| Japanese name | ||||||
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Takahashi & Tran perform a dance lift at the 2008-2009 Junior Grand Prix Final. |
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| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Narumi Takahashi |
| Country represented | Japan |
| Born | January 15, 1992 Chiba, Japan |
| Residence | Montreal, Quebec |
| Height | 1.46 m (4 ft 9 in) |
| Partner | Mervin Tran |
| Former partner | Yoshiaki Yamada (JPN) Gao Yu (figure skater) (CHN) |
| Coach | Richard Gauthier Bruno Marcotte S. Fullum |
| Choreographer | Julie Marcotte |
| Skating club | Aqua Rink Chiba |
| Current training locations | St. Leonard, Quebec |
| Began skating | 1995 |
| World standing | 9 (As of 19 November 2011[update])[1] |
| Season's bests | 10 (2011–2012)[2] 14 (2010–2011)[3] 19 (2009–2010)[4] 32 (2008–2009)[5] |
| ISU personal best scores | |
| Combined total | 172.09 2011 NHK Trophy |
| Short program | 60.60 2011 Skate Canada |
| Free skate | 114.20 2011 NHK Trophy |
Narumi Takahashi (高橋 成美 Takahashi Narumi, born January 15, 1992) is a Japanese pair skater. She competes with Mervin Tran. They are the 2010 Junior World silver medalists, 2010–11 Junior Grand Prix Final champions, and 2008–2010 Japanese national champions.
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Narumi Takahashi was born in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. Her father's job took the family to China when she was nine.[6] She lived in China for five years.[7] She moved to Montreal, Quebec, Canada to train with Tran in 2007. In addition to skating, Takahashi also played soccer for six years on a city team.[7]
Narumi Takahashi began skating at age five, following in the footsteps of her elder sister.[7] She was originally a single skater. She is a Japanese bronze medalist in novice ladies' singles.[7]
After moving to China at the age of nine, Takahashi continued skating in singles until she was about 12-13 when she switched to pair skating.[6] She skated with Chinese partner Gao Yu for one season; they placed 6th at the 2004 Chinese Championships on the senior level.[7] She decided to leave China and skate for Japan so she asked the Japanese federation for help in finding a partner; she eventually found a partner in Japan but the partnership was unsuccessful due to insufficient height difference.[7] After two years of corresponding with Richard Gauthier, whom she met at a competition in China, she moved to Montreal, Quebec. Gauthier began looking for a partner for her in Canada. Bruno Marcotte recommended Mervin Tran, who until that point had been a single skater. Tran agreed to come to Montreal for a tryout and the pair began training together in July 2007.[7][8] They train in St. Leonard.[9]
Takahashi and Tran made their international debut on the 2007–2008 ISU Junior Grand Prix, where they placed 12th and 6th at their events. They won the Japan Junior Championships and earned a trip to 2008 Junior Worlds, where they placed 15th.
In the 2008–2009 season, Takahashi and Tran placed 4th at their first Junior Grand Prix event. They won the bronze medal at their second event, qualifying them for the 2008-2009 ISU Junior Grand Prix Final, where they placed 7th. They won the senior title at the 2008-2009 Japanese Championships. At the 2009 Junior Worlds, they placed 7th.
During the 2009–2010 season, Takahashi and Tran competed on the Junior Grand Prix circuit. They won the bronze medal at their first event and gold at their second event, which qualified them for the 2009–2010 Junior Grand Prix Final. They also debuted on the senior Grand Prix series with an 8th place finish at NHK Trophy. They won silver at the JGP Final and at the Junior World Championships. They became the second pair representing Japan to medal at an ISU Championships (Yuko Kavaguti with Alexander Markuntsov being the first pair when they won silver in 2001).[6]
During the 2010–2011 season, Takahashi and Tran won silver medals at their JGP events and qualified for the Junior Grand Prix Final. They won gold at the event, becoming the first pair representing Japan to win the title. They also won their first medals on the senior Grand Prix series, a bronze at 2010 NHK Trophy, and then silver at 2010 Cup of Russia. As a result, they were first alternates to the senior Grand Prix Final. They won the bronze medal at the 2011 Junior Worlds. They also made their senior World Championships debut, finishing 9th.
During the 2011–2012 season, Takahashi and Tran's first Grand Prix assignment was 2011 Skate Canada International, where they finished fourth. They won the silver medal at their second event, 2011 NHK Trophy. In November 2011, Tran said he was considering pursuing Japanese citizenship in order to allow the couple to compete at the Olympics but said it was a difficult decision because it would mean giving up his Canadian citizenship.[10] They became the first Japanese pair to qualify for the senior Grand Prix Final.
| Season | Short program | Free skating | Exhibition |
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| 2011–2012 |
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| 2010–2011 | |||
| 2009–2010 |
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| 2008–2009 |
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| 2007–2008 |
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(with Tran)
| Event | 2007–08 | 2008–09 | 2009–10 | 2010–11 | 2011–12 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| World Championships | 9th | ||||
| Four Continents Championships | 5th | 7th | |||
| World Junior Championships | 15th | 7th | 2nd | 3rd | |
| Japanese Championships | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | |
| Japan Junior Championships | 1st | ||||
| Grand Prix Final | 6th | ||||
| Cup of Russia | 2nd | ||||
| Skate Canada | 4th | ||||
| NHK Trophy | 8th | 3rd | 2nd | ||
| Junior Grand Prix Final | 7th | 2nd | 1st | ||
| Junior Grand Prix, Germany | 6th | 2nd | |||
| Junior Grand Prix, Great Britain | 3rd | 2nd | |||
| Junior Grand Prix, Poland | 1st | ||||
| Junior Grand Prix, USA | 3rd | ||||
| Junior Grand Prix, Mexico | 4th | ||||
| Junior Grand Prix, Estonia | 12th |
(with Yoshiaki Yamada)
| Event | 2006–2007 |
|---|---|
| Japan Junior Championships | 1st |
(with Gao for China)
| Event | 2003–2004 |
|---|---|
| Chinese Championships | 6th |