Daisuke Takahashi (髙橋 大輔 Takahashi Daisuke, born March 16, 1986) is a Japanese figure skater, notable as the 2010 Olympic bronze medalist, the 2010 World Champion, the 2007 World silver medalist, a two-time (2008, 2011) Four Continents Champion, and a five-time (2006-2008, 2010, 2012) Japanese national champion.
Takahashi represented Japan at the 2006 Winter Olympics and at the 2010 Winter Olympics. His bronze medal at the 2010 Winter Olympics was the first Olympic medal for Japan in the men's singles event.
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Born in Kurashiki, Okayama Prefecture, Japan, Takahashi began figure skating when he was 8 years old. When a skating rink was built near his house, he went with his mother to watch the skaters at the rink, and afterwards, enrolled in the figure skating club. His mother intended for him enroll in the ice hockey club, but he didn't like the protective gear of ice hockey, so he enrolled in the figure skating club, instead.
Takahashi had a successful junior career, winning the 2002 World Junior Championships, in his first, and only, appearance at that competition. Takahashi is the first Japanese man to have won the title.
For the following 2002-2003 season, Takahashi turned senior and his ascent slowed. He struggled with consistency during those first few years of his senior career. He won a bronze medal at the 2005 Four Continents and went on to the 2005 World Championships as the second-ranked of the two Japanese men on the World team, after Takeshi Honda. However, when Honda was forced to withdraw due to injury, it fell on Takahashi to qualify spots for Japan at the 2006 Winter Olympics. Takahashi placed 15th, qualifying only one spot for the Japanese men.
In the 2005–2006 season, Nobunari Oda emerged as a challenger for the Olympic spot. Oda and Takahashi both had very good Grand Prix seasons. At the 2005–2006 Japanese nationals, Oda was declared the winner, and, thus, seemed to have qualified for the one Olympic slot, but his gold medal was quickly taken back, when an error was found in the way scores were tallied in the computer system at the event, and Takahashi was awarded the gold. The Japanese Skating Federation split the international assignments, and gave Takahashi the Olympic berth, and Oda a place at the World Championship. At the 2006 Winter Olympics, Takahashi was in a good position after the short program, but had a poor long program and placed 8th overall.
In the 2006–2007 competitive season, Takahashi won a silver medal at 2006 Skate Canada International, then gold at the 2006 NHK Trophy. He qualified for the Grand Prix Final and won the silver medal, although he was ill. He won the Japanese Championships, taking the national title for the second year in a row, and then went on to the Winter Universiade in Turin, Italy which he won as well.
At the 2007 World Championships, Takahashi placed third in the short program. In the free skate, he skated the performance of his life in his home country, placing first in that segment and ending up winning the silver medal, trailing Brian Joubert narrowly. This was the first silver medal for Japan in the men's event at Worlds.
Following that season, Takahashi was ranked as first in the World by the ISU. However, over the summer, the ISU tweaked their scoring criteria. Takahashi had been placed on top, just ahead of Brian Joubert, in part due to Takahashi's victory at the Winter Universiade, a competition for which Brian Joubert was not eligible, as Joubert was not a university student. The ISU determined that the results of the Winter Universiade could not be used to calculate world ranking, and Takahashi's ranking fell from first to second place.
In the 2007–2008 season, he won gold at both his Grand Prix events and then silver at the Grand Prix Final behind Stéphane Lambiel. A few weeks later, he won his third Japanese national title and was named to the Four Continents and Worlds teams.
Takahashi won the 2008 Four Continents, scoring a new record in the free skate (175.84) and in the total score (264.41) under the ISU Judging System.
He was considered a favorite heading into the 2008 World Championships but finished off the podium after a disappointing free skate in which he fell on his second quad toe attempt, then stumbled on a triple axel and triple loop, and, finally, performed an extra combination, an invalid element, which did not count towards his points total.[5]
Takahashi was originally assigned to the 2008 Cup of China and the 2008 NHK Trophy for the 2008-2009 Grand Prix season. He had to withdraw after suffering a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee on October 31, 2008, only a few days before his first event.[6][7] It was later reported that Takahashi would undergo surgery to repair ligament damage and his right meniscus and would miss the entire 2008-2009 season.[8] A bolt was inserted into his right knee.[9] He was able to return to the ice in April and began practicing jumps in June.[6]
After recovering from the surgery and getting back to training normally, Takahashi was assigned to compete at the 2009 Skate Canada International and 2009 NHK Trophy for the 2009-2010 season. He placed second at Skate Canada and fourth at the NHK Trophy. Those placements qualified him to compete in the Grand Prix Final. At the final, he led after the short program with a new personal best of 89.95, but was fifth in the free skate and fifth overall.
