Akiko Suzuki

Akiko Suzuki

2010 Olympics
Personal information
Full name	Akiko Suzuki
Country represented	Japan
Born	March 28, 1985 (1985-03-28) Toyohashi, Aichi
Height	1.58 m (5 ft 2 in)
Coach	Hiroshi Nagakubo, Yoriko Naruse
Former coach	Masoko Ogino
Choreographer	Anjelika Krylova, Pasquale Camerlengo
Former choreographer	Kenji Miyamoto, Shae-Lynn Bourne, Yukako Sugita
Skating club	Howa Sports Land
Began skating	1991
World standing	2 (As of 26 December 2011 (2011 -12-26))
Season's bests	TBD (2011–2012) 11 (2010–2011) 8 (2009–2010) 13 (2008–2009)
ISU personal best scores
Combined total	185.98 2011 NHK Trophy
Short program	66.55 2011 NHK Trophy
Free skate	120.42 2010 Winter Olympics
Medal record Ladies' Figure Skating Competitor for Japan Four Continents Championships Silver 2010 Jeonju Ladies' singles Grand Prix Final Silver 2011 Quebec Ladies' singles Bronze 2009 Tokyo Ladies' singles Japan Figure Skating Championships Silver 2011 Kadoma Ladies' singles Silver 2009 Kadoma Ladies' singles Junior Grand Prix Final Bronze 2001–2002 Bled Ladies' singles

Akiko Suzuki (鈴木 明子, Suzuki Akiko) (born March 28, 1985 in Toyohashi, Aichi, Japan) is a Japanese figure skater. She is a two-time Grand Prix Final medalist (2011 silver, 2009 bronze), the 2010 Four Continents silver medalist, a two-time Japanese national silver medalist, and the 2007 Winter University Games Champion.

Personal life

Suzuki suffered from anorexia nervosa and therefore missed the entire 2003-2004 season of skating.

Career

Suzuki won the bronze medal at the 2001-2002 Junior Grand Prix Final, and has competed at both the World Junior Figure Skating Championships and the Four Continents Championships.

After having a successful junior career, Suzuki was hampered by her struggles with an eating disorder which began at age 18 when she left home for university. Her weight having fallen to 32 kg, she was unable to jump and missed the entire 2003-2004 season. It took her a year to gain back the weight she had lost. 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, and achieving her highest finish at Japanese nationals since 2002. She consequently received her first senior Grand Prix assignment in 2008-9, and won the silver medal at the 2008 NHK Trophy. That same season, she also won the Finlandia Trophy and finished 8th at the 2009 Four Continents Championships.

Suzuki had two Grand Prix assignments in 2009-10. She won the 2009 Cup of China and finished 5th at the 2009 Skate Canada, qualifying her the 2009-2010 ISU Grand Prix Final. There, she won the bronze medal. Suzuki earned a place on the Japanese Olympic team after she placed second at the 2009-2010 Japan Figure Skating Championships. She was also assigned to compete at the 2010 Four Continents, where she won the silver medal. At the Olympics, she finished 8th, and was later 11th at the 2010 World Figure Skating Championships - her first senior Worlds.

Suzuki returned to the Finlandia Trophy in 2010, and again won the event. She was the silver medalist at both of her 2010 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 Worlds team, but she was selected to go to the 2011 Four Continents Championships, where she was 7th.

For the 2011-2012 ISU Grand Prix season, Suzuki was assigned to 2011 Skate Canada and the 2011 NHK Trophy. Suzuki won the silver medal at Skate Canada with a combined total of 172.26 points, and won the gold medal at the NHK Trophy with a personal best score of 66.55 points for her short program and a combined total of 185.98 points, also a personal best. Suzuki's 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 Japan Figure Skating Championships, and thus qualified to compete at the 2012 World Figure Skating Championships.

Suzuku trains in Nagoya, Japan. After her competitive career, she would like to become a choreographer.

