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Akiko Suzuki

Japanese figure skater

Akiko Suzuki

Summary

Japanese figure skater

FieldValue
nameAkiko Suzuki
native_name鈴木明子
image2012 WFSC 07d 1077 Akiko Suzuki.JPG
captionAkiko Suzuki at the 2012 World Championships in Nice, France
country
birth_date
birth_placeToyohashi, Aichi Prefecture
height1.60 m
coachHiroshi Nagakubo, Yoriko Naruse
skating clubHowa Sports Land
beganskating1992
retired2014
module{{Figure skating infobox medalsnationals=Japanmedalcount=yes
WCb14CCs=2GPFs=1GPFb=2WTTg=1WTTb=1NCg=1NCs=2JGPFb=1
WC
4CC
GPF
WTT
NC
JGPF

Akiko Suzuki (born March 28, 1985) is a Japanese figure skating choreographer and retired competitive figure skater. She is the 2012 World Championships bronze medalist, a three-time Grand Prix Final medalist (2011 silver, 2009 & 2012 bronze), a two-time Four Continents silver medalist (2010, 2013), the 2007 Winter Universiade champion, and the 2013 Japanese national champion. She placed eighth at the 2010 and 2014 Winter Olympics.

Personal life

Suzuki was born on March 28, 1985, in Toyohashi, Aichi Prefecture. She became engaged to a former classmate in June 2016 and married him on February 1, 2017. They divorced in 2018.

Career

Suzuki with coach Hiroshi Nagakubo

Suzuki trained in Nagoya, Japan. She began skating at age 6. At the same time, she worked for Toho Real Estate, which has its own skating rink.

Early career

Suzuki debuted on the Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating series in 1999 with one assignment in Sweden, where she took 7th place. In the 2000–2001 season, she received two assignments, where she placed 6th and 8th.

The next season, she won the bronze medal at the 2001–02 Junior Grand Prix Final after winning the Junior Grand Prix in Japan and taking bronze at the Junior Grand Prix in the Czech Republic. In the 2002–2003 season, she won her assignment in the United States, but she placed 5th at her second assignment in China and did not advance to the final.

Later in 2003, after a successful junior career, she was hampered by her struggles with anorexia nervosa, which began at age 18 when she left home for university and to train with coach Hiroshi Nagakubo. As a teenager, she began to restrict what kinds of food she ate and often went hungry due to the pressure to maintain a low weight and act responsible, but she was in good health overall.

On going to university, where she was in control of her own diet, she began to lose dangerous amounts of weight. Suzuki said she kept the disorder to herself and that "People don’t get it. They assume eating is easy. It’s not like I didn’t want to eat." Her weight fell to 32 kg. Nagakubo and the head of the skating division, out of concern for her health, eventually asked her to temporarily stop competing and to return home and see a doctor. Although she initially resisted the diagnosis of an eating disorder, she began recovering with professional help and support from her mother.

Due to her recovery, she missed the entire 2003–2004 season, during which she did not train for months. She returned to university in October 2003 and was able to compete at an intercollegiate competition in January, though still far from her previous level.

2004–2005 to 2008–2009

Suzuki returned to competitive skating in the 2004–2005 season after being inspired by Shizuka Arakawa's victory at the 2004 World Championships.

She had a breakthrough in 2007–2008, winning several events, including the 2007 Winter Universiade, and achieving her highest finish at Japanese nationals since 2002. She consequently received her first senior Grand Prix assignment in 2008–2009, and won the silver medal at the 2008 NHK Trophy. That same season, she also won the 2008 Finlandia Trophy and finished 8th at the 2009 Four Continents Championships.

2009–2010 season

2010 World Championships

Suzuki appeared at two Grand Prix events, winning the 2009 Cup of China and finishing 5th at the 2009 Skate Canada International. She qualified to the 2009–10 Grand Prix Final, where she won the bronze medal. She was awarded a place on the Japanese Olympic team after she placed second at the 2009–10 Japan Championships. She was also assigned to compete at the 2010 Four Continents Championships, where she won the silver medal. At the Olympics, she finished 8th, and she was later 11th at the 2010 World Championships – her first senior World Championships.

2010–2011 season

Suzuki opened her season with gold at the 2010 Finlandia Trophy. She received silver at both of her Grand Prix events, the 2010 Cup of Russia and the 2010 Cup of China. She qualified for her second consecutive Grand Prix Final, this time finishing fourth. A fourth-place finish at the national championships left her off the World Championships team, but she was selected to go to the 2011 Four Continents Championships, where she finished 7th.

2011–2012 season

2012 World Championships

Competing again on the Grand Prix series, Suzuki won the silver medal at the 2011 Skate Canada International and the gold medal at the 2011 NHK Trophy. Her placements qualified her for the 2011 Grand Prix Final where she won the silver medal. She won the silver behind Mao Asada at the 2011–12 Japan Championships. At the 2012 World Championships, Suzuki won the bronze medal, becoming the oldest ladies' single skater to medal at the event since Maria Butyrskaya. At the 2012 ISU World Team Trophy, she won the ladies' event, defeating World champion Carolina Kostner. Team Japan also won the event overall.

