Two Kaggle Grandmasters Win Gold Medals at NFL Big Data Bowl 2026 Competition

Kaggle Grandmasters Shine at NFL Big Data Bowl 2026

In a competitive landscape of data analysis, Rist, a company based in Kyoto, has made headlines by securing two gold medals at the recent NFL Big Data Bowl 2026 competition. The event took place from September 25 to December 3, 2025, under the auspices of the National Football League (NFL), where participants were tasked with predicting player movements during passing plays in American football.

With over 8,000 participants and 771 teams, the stakes were high. Takoi ranked 4th overall, while Mifune followed closely behind at 9th. Their impressive performances not only earned them personal accolades but also highlighted the skillset present within the Rist Kaggle Team.

Insights from the Champions

Both Kaggle Grandmasters shared insights into their strategies and methodologies that led to their success. Takoi, reflecting on his approach, noted the importance of leveraging domain knowledge in American football. Despite not having played the sport himself, Takoi utilized insights gained from watching games and analyzing past plays, focusing particularly on the dynamic between the ball, the runner, and the defender. His innovative modeling strategies played a critical role in his results.

On the other hand, Mifune emphasized a unique architecture in his model that allowed simultaneous learning of individual player timelines alongside the interactions on the field. By incorporating elements of physics, Mifune’s efforts focused on generating smooth predicted movements, which could adapt to uncertain situations during chaotic plays. His model's ability to output both speed and confidence levels of predictions contributed significantly to his accomplishment.

About Kaggle

Kaggle is renowned as one of the largest data analysis platforms globally, boasting a community of over 28 million registered users. Competitions are often presented by companies and organizations, inviting users, referred to as Kagglers, to showcase their analytical skills. Participants are ranked based on their performance and can attain titles such as Kaggle Grandmaster, Kaggle Master, and Expert. The title of Kaggle Grandmaster is particularly prestigious, held by only 384 individuals worldwide, marking them as elite data scientists and AI engineers.

Rist's Commitment to Excellence

Founded in 2016, Rist has been committed to fostering a talented team of data scientists. Since 2020, they have actively recruited skilled Kaggler participants through a dedicated hiring track, creating the Rist Kaggle Team. This team has grown to include ten Kaggle Grandmasters and two Kaggle Masters, who are engaged in providing advanced solutions and developing products using high-level data analysis and AI technologies.

The success of Takoi and Mifune has not just put Rist on the map in the data analysis field; it also showcases the potential of collective expertise in tackling complex challenges in sports analytics. The company's dedication to excellence continues to drive their achievements in a fast-evolving industry.

For more information about the Kaggle competition results and insights from Takoi and Mifune, visit the official Kaggle leaderboard and discussion pages.

Rist Company Overview

Located in Kyoto, Rist operates from the 7th floor of the Excel Human Building on Gojō Street, engaging in a range of activities from data analysis to product development. Their website is Rist.