Ren Hayakawa
Japanese archer who won Olympic bronze in women's team archery.
Ren Hayakawa, a Japanese archer originally from South Korea, earned a bronze medal in the women's team event at the 2012 London Olympics. Born Um Hye-ryeon in Anyang, South Korea, she took up archery in high school and later joined a professional team, but never made the South Korean national team. After moving to Japan on an archery scholarship, she studied at Nippon Sport Science University and became a Japanese citizen in 2007. Her older sister, Nami, had already competed for Japan in archery at the 2008 Olympics.
Hayakawa was selected for Japan’s 2012 Olympic squad. In London, she teamed with Kaori Kawanaka and Miki Kanie to defeat Russia by two points in the bronze medal match, securing Japan’s first Olympic medal in team archery. She also entered the individual event but lost in the third round to South Korea’s Ki Bo-bae. Later, at the 2014 Asian Games, she won bronze in the women’s team recurve competition alongside Kawanaka and Yuki Hayashi. In 2021, she was featured as the face of Adidas by Stella McCartney’s Spring Summer campaign, photographed by Monika Mogi.
- Born
- Um Hye-ryeon in Anyang, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea
- Citizenship
- Japanese (since 2007)
- Olympic medal
- Bronze, women's team event, 2012 Summer Olympics
- Olympic teammates
- Kaori Kawanaka, Miki Kanie
- Sibling
- Nami Hayakawa (older sister, Olympic archer)
- Asian games medal
- Bronze, women's team recurve, 2014 Asian Games
- Education
- Nippon Sport Science University
Lore & Background
Ren Hayakawa was born Um Hye-ryeon in Anyang, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. She competed in archery in high school and later joined a professional team, but never qualified for the South Korean national team. She left South Korea to study on an archery scholarship at Nippon Sport Science University and became a Japanese citizen in 2007. Her older sister, Nami, is also an Olympic archer and competed for Japan in the 2008 Summer Olympics.
In 2011, Hayakawa was selected for the Japanese Olympic squad for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. There, she and teammates Kaori Kawanaka and Miki Kanie advanced to the bronze medal match of the women's team event, defeating Russia by two points to earn Japan's first Olympic medal in team archery. She also competed in the women's individual event, losing in the third round to South Korea's Ki Bo-bae.
Hayakawa later won bronze in the women's team recurve competition at the 2014 Asian Games alongside Kawanaka and Yuki Hayashi. She was the face of Adidas by Stella McCartney's Spring Summer 2021 Campaign, directed by Japanese photographer Monika Mogi.
Reader's Guide
Ren Hayakawa's significance lies in her role as a key member of Japan's first Olympic medal-winning women's team archery squad, earning bronze at the 2012 Summer Olympics. Her victory alongside Kaori Kawanaka and Miki Kanie marked a historic achievement for Japanese archery, as the country had not previously won an Olympic medal in the team event. Hayakawa's personal journey from South Korea to Japan, where she naturalized in 2007, adds a layer of cross-cultural context to her career. She followed her older sister Nami, who had competed for Japan in the 2008 Olympics, making the Hayakawa sisters a notable family presence in Olympic archery. Beyond her Olympic success, Hayakawa continued to contribute to Japan's international results, winning a bronze medal in the women's team recurve event at the 2014 Asian Games. Her later role as the face of a major fashion campaign by Adidas by Stella McCartney in 2021, photographed by Monika Mogi, reflects her visibility beyond sport. Her legacy is tied to her pioneering team medal and her representation of Japanese archery on the global stage.
Did You Know?
- She became a Japanese citizen in 2007 after moving to study on an archery scholarship.
- Her older sister Nami Hayakawa competed for Japan in archery at the 2008 Summer Olympics.
More in Olympic Archers 1-24
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