# Mari Motohashi

Mari Motohashi (本橋 麻里, Motohashi Mari, born 10 June 1986) is a Japanese curler. She currently plays third on Team Honoka Sasaki.

## Career

Motohashi was a member of Team Aomori which represented Japan at two Winter Olympics (2006 and 2010). She threw second stones for Ayumi Onodera at the 2006 Winter Olympics, finishing 7th, and played second for Moe Meguro at the 2010 Winter Olympics, finishing 8th. She skipped the Japan team at the 2002 World Junior Curling Championships, finishing last. She has also played for Japan at five World Curling Championships: 2004 (7th), 2005 (9th), 2007 (9th), 2008 (4th) & 2010 (11th).
After playing for the Meguro rink from 2007 to 2010, Motohashi began skipping her own team. She has yet to represent Japan internationally as a skip on the senior level.
On the World Curling Tour, Motohashi won the 2007 Meyers Norris Penny Charity Classic and the 2009 Twin Anchors Invitational while playing for Meguro, and later skipped her own rink to win the 2014 Avonair Cash Spiel.
Founded own rink "Loco Solare", a.k.a. "LS Kitami" in her hometown Tokoro, Kitami in Aug. 2010. The team members are all local members but achieved international success as the 2nd place in the 2016 World Women's Curling Championship in Swift Current.
Motohashi was part of the Japanese team that won the 2018 Olympics women curling bronze medal.
In June 2018, Motohashi announced that she would rest for a while from a top curling player and concentrate on training young players.
In 2021, she took over the Miki Hayashi rink as their skip.

## Personal life

Motohashi graduated from Nippon Sport Science University. Her nickname is 'Marilyn' named after her given name. Holding Teacher's License for Junior High School - Grade 2 in Japan (health and physical training). She was awarded as an honorary citizen of Kitami City.

## Teammates

| Season | Skip | Third | Second | Lead | Alternate | Events |
| 2001–02 | Mari Motohashi | Naoko Yamazaki | Megumi Kobayashi | Mina Sasaki | Anna Ohmiya | 2002 WJCC |
| 2003–04 | Shinobu Aota | Yukari Okazaki | Eriko Minatoya | Kotomi Ishizaki | Mari Motohashi | 2003 PCC, 2004 WCC |
| 2004–05 | Yumie Hayashi | Ayumi Onodera | Mari Motohashi | Sakurako Terada | Ai Kobayashi | 2004 PCC, 2005 WCC |
| 2005–06 | Ayumi Onodera | Yumie Hayashi | Mari Motohashi | Moe Meguro | Sakurako Terada | 2006 OG |
| 2006–07 | Moe Meguro | Mari Motohashi | Mayo Yamaura | Sakurako Terada | Asuka Yogo | 2006 PCC, 2007 WUG, WCC |
| 2007–08 | Moe Meguro | Mari Motohashi | Mayo Yamaura | Kotomi Ishizaki | Anna Ohmiya | 2007 PCC, 2008 WCC |
| 2008–09 | Moe Meguro | Mari Motohashi | Mayo Yamaura | Kotomi Ishizaki | Anna Ohmiya | 2008 PCC |
| 2009–10 | Moe Meguro | Anna Ohmiya | Mari Motohashi | Kotomi Ishizaki | Mayo Yamaura | 2009 PCC, 2010 OG, WCC |
| 2010–11 | Mari Motohashi | Yurika Yoshida | Megumi Mabuchi | Akane Eda | Yumi Suzuki | |
| 2011–12 | Mari Motohashi | Megumi Mabuchi | Yumi Suzuki | Akane Eda | Yurika Yoshida | |
| 2012–13 | Mari Motohashi | Yurika Yoshida | Megumi Mabuchi | Yumi Suzuki | Akane Eda | |
| 2013–14 | Mari Motohashi | Yurika Yoshida | Yumi Suzuki | Megumi Mabuchi | | |
| 2014–15 | Mari Motohashi | Chinami Yoshida | Yumi Suzuki | Yurika Yoshida | Megumi Mabuchi | |
| 2015–16 | Satsuki Fujisawa | Chinami Yoshida | Yumi Suzuki | Yurika Yoshida | Mari Motohashi | 2016 WCC |
| 2016–17 | Satsuki Fujisawa | Chinami Yoshida | Mari Motohashi | Yurika Yoshida | Yumi Suzuki | 2016 PCC, 2017 AWG |
| 2017–18 | Satsuki Fujisawa | Chinami Yoshida | Yumi Suzuki | Yurika Yoshida | Mari Motohashi | 2017 PCC, 2018 OG |
| 2021–22 | Mari Motohashi | Yako Matsuzawa | Miki Hayashi | Mayumi Saito | Ayumi Aoki | |
| 2022–23 | Honoka Sasaki | Mari Motohashi | Miki Hayashi | Ayuna Aoki | Mayumi Saito | |
| 2023–24 | Honoka Sasaki | Mari Motohashi | Miki Hayashi | Mayumi Saito | Yako Matsuzawa | |

## Grand Slam record

Key :
| C | Champion |
| F | Lost in Final |
| SF | Lost in Semifinal |
| QF | Lost in Quarterfinals |
| R16 | Lost in the round of 16 |
| Q | Did not advance to playoffs |
| T2 | Played in Tier 2 event |
| DNP | Did not participate in event |
| N/A | Not a Grand Slam event that season |
| Event | 2015–16 | 2016–17 | 2017–18 |
| Players' | DNP | DNP | QF |
| Champions Cup | Q | DNP | DNP |

### Former events

| Event | 2006–07 | 2007–08 | 2008–09 | 2009–10 | 2010–11 | 2011–12 | 2012–13 | 2013–14 | 2014–15 |
| Autumn Gold | Q | Q | Q | Q | Q | DNP | DNP | DNP | Q |