2012–2013 season

Suzuki received the same Grand Prix assignments as the previous season. She won the silver medal at the 2012 Skate Canada International and the 2012 NHK Trophy, qualifying her for the 2012–13 Grand Prix Final. At the final, she placed third in the short program. She fell twice in the free skating, finishing third overall. In December 2012, Suzuki said that the 2013–14 season would be her last. She finished fourth at the 2012–13 Japan Championships behind Satoko Miyahara.

Suzuki won the silver medal at the 2013 Four Continents Championships, as part of a Japanese sweep of the ladies' event with teammates Mao Asada and Kanako Murakami taking the gold and bronze medal respectively. She placed twelfth at the 2013 World Championships. At the 2013 World Team Trophy, Suzuki placed first; Team Japan placed third overall. Her free skating score of 133.02 and her combined total score of 199.58 are her personal best scores.

2013–2014 season

Suzuki with her bronze medal at the [[2013 NHK Trophy

Suzuki began her season at the 2013 Finlandia Trophy, where she won the silver medal behind Yulia Lipnitskaya. She won another silver at the 2013 Skate Canada International, again behind Lipnitskaya. At the 2013 NHK Trophy, she earned the bronze medal after placing second in the short and fourth in the free skating.

Suzuki won gold at the 2013–14 Japan Championships, ahead of Kanako Murakami and Mao Asada. She placed second in the short program behind Asada, but rebounded to first place after winning the free skating. She skated two clean programs and earned the highest free skating and total score to date in the ladies' event at the Japan Figure Skating Championships.

At the 2014 Winter Olympics, Suzuki competed in the free skating portion of the figure skating team event, placing fourth in that segment; Japan finished fifth overall. She went on to place eighth in the ladies' singles competition. At the 2014 World Championships, she placed fourth in the short program with a personal best score, eighth in the free skating, and sixth overall. Following the World Championships, Suzuki announced her retirement from competitive skating.

Post-competitive career

Following her retirement in 2014, Suzuki began working as a choreographer and teaching with her longtime coach, Hiroshi Nagakubo, at the Howa Sports Land Skating Club in the Aichi Prefecture. She credited figure skating choreographers Shae-Lynn Bourne and Pasquale Camerlengo for inspiring her to start working as a choreographer. Suzuki has been a mainstay in Shizuka Arakawa's Friends on Ice show since its second edition in 2007 and was a main cast member of the annual touring ice show Fantasy on Ice, having participated in all editions from 2010 to 2019. In 2022 she did the commentary for the live broadcast at the tour stop in Nagoya amongst others. In 2017, 2019 and 2021 she appeared in the new, innovative cross-genre ice show Hyoen, starring her peer Daisuke Takahashi. In 2024 she provided choreography for the Hyoen production "The Miracle of the Cross Star" and for the new ice show BISF25. She also provided motion capture and choreography for the anime adaptation of Medalist.

Suzuki has choreographed for the following skaters:

  • Yuna Aoki
  • Mone Chiba
  • Maria Egawa
  • Rika Hongo
  • Moa Iwano
  • Yuma Kagiyama
  • Takeru Amine Kataise
  • Lim Eun-soo
  • Yura Matsuda
  • Miyu Nakashio
  • Mai Mihara
  • Yuka Nagai
  • Ami Nakai
  • Rin Nitaya
  • Kaori Sakamoto
  • Sae Shimizu
  • Shin Ji-a
  • Shun Sato
  • Yuna Shiraiwa
  • Rion Sumiyoshi
  • Yo Takagi
  • Tatsuya Tsuboi
  • Kaoruko Wada
  • Sota Yamamoto
  • Mako Yamashita
  • Yuhana Yokoi Suzuki has also spoken extensively about her experience with her eating disorder in public lectures and to the media.

Programs

Suzuki at the 2010 Olympics
Suzuki at the 2012 World Championships

Post-2014

SeasonExhibition2017–2018

Pre-2014

SeasonShort programFree skatingExhibition2013–2014
2012–2013
2011–2012
2010–2011
2009–2010
2008–2009
2007–20082006–20072005–20062004–20052003–20042002–20032001–2002
2000–2001

Competitive highlights

  • GP: Grand Prix; JGP: Junior Grand Prix
InternationalEvent98–9999–0000–0101–0202–0303–0404–0505–0606–0707–0808–0909–1010–1111–1212–1313–14International: JuniorNationalTeam events
Olympics8th8th
Worlds11th3rd12th6th
Four Continents8th8th2nd7th2nd
GP Final3rd4th2nd3rd
GP Cup of China1st2nd
GP Cup of Russia2nd
GP NHK Trophy2nd1st2nd3rd
GP Skate Canada5th2nd2nd2nd
Finlandia Trophy1st1st2nd
Nebelhorn Trophy3rd
Challenge Cup1st
Golden Spin7th1st
Triglav Trophy1st
Universiade8th1st
New Zealand WG1st
Junior Worlds7th
JGP Final3rd
JGP China5th
JGP Czech Republic3rd
JGP Japan1st
JGP Norway8th
JGP Sweden7th
JGP Ukraine6th
JGP United States1st
Triglav Trophy2nd
Japan Champ.4th4th9th12th12th10th5th4th2nd4th2nd4th1st
Japan Junior3rd5th2nd5th5th
Olympics5th T
World Team
Trophy1st T
1st P3rd T
1st P
Japan Open3rd T
3rd P1st T
3rd P

