| Mari Kosuge |
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Nineteen-ninety-two Olympian Mari Kosuge will begin her first season as a volunteer assistant coach at UCLA in 2001.
Kosuge is one of Japan's most accomplished gymnasts, having won five national all-around titles from 1988-1992 and competing at five World Championships in 1991, 1993, 1994 and 1995. Kosuge also placed 17th in the all-around at the 1992 Olympic Games and eighth at the 1990 Goodwill Games. In addition, she recorded a third-place finish at the 1990 American Cup and a first-place all-around showing at the 1991 International Junior Championships, where she also took silver on bars, beam and floor.
Kosuge, who was coached by Mitsuo Tsukahara, burst onto the international scene in 1987, when she placed eighth in the all-around at the International Junior Championships. In 1988, she won her first Japanese all-around title and also placed first on vault, bars and beam. She ended her career in 1995 with 12 national titles.
The 25-year old Kosuge was born in Tokyo, Japan. After retiring from gymnastics, she went on to become a sports broadcaster for several TV stations in Japan, including NTV, and covered such sports as baseball, sumo wrestling and soccer. She also covered the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan.
