Takahiko Kozuka
Takahiko Kozuka (小塚 崇彦 Kozuka Takahiko, born February 27, 1989) is a Japanese figure skater. He is the 2011 World silver medalist and Japanese national champion, the 2006 World Junior Champion, the 2009 Four Continents bronze medalist, a two-time Grand Prix Final medalist and the 2005-2006 Junior Grand Prix Final champion.
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[edit] Personal life
Kozuka was born in Nagoya, Japan. His father, Tsuguhiko Kozuka, was a singles skater and competed at the 1968 Olympics, his mother was an ice dancer, and his grandfather, Mitsuhiko Kozuka, was prominent in early Japanese skating.[5] As both his parents are coaches, he stepped onto the ice at age three and began skating seriously at five.[6]
Kozuka studied sports education at Chukyo University.[7] His thesis compares jumps performed on the floor to those on the ice.[8] He has worked for Toyota, one of his sponsors.[7]
[edit] Career
Kozuka was inspired by Yuka Sato's win at the 1994 World Championships.[5]
Kozuka is known for the quality of his edges and basic skating skills.[9] His coaching team made him practice compulsory figures when he was a child.[7]
[edit] Early career
In the 2005- 2006 season, he won the 2005-2006 ISU Junior Grand Prix Final, the 2005-06 Japanese Junior Championships, and the 2006 World Junior Championships.
[edit] Senior career
[edit] 2006–2009
Kozuka debuted on the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating series in the 2006-2007 season. He won the bronze medal at the 2006 NHK Trophy and placed 6th in the 2006 Trophée Eric Bompard. He placed 6th in the 2006-2007 Japanese Championships and 4th in the 2007 Asian Winter Games.
In the 2007-2008 season, he won the silver medal at the 2007-2008 Japan Championships. He placed 8th at the 2008 Four Continents and 8th at the 2008 Worlds.
In the 2008-2009 season, he won the silver medal at the 2008-2009 Grand Prix Final. He won another national silver medal at the 2008-2009 Japan Championships. He won the bronze medal at the 2009 Four Continents and placed 6th at the 2009 Worlds.
[edit] 2009–2010 season
In the 2009-2010 season he won the silver medal at the 2009 Cup of Russia earning 215.13 points and placed seventh in the 2009 NHK Trophy scoring 186.00.
He won the bronze medal at the 2010 Japanese National Championships with 236.13 points, placing second in the short program and third in the free skate, and thus qualified to compete at the 2010 Winter Olympics and at the 2010 World Championships.
He finished eighth overall in the men's singles at the 2010 Winter Olympics with 231.19 points.[10] At the 2010 Worlds he finished in tenth position with a total of 216.73 points.
[edit] 2010–2011 season
Kozuka's assigned events for the 2010-2011 ISU Grand Prix season were the 2010 Cup of China and the 2010 Trophée Eric Bompard. He won the 2010 Cup of China with 233.51 points, placing first in both the short program and the free skate. He went on to win the 2010 Trophée Eric Bompard with 248.07, again winning both segments of the competition.[11] He was the top qualifier for the men's event at the 2010-11 Grand Prix Final.
During a practice session at the Grand Prix Final, Kozuka inadvertently collided with Daisuke Takahashi.[12] Both were shaken but went on to compete at the event. Kozuka said, "I apologized to him and he accepted the apology with a smile and claimed that he was not in pain but I still feel awful about it. I promised him and his coach that it will never happen again."[13] Kozuka was fourth in the short program and second in the free skate, and won the bronze medal.
Kozuka won his first national title in December 2010, placing first in both the short program and the free skate to total 251.93 points. He was sent to the 2011 World Championships. He placed sixth in the short program but moved to second overall after the long program and won his first World medal.
