NEWSWORTHY
Koshiro Shimada, Yuhana Yokoi lead after short programs at Japan Junior Championships
Koshiro Shimada grabbed the lead in the men's competition after the short program at the Japan Junior Championships on Saturday with a fine performance. Shimada, who is Japan's lone qualifier for next month's Junior Grand Prix Final, looked sharp while landing a triple axel, triple ...
Yuhana Yokoi, Nana Araki favorites entering Japan Junior Championships
With Rika Kihira and Mako Yamashita having moved up to the senior ranks, there will be a new titlist crowned at the Japan Junior Championships this weekend at Accion Fukuoka. The favorites coming into the competition this year are Yuhana Yokoi and Nana Araki. Yokoi, ...
Moa Iwano visits U.S. to improve jumps
Rising junior skater Moa Iwano recently returned from a 10-day trip to the United States to work on improving her jumps, The Japan Times has learned. The 14-year-old from Kobe, who has been ticketed for stardom by analysts, spent 10 days in Colorado Springs, Colorado, ...
Yuto Kishina battles hard to earn first JGP medal of career
Yuto Kishina kept Japan's medal streak alive in the Junior Grand Prix this season by bringing home the bronze at the Lithuania JGP in Kaunas on Saturday. Kishina was third after the short program and fought hard to capture the first JGP medal of his ...
Koshiro Shimada, Shiika Yoshioka shine at Austria JGP
Koshiro Shimada and Shiika Yoshioka combined to make last week a successful one for Japan on the Junior Grand Prix circuit with podium finishes in Linz, Austria. Shimada claimed the silver medal in the men's competition won by American Camden Pulkinen, while Yoshioka brought home ...
Moa Iwano relishing chance to work with Daisuke Takahashi
One of the realities of life is that luck plays a part in it for just about everybody. Moa Iwano is no different. The 14-year-old junior skater from Kobe trains under veteran mentor Utako Nagamitsu and Takeshi Honda at Kansai University's Takatsuki rink. One of the perks ...
Takahashi's return rocks skating world
One of the great aspects of covering skating in Japan is you never know what is going to happen next. That was certainly the case on Sunday when the bombshell news dropped that former world champion and Olympic bronze medalist Daisuke Takahashi was returning to ...
Rino Kasakake earns bronze in debut at Poland JGP
Rino Kasakake kept Japan's streak of earning at least one medal at every Junior Grand Prix this season alive by claiming the bronze at the JGP in Gdansk, Poland, on Friday. It was an impressive start for the debutante on the JGP circuit. Kasakake, a ...
Yamashita shines on ice in Salzburg JGP event
Mako Yamashita's favorite color appears to be bronze. Or maybe the number she likes best is three. It sure seems that way on both counts. For the third straight Junior Grand Prix in the past two seasons, the 14-year-old earned the bronze medal when she finished third ...
Takino takes bronze in Junior Grand Prix debut
Riko Takino, a 15-year-old from Osaka, gave Japan its first medal of the Junior Grand Prix campaign with a bronze at the season-opener in Brisbane, Australia, over the weekend. Takino was third after the short program, and maintained that position to earn a spot on ...
Murakami aiming for spot on Olympic team
Earlier this month veteran skater Daisuke Murakami competed in and won the club competition at the Philadelphia Summer International in Aston, Pennsylvania. That was good news for the 26-year-old Murakami, who missed nearly all of last season with a broken right foot. Murakami, who is ...
Kihira shines as Japan skaters sweep titles
Japanese skaters dominated at the Asian Open Trophy last week in Hong Kong in the first event of the long Olympic season. How comprehensive were the victories for the Hinomaru? Japan swept the titles in the senior women (Kaori Sakamoto), senior men (Keiji Tanaka), junior women ...
