Riki Takei
Riki Takei is a Japanese badminton player from Tokyo. He is a member of the Japan national team and plays for the NTT East badminton team. He was the 2017 Asian Junior U-15 champion in the boys' singles. He won his first senior international title at the 2023 Thailand International and was a runner-up at the 2024 All Japan Badminton Championships.
Early career
Riki Takei began playing badminton at age five at the Ome Junior club in Tokyo. As a fourth-grader, he won a national elementary school championship, leading to his selection for the U-13 National Development squad. He later attended Inawashiro Junior High School and the Futaba Mirai Gakuen High School.Takei made his international debut in 2015 at the Singapore Youth International Series. He won his first junior international title in 2017 with a victory in the boys' singles at the U-15 Asian Junior Championships. That same year, he won a gold medal in boys' doubles at the Singapore Youth International with partner Shohei Noguchi. In 2018, he earned a silver medal in boys' singles at the Jakarta Open Junior International. The following year, he was part of the Japanese team that won a bronze medal in the mixed team event at the 2019 World Junior Championships in Kazan. His junior career also included numerous domestic titles, including victories at the All Japan Junior High School Championships, the National High School Championships, and the All Japan Junior Championships.
Career
After graduating from high school, Takei joined the NTT East Badminton Team on 1 April 2022. In 2023, he won his first senior international title at the Thailand International by defeating Heo Kwang-hee of South Korea in the final. Later that year, he was the runner-up at the Bahrain International, losing to his compatriot Minoru Koga.In 2024, Takei reached the final of the All Japan Championships, finishing as the runner-up to Yushi Tanaka. His path to the final included victories over Kenta Nishimoto and Riku Hatano, and he advanced from the semifinals following Koki Watanabe's withdrawal due to injury. Takei attributed his performance to six months of training under former national player Kento Momota.
In 2025, Takei won the Réunion Open without losing a single game. He also won the Saipan International, defeating Yudai Okimoto in the final. In July, he won the Lin Dan Cup, an invitational tournament in Xi'an, China.
Personal life
Takei is the younger brother of badminton player Yuta Takei. Takei married on 6 June 2024. His first child, a daughter, was born on 9 December 2024.Achievements
BWF International Challenge/Series (3 titles, 1 runner-up)
Men's singles| Year | Tournament | Opponent | Score | Result | Ref | |||||||||||||||
| 2023 | Thailand International |  gold1Performance timelineNational teamJunior level
Individual competitionsJunior level
Record against selected opponentsRecord against Year-end Finals finalists, World Championships semi-finalists, and Olympic quarter-finalists. Accurate as of 26 September 2023.
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