Kenki Sato (, ''Satō Kenki''; born 11 July 1984 in

Ogawa Ogawa (written: lit. "small river" or in hiragana) is the 30th most common Japanese surname. Less common variants are (also "small river") or ("tail river"). Notable people with the surname include: *, American poet *, Japanese footballer * ...

, Nagano prefecture, Japan is a Japanese equestrian. At the 2012 Summer Olympics he competed in the Individual eventing and reached 12th place.

Personal life

Kenki is a member of a Japanese family of equestrians and Buddhist priests. He was born and raised in the secluded mountain village of Ogawa, in the temple compound Myōshō-ji (明松寺). A Buddhist priest himself, Kenki later studied law at Meiji University,

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...

Family Tradition

Kenki has been riding horses since he was seven years old. During his childhood, his home village was very isolated and largely inaccessible by car. Most transportation was done by horse. Kenki's father Shōdō () is the abbot of the local temple and also an equestrian. He was nominated as a member of Japan's equestrian team for the

1980 Moscow Olympics The 1980 Summer Olympics (russian: Летние Олимпийские игры 1980, Letniye Olimpiyskiye igry 1980), officially known as the Games of the XXII Olympiad (russian: Игры XXII Олимпиады, Igry XXII Olimpiady) and commo ...

, but was unable to compete due to the boycott of the games by Japan. Most members of the Sato family are internationally competing equestrians. Kenki's brother Eiken (), also a priest, was a member of Japan's equestrian team of the 2008 Summer Olympics. His sister Tae () is a five-time winner of national equestrian competitions.

Equestrian career

Kenki passed on the opportunity to compete in the 2008 Summer Olympics in order to complete his ordination as a zen priest. In 2010, he joined the stable of German Olympic equestrian

Dirk Schrade Dirk Schrade (born 29 June 1978 in Münsingen) is a German equestrian. At the 2012 Summer Olympics he competed in the Individual eventing and team eventing, where Germany won the gold medal. Notable Horses * Grand Amour 7 - 2000 Dark Bay ...

in order to prepare for the 2012 Summer Olympics. Since summer 2011 he has been training with 2012 Olympic gold medalist, European and world champion Michael Jung. Kenki's wife Kiyo has moved to Germany with her husband, where she takes care of his horses ''Chippieh'' and ''Toy Boy''.abendzeitung-muenchen.de
''Kurios: Buddhistischer Mönch bei Olympia'', 11 July 2012, German language, retrieved 26 July 2012 Kenki competed in the 16th Asian Games in

Guangzhou Guangzhou (, ; ; or ; ), also known as Canton () and alternatively romanized as Kwongchow or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of Guangdong province in southern China. Located on the Pearl River about north-northwest of Hong Kon ...

, China, where he won a gold medal. At the 2012 Summer Olympics he reached 15th place with his horse ''Chippieh'' after the dressage portion. During the cross-country portion however, his horse fell, ending the competition for Kenki. Japan ultimately reached 12th place overall. Kenki had stated that after the 2012 games he is planning to stay in Germany until winter and to return to Japan afterwards. According to Michael Jung's father however, these plans have changed: Kenki will thus continue to stay in Germany.Sandra Auffahrt und Michi Jung in der Dopingprobe
reitturniere.de, 31. Juli 2012

External links

zimbo.com
Pictures of Kenki Sato

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sato, Kenki Japanese male equestrians 1984 births Living people Olympic equestrians for Japan Equestrians at the 2012 Summer Olympics Asian Games medalists in equestrian Equestrians at the 2010 Asian Games Asian Games gold medalists for Japan Medalists at the 2010 Asian Games Sportspeople from Nagano Prefecture