Nao Kodaira

Nao Kodaira, born on May twenty-six, nineteen eighty-six, is a distinguished former long track speed skater from Japan, renowned for her exceptional talent in sprint distances.

Her remarkable career reached a pinnacle when she claimed the gold medal in the five hundred meter event at the 2018 Winter Olympics, making history as the first Japanese woman to achieve this prestigious honor in speed skating.

Beyond her athletic accomplishments, Kodaira is also an accomplished academic, having graduated from Shinshu University in two thousand nine with a bachelor's degree in education.