[edit] 2011–2012 season
Kozuka was assigned to 2011 Skate America and 2011 NHK Trophy for the 2011–12 Grand Prix season, and he won the bronze medal at Skate America and the silver medal at NHK Trophy. Kozuka earned the silver medal at the 2011 Japanese national figure skating championships, thus qualifying for a spot on the Japanese team for the 2012 World Figure Skating Championships.[14]
[edit] Programs
| Season | Short program | Free skating | Exhibition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011-2012[15] | Inner Urge by Joe Henderson choreo. by David Wilson[16] |
Fantasia for Nausicaa (from Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind) by Joe Hisaishi choreo. by Marina Zueva, Fedor Andreev[16] |
Cello Song by Nick Drake |
| 2010–2011[17] | Soul Man by Orin Isaacs choreo. by Roberto Campanella, Yuka Sato |
Piano Concerto No. 1 by Franz Liszt choreo. by Marina Zueva, Fedor Andreev |
Hello, Goodbye & Safety Dance from Glee choreo. by Kurt Browning Free Fallin' performed by John Mayer |
| 2009–2010[18] | Bold as Love by Jimi Hendrix |
Guitar Concerto by Michael Kamen and Tomoyasu Hotei |
Closer by Ne-Yo |
| 2008–2009[19] | Take Five by the Dave Brubeck Quartet |
Romeo and Juliet by Nino Rota |
Save the Last Dance for Me by Michael Bublé |
| 2007–2008 | Caravan by The Ventures |
Beatles Concerto for 2 Pianos and Orchestra by John Rutter |
Staying Alive from Saturday Night Fever by The Bee Gees |
| 2006–2007 | Art on Ice & Sarabande by Edvin Marton |
Piano Concerto No. 2 by Frederic Chopin |
I Could Have Danced All Night from My Fair Lady by Jamie Cullum |
| 2005–2006 | Sing, Sing, Sing by Benny Goodman |
Piano Concerto in F by George Gershwin |
Car Wash by Missy Elliott and Christina Aguilera |
| 2004–2005 | Migra by Santana |
Pirates of the Caribbean soundtrack by Klaus Badelt and Hans Zimmer |
Car Wash by Missy Elliott and Christina Aguilera |
| 2003–2004 | Sing, Sing, Sing by Benny Goodman |
Polovetsian Dances from Prince Igor by Alexander Borodin |
Cotton Eye Joe by Rednex |
| 2002–2003 | Don Quixote by Leon Minkus |
Moonlight Serenade by Glenn Miller |
|
| 2001–2002 | Sabre Dance from Gayane by Aram Khachaturian |
Espana Cani by Pascual Marquina Narro |
|
| 2000–2001 | The Mexican Hat Dance by Jarabe tapatio |
[edit] Competitive highlights
[edit] Senior results
| Event | 2006–07 | 2007–08 | 2008–09 | 2009–10 | 2010–11 | 2011–12 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter Olympic Games | 8th | |||||
| World Championships | 8th | 6th | 10th | 2nd | TBD | |
| Four Continents Championships | 8th | 3rd | 4th | |||
| Japanese Championships | 6th | 2nd | 2nd | 3rd | 1st | 2nd |
| Grand Prix Final | 2nd | 3rd | ||||
| Cup of China | 1st | |||||
| Cup of Russia | 5th | 2nd | ||||
| Trophée Eric Bompard | 6th | 2nd | 1st | |||
| Skate America | 8th | 1st | 3rd | |||
| NHK Trophy | 3rd | 7th | 2nd | |||
| Asian Winter Games | 4th |
[edit] Junior results
| Event | 2002–03 | 2003–04 | 2004–05 | 2005–06 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| World Junior Championships | 1st | |||
| Japanese Championships | 4th | 4th | ||
| Japanese Junior Championships | 7th | 6th | 4th | 1st |
| Junior Grand Prix Final | 1st | |||
| Junior Grand Prix, Japan | 1st | |||
| Junior Grand Prix, Canada | 4th | 2nd | ||
| Junior Grand Prix, Hungary | 7th | |||
| Junior Grand Prix, Poland | 9th | |||
| Junior Grand Prix, Mexico | 2nd |
[edit] References
- ^ "ISU World Standings for Single & Pair Skating and Ice Dance : Men". International Skating Union. June 16, 2011. http://www.isuresults.com/ws/ws/wsmen.htm. Retrieved June 18, 2011 2011.