He won his fourth national title at the 2009-2010 Japanese Championships. At the 2010 Winter Olympics, Takahashi won the bronze medal with a score of 247.43. It is the first Olympic medal to be won by Japan in men's figure skating. He then won the gold medal at 2010 World Championships, becoming the first Asian to win a world championship in men's singles. In this competition Takahashi attempted a quadruple flip, but two-footed the landing.
Takahashi's 2010-2011 ISU Grand Prix events were the NHK Trophy and Skate America. At the 2010 NHK Trophy, he placed first with 234.79 points, 16.60 ahead of silver medalist Jeremy Abbott. Takahashi won 2010 Skate America as well, despite having flawed short and free skates. During a practice session at the Grand Prix Final, Takahiko Kozuka inadvertently collided with him while Takahashi was doing his run-through; Takahashi said, "it wasn't such a serious injury, just a bit of bruising. [...] It was the first time for me (to be involved in such an accident). I was surprised but there was no malice involved."[10][11] Takahashi placed third in the short program. In the long program, he attempted a quad flip but landed it two-footed. Multiple problems, including low levels on two spins, resulted in a sixth place finish in that segment, dropping him to fourth overall.[11]
Takahashi won the bronze medal at the 2010–2011 Japan Nationals. At the 2011 World Championships he was third in the short program but finished in fifth overall. In the long program, a screw in his boot came loose on his first element, a quad toe.[12] The Japanese team was able to get it fixed within the three minutes allowed and he resumed his program.[13] He said it may occur at any time regardless of inspections, which his coach does every day, and he does not blame her.[14] On May 19, Takahashi underwent surgery to remove a bolt in his right knee stemming from surgery in late 2008.[15] Following the surgery, he said, "It is thinner around my knee, but I feel better now that there is nothing inside my body. I might be imagining it, but it feels lighter."[9]
As part of his preparation for the 2011–2012 season, Takahashi spent two weeks in August 2011 working with ice dancing specialists Muriel Boucher-Zazoui, Romain Haguenauer, and Olivier Schoenfelder in Lyon, France to hone his skating skills.[16][17] He said, "I wanted to improve my skating technique, not because I was bad in this sector but I think Olivier is the best. I love the way he skates."[18]
At 2011 Skate Canada, Takahashi earned a score of 84.66 in the short program and 153.21 in the free skate to win the bronze medal with a combined score of 237.87. At the 2011 NHK Trophy, he earned a new personal best score of 90.43 to take the lead in the short program, with a 10.66 point lead over teammate Takahiko Kozuka. He won the gold medal with a combined total of 259.75 points and qualified for the Grand Prix Final. He finished second at the Final. At the 2011–2012 Japan Figure Skating Championships, Takahashi was first after the short program with a score of 96.05 and placed third in the free skate, scoring 158.38 points. With a total score of 254.60, he won his fifth national title, finishing ahead of Takahiko Kozuka and Yuzuru Hanyu, and will compete at the 2012 World Figure Skating Championships.[19]
Takahashi is a student at Kansai University, along with Nobunari Oda. For several years, he split his time between Hackensack, New Jersey, where he trained under coach Nikolai Morozov, and Osaka, Japan, where he trains under coach Utako Nagamitsu and jump coach Takeshi Honda. In May 2008, Takahashi announced that he would be parting ways with Morozov.[20] In May 2008, Nikolai Morozov explained the split by stating that he could no longer coach Takahashi due to problems with Takahashi's new agent.[21]
Following his win the silver medal at 2007 Worlds, Takahashi made many media appearances and performed in many ice shows in Japan. He was also invited to the French team's show Stars Sur Glace (Stars On Ice) in Paris, France. It was his first guest performance at the foreign show. In 2008, he performed at Festa On Ice in South Korea.
In July 2007, the Japanese Olympic Committee selected Takahashi as one of the "JOC symbol athletes" (JOC paid about 20 million yen per year to the symbol athletes for the image rights. JOC partner companies can use images of JOC Symbol Athletes for free).[22] The program provided him with funding from JOC partner companies.
