Meet USA Synchro National Team Coach:
Mayu Fujiki
By Taylor Payne Mayu Fujiki was born June 21, 1975 in Japan to a competitive
swimmer (father) and a competitive synchronized swimmer (mother). She began her career as a synchronized swimmer at the age of seven and began training at the Hamadera Suiren Gakko, a swimming school in her home town of Osaka, Japan. By the time she reached high school, she was captivated by the performance of the American team, and spent her second year of high school studying in the United States. Fujiki returned to Japan and competed for her country as
a member of the FINA Junior World Championship Team. She went on to compete on the senior level, earning a bronze medal at the 1992 American Cup, a bronze medal at the 1995 FINA World Cup, and bronze medals at the 1997 Swiss Open event in both the duet and team events. Ultimately, she earned a place on the Japanese national team for the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, GA, and won a bronze medal as part of the Japanese Olympic Team. Following the 1996 Olympic Games, she enrolled in Nihon
University’s College of Humanities and Sciences in Tokyo, Japan, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature. Fujiki began her coaching career in the United States with the Walnut Creek Aquanuts (2002-03). In 2003, she was invited to join the coaching staff of the Spanish Swimming Federation’s
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National Team. Anna Tarres, Head Coach of the Spanish National Team described Fujiki as a “key component” of the Spanish team’s rise to success on the international scene. Tarres and Fujiki led Spain to two Silver Medals (of a possible two) at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China, and medals in each of the events at the 2010 FINA World Trophy, including winning the overall trophy at that competition. Fujiki has been recognized by the Japanese edition of
Newsweek Magazine as one of the 100 most recognizable Japanese people in the world. She has been invited as a guest coach by the Canadian Swimming Federation, hired as a choreographer by the National Swimming Federations of the Dominican Republic, Greece, and Hungary and acted as the Technical Advisor for the Italian Swimming Federation. Fujiki has written regular columns on the sport for “Japanese
Swimming” Magazine, and has had numerous articles written about her, and her positive effect on the Spanish team’s efforts, in several major newspapers and magazines. She also acted as the Team Manager for the 2004 Japanese Olympic Team in Athens, Greece. USA Synchro was proud to name Mayu Fujiki as the head coach of the U.S. National Team in 2011.
JULY 2011
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