- ^ "ISU Judging System – Season Bests Total Scores 2010/2011 : Men". International Skating Union. April 28, 2011. http://www.isuresults.com/isujsstat/sb2010-11/sbtsmto.htm. Retrieved June 18, 2011.
- ^ "ISU Judging System – Season Bests Total Scores 2009/2010 : Men". International Skating Union. March 25, 2010. http://www.isuresults.com/isujsstat/sb2009-10/sbtsmto.htm. Retrieved June 18, 2011.
- ^ "ISU Judging System – Season Bests Total Scores 2008/2009 : Men". International Skating Union. April 18, 2009. http://www.isuresults.com/isujsstat/sb2008-09/sbtsmto.htm. Retrieved June 18, 2011.
- ^ a b Gallagher, Jack (January 30, 2011). "Kozuka striving to improve despite recent success". japantimes.co.jp. Archived from the original on January 21, 2012. http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/sp20110130it.html.
- ^ Mittan, Barry (May 9, 2006). "Near Perfect Season for Japan’s Kozuka". SkateToday. Archived from the original on January 21, 2012. http://www.skatetoday.com/2006/05/09/near-perfect-season-for-japans-kozuka/.
- ^ a b c "Athletes: Takahiko Kozuka". NBCOlympics.com. Archived from the original on January 8, 2012. http://i.nbcolympics.com/athletes/athlete=2319/bio/index.html.
- ^ Golinsky, Reut (December 21, 2010). "Short update with Takahiko Kozuka". AbsoluteSkating.com. http://absoluteskating.com/interviews/2010kozuka.html. Retrieved December 22, 2010.
- ^ Rutherford, Lynn (October 22, 2011). "Brezina hangs on for Skate America title". Icenetwork. http://web.icenetwork.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20111023&content_id=25765796&vkey=ice_news. Retrieved October 24, 2011.
- ^ "2010 Winter Olympics Results - Figure Skating". ESPN. 18 January 2010. http://espn.go.com/olympics/winter/2010/results/_/sport/18/event/22.
- ^ "Takahiko Kozuka and Kiira Korpi win Trophee Bompard". Associated Press (usatoday.com). June 13, 2011. http://www.usatoday.com/sports/olympics/winter/2010-11-27-figure-skating-trophee-bompard_N.htm. Retrieved November 27, 2010.
- ^ "Crash no excuse for Grand Prix meltdown: Takahashi". Associated Press (breitbart.com). December 12, 2010. http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D9K28P0O0&show_article=1. Retrieved December 12, 2010.
- ^ Kondakova, Anna (December 11, 2010). "Chan edges out Oda for Grand Prix title". GoldenSkate.com. http://www.goldenskate.com/articles/2010/gpf-ml.shtml. Retrieved December 12, 2010.
- ^ http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/sp20111226f1.html
- ^ "Takahiko Kozuka". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on November 12, 2011. http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.isuresults.com%2Fbios%2Fisufs00006317.htm&date=2011-11-12.
- ^ a b Rutherford, Lynn (October 20, 2011). "Rink Notes: Kozuka taking things slow". Icenetwork. http://web.icenetwork.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20111020&content_id=25731336&vkey=ice_news. Retrieved October 21, 2011.
- ^ Peret, Paul (January 19, 2011). "Takahiko Kozuka Stepping Out of the Shadows". IFS Magazine. http://www.ifsmagazine.com/articles/4-takahiko-kozuka-stepping-out-of-the-shadows.
- ^ "Takahiko Kozuka". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on March 29, 2010. http://web.archive.org/web/20100329125718/http://www.isuresults.com/bios/isufs00006317.htm.
- ^ "Takahiko Kozuka". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on May 20, 2009. http://web.archive.org/web/20090520165715/http://www.isuresults.com/bios/isufs00006317.htm.
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Takahiko Kozuka |
- Takahiko Kozuka at the International Skating Union
- "Takahiko Kozuka". IceNetwork.com. http://web.icenetwork.com/skaters/detail.jsp?id=100221&mode=I.
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