| Haruka Nakamura | |
| Native Name: | 中村 遥香 |
| Native Name Lang: | ja |
| Birth Date: | 18 May 2008 |
| Birth Place: | Osaka, Japan |
| Discipline: | WAG |
| Level: | Senior International Elite |
| Club: | Namba Gymnastics Club |
| Headcoach: | Takayuki Yamazaki, Miki Shimomura |
| Eponymousskills: | Nakamura (D): Piked Deltchev (Uneven bars) |
| Show-Medals: | yes |
Haruka Nakamura (Japanese: 中村 遥香; born 18 May 2008)[1] is a Japanese artistic gymnast. She is the 2023 Junior World all-around and team champion. She is also the 2023 Junior Asian team, all-around, uneven bars, and floor exercise champion. She represented Japan at the 2024 Summer Olympics.
Nakamura helped the Namba Gymnastics Club place ninth in the all-around at the 2021 All-Japan Team Championships, and she had the tenth-highest all-around score.[2] She competed at the 2022 All-Japan Championships where she finished 50th all-around in the qualification round.[3] Then at the 2022 All-Japan Event Championships, she placed seventh on the uneven bars and fifth on the balance beam.[4] In December 2022, Japan hosted its Japanese Junior Worlds Trials, and Nakamura finished third in the all-around.[5] She helped her club place eighth at the 2022 All-Japan Team Championships.[6]
Nakamura made her international debut at the 2023 WOGA Classic in Frisco, Texas. She won the silver medal in the all-around by only 0.150 behind American gymnast Zoey Molomo.[7] She was selected to compete at the 2023 Junior World Championships in Antalya, Turkey. The Japanese team of Nakamura, Mika Mizuno, and Sara Yamaguchi won the gold medal by over two points ahead of the United States.[8] The team competition also served as the qualification round, and she qualified in third place for the all-around final and also qualified for the uneven bars and floor exercise finals.[9] In the all-around final, Nakamura hit all four of her routines to capture the gold medal ahead of her teammate Yamaguchi with a total score of 51.765.[10] She fell in the uneven bars final but still managed to finish in fourth place. She then won a bronze medal in the floor exercise final behind Giulia Perotti and Hezly Rivera.[11]
Nakamura competed at the senior level at the 2023 All-Japan Championships and finished eighth in the all-around.[12] She also finished eighth in the all-around at the NHK Trophy.[13] Then at the 2023 Junior Asian Championships in Singapore. She led the Japanese team to the gold medal, and she won the all-around title by over a full point.[14] In the event finals, she won gold medals on both the uneven bars and the floor exercise.[15] She then helped her club finish in fifth place at the All-Japan Team Championships.[16]
Nakamura became age-eligible for senior international competitions in 2024. She made her senior debut at the 2024 Cottbus World Cup and won the bronze medal on the balance beam.[17] [18] She then won the bronze medal in the all-around at the All-Japan Championships.[19] She once again finished third in the all-around at the NHK Trophy and was selected for the Japanese Olympic team alongside Shoko Miyata, Rina Kishi, Mana Okamura, and Kohane Ushioku.[20]
Nakamura performs a piked Deltchev (1/2 turn into a forward salto in straddled position) on the uneven bars and has the skill named after her in the Code of Points.[21]
| Year | Event | Team | AA | VT | UB | BB | FX | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Junior | ||||||||
| 2021 | All-Japan Team Championships | 9 | 10 | |||||
| 2022 | All-Japan Championships | 50 | ||||||
| All-Japan Event Championships | 7 | 5 | ||||||
| Junior Worlds Trials | ||||||||
| All-Japan Team Championships | 8 | |||||||
| 2023 | WOGA Classic | |||||||
| align=left | 4 | |||||||
| All-Japan Championships | 8 | |||||||
| NHK Trophy | 8 | |||||||
| Asian Championships | 7 | |||||||
| All-Japan Team Championships | 5 | |||||||
| Senior | ||||||||
| 2024 | align=left | |||||||
| align=left | All-Japan Championships | |||||||
| align=left | NHK Trophy | |||||||
| align=left | Olympic Games | 8 | 15 | |||||