Miya Tachibana (立花 美哉) is a Japanese competitor in synchronised swimming from Ōtsu, Shiga. Tachibana began practicing the sport during her fourth year in elementary school. She was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 2011.

World Aquatics Championships

Tachibana has won eight medals at World Aquatics Championships. Her duet gold medal, won with Miho Takeda at the 2001 Fukuoka Championships, was the first gold medal for a Japanese synchronised swimming team in the history of the tournament.

Asian Games

Tachibana won a gold medal in the duet event at the 2002 Busan Asian Games.

Olympics

She received five Olympic medals at the 1996, the 2000 and the 2004 Summer Olympics. The silver medal from the 2000 Olympics was in the duet with Miho Takeda, and they also received a silver medal at the 2004 Olympics.

After competition

Tachibana retired following the 2004 Athens Olympics. She moved on to a coaching role, working alongside Masayo Imura (known in Japan as “the mother of synchro”). During the summer of 2008, she was a synchronized swimming coach for the Santa Clara Aquamaids in Santa Clara, California. After this, Tachibana coached at the Imura Synchro Club.

Personal life

In February, 2012, Tachibana announced that she would be marrying an office worker living in Osaka.