Detailed results

2013 Four Continents Championships
2012 World Championships

Small medals for short program and free skating awarded only at ISU Championships. At team events, medals awarded for team results only.

  • – This is a team event; medals are awarded for the team results only.
  • – team result
  • – personal/individual result
2013–14 seasonDateEventSPFSTotal2012–13 seasonDateEventSPFSTotal2011–12 seasonDateEventSPFSTotal2010–11 seasonDateEventSPFSTotal2009–10 seasonDateEventSPFSTotal2008–09 seasonDateEventSPFSTotal2007–08 seasonDateEventSPFSTotal2006–07 seasonDateEventSPFSTotal
March 24–30, 20142014 World Championships4
71.028
122.706
193.72
February 19–20, 20142014 Winter Olympics8
60.978
125.358
186.32
February 6–9, 20142014 Winter Olympics4
112.335
December 20–23, 20132013–14 Japan Championships2
70.191
144.991
215.18
November 8–10, 20132013 NHK Trophy2
66.034
113.293
179.32
October 25–27, 20132013 Skate Canada International2
65.762
127.992
193.75
October 4–6, 20132013 Finlandia Trophy2
64.573
115.972
180.54
April 11–14, 20132013 World Team Trophy2
66.561
133.023 / 1
199.58
March 10–17, 20132013 World Championships7
61.1713
103.4212
164.59
February 8–11, 20132013 Four Continents Championships2
65.652
124.432
190.08
December 20–23, 20122012–13 Japan Championships1
65.095
114.944
180.03
December 6–9, 20122012–13 Grand Prix Final3
65.003
115.773
180.77
November 23–25, 20122012 NHK Trophy5
58.601
126.622
185.22
October 26–28, 20122012 Skate Canada International5
55.121
120.042
175.16
October 6, 20122012 Japan Open3
110.071
April 18–22, 20122012 World Team Trophy2
67.512
120.281 / 1
187.79
March 26 – April 1, 20122012 World Championships5
59.382
121.303
180.68
December 23–25, 20112011–12 Japan Championships3
59.601
119.672
179.27
December 8–11, 20112011–12 Grand Prix Final2
61.303
118.462
179.76
November 11–13, 20112011 NHK Trophy1
66.552
119.431
185.98
October 27–30, 20112011 Skate Canada International4
52.821
119.442
172.26
October 1, 20112011 Japan Open3
112.463
April 7–10, 20112011 Triglav Trophy1
57.152
90.831
147.98
February 15–20, 20112011 Four Continents Championships6
57.647
104.957
162.59
December 23–26, 20102010–11 Japan Championships7
56.864
119.104
175.96
December 9–12, 20102010–11 Grand Prix Final4
58.265
115.464
173.72
November 19–21, 20102010 Cup of Russia1
57.432
115.312
172.74
November 5–7, 20102010 Cup of China2
57.972
104.892
162.86
October 8–10, 20102010 Finlandia Trophy2
57.741
108.831
166.57
March 22–28, 20102010 World Championships20
48.367
111.6811
160.04
February 12–28, 20102010 Winter Olympics11
61.027
120.428
181.44
January 25–31, 20102010 Four Continents Championships1
58.882
114.842
173.72
December 25–27, 20092009–10 Japan Championships4
67.842
128.062
195.90
December 3–6, 20092009–10 Grand Prix Final5
57.543
116.463
174.00
November 19–22, 20092009 Skate Canada International8
53.105
94.625
147.72
October 29 – November 1, 20092009 Cup of China4
59.521
117.141
176.66
February 2–8, 20092009 Four Continents Championships9
55.408
104.968
160.36
December 25–27, 20082008–09 Japan Championships6
57.023
116.964
173.98
November 27–30, 20082008 NHK Trophy4
55.562
112.082
167.64
October 9–12, 20082008 Finlandia Trophy1
58.401
112.281
170.68
September 25–28, 20082008 Nebelhorn Trophy3
55.023
91.913
146.93
March 6–9, 20082008 Challenge Cup1
53.701
98.321
152.02
December 26–28, 20072007–08 Japan Championships5
58.665
101.275
159.93
November 8–11, 20072007 Golden Spin of Zagreb1
55.621
101.281
156.90
January 17–27, 20072007 Winter Universiade1
50.401
97.841
148.24
December 27–29, 20062006–07 Japan Championships11
48.729
96.5010
145.22

References

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