After his won at 2010 Worlds, Takahashi appeared as a guest on many TV shows and as advertising spokespersons for "Use pesticides safety campaign"[23] and Japan Post.[24]
| Season | Short program | Free skating | Exhibition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011–2012[25] | In the Garden of Souls by Vas choreography by David Wilson[17] |
Blues for Klook by Eddy Louiss choreography by Pasquale Camerlengo[17] |
The Crisis from The Legend of 1900 by Ennio Morricone choreography by Kenji Miyamoto |
| 2010–2011[26] | Historia de un Amor played by Perez Prado Que Rico El Mambo by Perez Prado choreography by Shae-Lynn Bourne |
Invierno Porteño by Tango Siempre composed by Ástor Piazzolla choreography by Pasquale Camerlengo |
La Valse d'Amélie (Piano Version) from Amélie by Yann Tiersen choreography by Stéphane Lambiel |
| 2009–2010[27] | Eye by COBA choreography by Kenji Miyamoto |
La Strada by Nino Rota choreography by Pasquale Camerlengo |
Luv Letter DJ Okawari choreography by Kenji Miyamoto |
| 2008–2009 | Did not compete this season |
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| 2007–2008 | Swan Lake Hip Hop version Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky remix choreography by Nikolai Morozov |
Romeo and Juliet by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky choreography by Nikolai Morozov |
Bachelorette by Björk choreography by Kenji Miyamoto |
| 2006–2007 | Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 35 by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky choreography by Nikolai Morozov |
The Phantom of the Opera Soundtrack by Andrew Lloyd Webber choreography by Nikolai Morozov |
El Tango de Roxanne from Moulin Rouge! by Mariano Mores performed by Ewan McGregor choreography by Nikolai Morozov |
| 2005–2006 | El Tango de Roxanne from Moulin Rouge! by Mariano Mores choreography by Nikolai Morozov |
Piano Concerto No. 2 by Sergei Rachmaninoff choreography by Nikolai Morozov |
Nocturne by Secret Garden choreography by Daisuke Takahashi |
| 2004–2005 | Nyah from Mission: Impossible II by Hans Zimmer choreography by Tatiana Tarasova Sabre Dance |
Concierto de Aranjuez by Joaquín Rodrigo |
Nocturne by Secret Garden choreography by Daisuke Takahashi |
| 2003–2004 | Nyah from Mission: Impossible II by Hans Zimmer choreography by Tatiana Tarasova |
Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini Variation on a Theme of Niccolò Paganini by Sergei Rachmaninoff choreography by Tatiana Tarasova |
Desert Rose by Sting choreography by Daisuke Takahashi |
| 2002–2003 | Symphony No. 4 by Philip Glass |
Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones Soundtrack by John Williams |
What a Wonderful World by Joey Ramone |
| 2001-2002 | West Side Story by Leonard Bernstein |
Concerto for violin and orchestra No.1 in G minor, Op.26 by Max Bruch |
Maria from West Side Story |
| Event | 2002–03 | 2003–04 | 2004–05 | 2005–06 | 2006–07 | 2007–08 | 2009–10 | 2010–11 | 2011–12 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter Olympic Games | 8th | 3rd | |||||||
| World Championships | 11th | 15th | 2nd | 4th | 1st | 5th | TBD | ||
| Four Continents Championships | 13th | 6th | 3rd | 1st | 1st | ||||
| Japanese Championships | 4th | 3rd | 6th | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 3rd | 1st |
| Grand Prix Final | 3rd | 2nd | 2nd | 5th | 4th | 2nd | |||
| NHK Trophy | 8th | 3rd | 1st | 1st | 4th | 1st | 1st | ||
| Skate America | 1st | 1st | 1st | ||||||
| Skate Canada International | 7th | 2nd | 2nd | 3rd | |||||
| Trophée Eric Bompard | 5th | 11th | |||||||
| Bofrost Cup on Ice | 11th | ||||||||
| Finlandia Trophy | 1st | ||||||||
| Winter Universiade | 1st | 1st | |||||||
| Asian Winter Games | 6th | ||||||||
| Japan Open | 2nd* | 4th** | 2nd* | 6th*** | |||||
| Japan International Challenge | 2nd* |
| Event | 1998–99 | 1999–00 | 2000–01 | 2001–02 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| World Junior Championships | 1st | |||
| Japanese Championships | 5th | |||
| Japan Junior Championships | 3rd | 4th | 1st | |
| ISU Junior Grand Prix Final | 4th | |||
| Junior Grand Prix, Japan | 1st | |||
| Junior Grand Prix, Bulgaria | 2nd | |||
| Junior Grand Prix, Ukraine | 8th | |||
| Junior Grand Prix, China | 9th | |||
| Triglav Trophy | 1st N. | |||
| N. = Novice level | ||||
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