Programs

Suzuki skates to West Side Story at the 2009 Skate Canada

Season	Short program	Free skating	Exhibition
2011–2012	Hungarian Rhapsody by Franz Liszt arranged by Edvin Marton choreo. by Anjelika Krylova	Die Fledermaus overture by Johann Strauss II choreo. by Pasquale Camerlengo	You Haven't Seen the Last of Me by Cher Show Me How You Burlesque by Christina Aguilera choreo. by Anjelika Krylova
2010–2011	Tango Jalousie by Jacob Gade choreo. by Kenji Miyamoto	Fiddler on the Roof (musical) by Jerry Bock choreo. by Pasquale Camerlengo	Bellezza by Wibi Soerjadi　 choreo. by Akiko Suzuki Ice Queen by Paul Dinletir　 Prophecy by Harem choreo. by Miki Sakagami and JANSU Tennessee Waltz by Patti Page choreo. by Akiko Suzuki
2009–2010	Andalucia by Bill Whelan Fire Dance by Bill Whelan (from Riverdance) 　choreo. by Kenji Miyamoto	West Side Story by Leonard Bernstein choreo. by Shae-Lynn Bourne	Caribe by Michel Camilo choreo. by Kenji Miyamoto
2008–2009	La Campanella by Franz Liszt choreo. by Kenji Miyamoto	Dark Eyes by Francis Lai choreo. by Yuko Hongo and Noriko Sato	Libertango by Ástor Piazzolla choreo. by Kenji Miyamoto
2007–2008	Firedance from Riverdance by Bill Whelan choreo. by Nanami Abe	Titanic by James Horner choreo. by Nanami Abe	Titanic by James Horner
2006–2007	Firedance from Riverdance by Bill Whelan choreo. by Nanami Abe	Moonlight Sonata by Ludwig van Beethoven	It's A Beautiful Day by Sarah Brightman Nocturne from Songs from a Secret Garden by Rolf Lovland
2005–2006	Bolero Fantasy by The Planets	Moonlight Sonata by Ludwig van Beethoven
2004–2005	Bolero Fantasy by The Planets	Salome by Richard Strauss
2003–2004	Bolero Fantasy by The Planets	The Red Violin from Rodorigo
2002–2003	Introduction and Rondo capriccioso by Camille Saint-Saëns	The Red Violin from Rodorigo
2001–2002	Piano Concerto#1 in E minor, op.11 by Frederic Chopin	Romeo and Juliet by Nino Rota, William Walton and Sergei Prokofiev

Competitive highlights

Suzuki (center) with other medalists at the 2009 Cup of China podium.

Post–2004

Event	2004–05	2005–06	2006–07	2007–08	2008–09	2009–10	2010–11	2011–12
Winter Olympic Games						8th
World Championships						11th		TBD
Four Continents Championships					8th	2nd	7th
Japanese Championships	12th	12th	10th	5th	4th	2nd	4th	2nd
Japanese Junior Championships	3rd	5th
Grand Prix Final						3rd	4th	2nd
Cup of Russia							2nd
Cup of China						1st	2nd
Skate Canada International						5th		2nd
NHK Trophy					2nd			1st
Finlandia Trophy					1st		1st
Nebelhorn Trophy					3rd
International Challenge Cup				1st
Golden Spin of Zagreb		7th		1st
Winter Universiade		8th		1st
New Zealand Winter Games						1st
Triglav Trophy							1st

Pre–2004

Event	1998–99	1999–00	2000–01	2001–02	2002–03	2003–04
Four Continents Championships				8th
World Junior Championships			7th
Japanese Championships			4th	4th	9th
Japanese Junior Championships	3rd	5th	2nd	5th	5th
Junior Grand Prix, Final				3rd
Junior Grand Prix, China					5th
Junior Grand Prix, USA					1st
Junior Grand Prix, Japan				1st
Junior Grand Prix, Ostrava				3rd
Junior Grand Prix, Norway			8th
Junior Grand Prix, Ukraine			6th
Triglav Trophy	2nd

• Suzuki did not compete in the 2003-2004 season.

External links

• Akiko Suzuki at the International Skating Union
• Profile and Photos

Pair Skating and Ice Dance : Ladies | publisher = International Skating Union | date = June 16, 2011 | accessdate = June 17, 2011 2011 }}