Rina Komokata Wins Gold in Women’s Doubles at Tokyo 2025 Deaflympics
Shimadzu Corporation’s employee, Rina Komokata, a member of the SHIMADZU Breakers, won a gold medal in the women’s doubles, partnering with Riko Suzuki, and a bronze medal in singles at the Tokyo 2025 Deaflympics tennis competition.
Holding the doubles gold medal. Right: Rina Komokata; left: her partner Riko Suzuki (NTT Urban Development)
Singles awards ceremony. Komokata is on the far right.
The tournament was held from November 16 to 25, 2025 at Ariake Tennis Park in Tokyo. Representing Japan, Komokata competed in three events: singles, women’s doubles, and mixed doubles.
In the women’s doubles event, 13 pairs took part. Komokata teamed up with Riko Suzuki (NTT Urban Development) and progressed smoothly through both the first rounds and the semifinals. In the final, they faced fellow Japanese players Chiaki Sugimoto and Yuria Miyagawa, winning both the first and second sets to secure the gold medal. They demonstrated overwhelming strength.
Komokata competing in a team shirt with “JAPAN” on the back
In the singles event, 39 players participated. Komokata advanced to the semifinals by winning her first three matches in straight sets. In the semifinal, she faced Heike Albrecht-Schroeder (Germany). After losing the first set 5-7, Komokata fought back to take the second set 6-3. The final set remained deadlocked until it went to a tiebreak. However, after a series of long rallies, she ultimately fell short, losing 6-7 (5-7).
Left-handed Komokata stepping forward deeply with her left foot, attempting a backhand stroke
The bronze-medal match was held on the final day of the tournament, November 25. Komokata faced Mathilde Tranbeig (Denmark) and delivered a commanding performance, not conceding a single game to her opponent and winning decisively to claim the bronze medal. In mixed doubles, partnering with Naoto Oyamatsu (KAJIMAROAD CO.,LTD.), she finished in the best eight.
Singles bronze medal and doubles gold medal
“I’m relieved to have won medals.”
On November 28, Shimadzu Corporation held a post-competition press briefing at its Head Office. Reflecting on her performance, Komokata said, “This was my first appearance at the Deaflympics, and being held in my home country, I felt a great deal of pressure but am relieved to have won medals. In doubles, Suzuki and I were able to demonstrate the results of our training together. The singles semifinal loss was painful because it was so close, but my first Deaflympics was a valuable experience.”
Describing the Deaflympics as a special competition for her, she added, “I identified many goals and challenges for the next four years, and I intend to overcome them. I also want to continue working to raise awareness of deaf sports.”
Shimadzu Corporation employees and SHIMADZU Breakers team members were at the Coliseum to cheer her on. Nearby were flags covered with messages of support.
Employees wrote messages of support on a banner (at Shimadzu Corporation Head Office)
The Deaflympics are “the Olympic Games for people who are deaf or hard of hearing,” and this marks the first time the event has been held in Japan. Athletes are eligible to compete if the softest sound they can hear without hearing aids exceeds 55 dB, and hearing aids are removed during play.
Komokata was born with a congenital hearing impairment and, under the influence of her mother, began playing tennis at the age of six. When she was in the second year of junior high school, she happened to be at the training camp for the Japanese national deaf tennis team, where the coach invited her to enter the world of deaf tennis. Looking back on that time, she says, “I was happy to meet people with the same disability and to make more friends.” Komokata was selected for the Japanese national team for the first time at the 2019 World Deaf Tennis Championships while in her second year of high school, and went on to win back-to-back singles titles in the Deaf Championships at the Australian Open in 2024 and 2025.
In 2025, she joined Shimadzu Corporation and currently works in the Corporate Communication Department, handling internal public relations activities. As a leading player in Japan’s deaf tennis community, she is expected to continue her active career, including giving lectures at elementary schools in her home prefecture of Mie.
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