/Mogensen Claim Gold – Yonex US Open Review". Badminton World Federation. Archived from the original on 9 April 2025. Retrieved 18 April 2025.
  32. ^ Yasumura, Kosuke (27 October 2014). "USA International 2014 | Results". Nippon Badminton Association (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 15 March 2015. Retrieved 19 October 2025.
  33. ^ Yuwono, Harmono (20 June 2016). "Badminton Spanish International 2016 | Results". Nippon Badminton Association (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 7 July 2019. Retrieved 19 October 2025.
Wikimedia Commons logo
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Yugo Kobayashi.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.