Daisuke Takahashi

Born in Kurashiki,[3] 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 to enroll in the ice hockey club, but he did not like the protective gear of ice hockey and enrolled instead in the figure skating club.

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 2002–03 season, Takahashi turned senior. He struggled with consistency during the first few years of his senior career. In 2004, he moved to Osaka to attend university – the university built a rink for him and other elite skaters.[4]

Takahashi won a bronze medal at the 2005 Four Continents Championships 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 2005–06 season, Nobunari Oda emerged as a challenger for the Olympic spot. Oda and Takahashi both had very good Grand Prix seasons. At the 2005–06 Japanese Championships, 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 calculated in the computer system at the event; Takahashi was awarded the gold. The Japanese Skating Federation split the international assignments, giving Takahashi the Olympic berth and Oda a place at the World Championship. At the 2006 Winter Olympics, Takahashi was in a good position after short program, but had a poor free skating and placed 8th overall.

In the 2006–07 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 short program. In free skating, 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 2007–08 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 Championships, scoring a new record in free skating (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 skating 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]

In May 2008, Takahashi announced that he had parted ways with Nikolai Morozov, who had been his co-coach for several years in Hackensack, New Jersey.[6] Morozov explained the split by stating that he could no longer coach Takahashi due to problems with Takahashi's new agent.[7] Takahashi continued training under coach Utako Nagamitsu and jump coach Takeshi Honda in Osaka, Japan.

Takahashi was originally assigned to the 2008 Cup of China and the 2008 NHK Trophy for the 2008–09 Grand Prix season. He had to withdraw after suffering a torn ACL in his right knee on October 31, 2008, only a few days before his first event.[8][9] It was later reported that Takahashi would undergo surgery to repair ligament damage and his right meniscus and would miss the entire 2008–09 season.[10] A bolt was inserted into his right knee.[11] He was able to return to the ice in April and began practicing jumps in June.[8]

Takahashi at the 2010 World Championships.

After recovering from the surgery and getting back to training normally, Takahashi began the Olympic season at the 2009 Finlandia Trophy, which he won. For the Grand Prix season, he was assigned to compete at the 2009 Skate Canada International and 2009 NHK Trophy for the 2009–10 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 short program with a new personal best of 89.95, but was fifth in free skating and fifth overall.

He won his fourth national title at the 2009–10 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. At this competition, Takahashi attempted a quadruple flip, but underrotated the jump and two-footed the landing.[12]

Takahashi's 2010–11 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 program and free skating. 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."[13][14] Takahashi placed third in short program. In free skating, 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.[14]

Takahashi won the bronze medal at the 2010–11 Japanese Championships. Takahashi won the 2011 Four Continents Championships.[15] At the 2011 World Championships, he was third in short program but finished in fifth overall. In free skating, a screw in his boot came loose on his first element, a quad toe.[16] The Japanese team was able to get it fixed within the three minutes allowed and he resumed his program.[17] He said it may occur at any time regardless of inspections, which his coach does every day, and he does not blame her.[18] On May 19, Takahashi underwent surgery to remove a bolt in his right knee stemming from surgery in late 2008.[19] 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."[11]

As part of his preparation for the 2011–12 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.[20][21] 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."[22]

At 2011 Skate Canada International, Takahashi earned a score of 84.66 in short program and 153.21 in free skating 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 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 Japanese Championships, Takahashi was first after short program with a score of 96.05 and placed third in free skating, 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 was selected to compete at the 2012 World Championships,[23] where he won the silver medal. The French crowd believed he had deserved the gold medal over Patrick Chan who had mistakes, including a fall on a double axel, and booed the final result. Takahashi though stated that he was pleased with the result, which he had not expected after his off-season surgery.[24] Takahashi finished the season at the 2012 World Team Trophy. He set new personal best scores in the short program, free skating, and overall, and finished first in the men's event. His short program score, 94.00, set a new record as the highest ever under the ISU Judging System.[25][26] It was Takahashi's first win over Patrick Chan since the 2010 World Championships.[27]

On June 15, 2012, Takahashi confirmed that he would resume working with Morozov – Nagamitsu remained his primary coach and Morozov became his advisory coach.[28][29]

Takahashi presented his new free skating for the season at the 2012 Japan Open. It was the first time since his injury that he performed two quad jumps in his free skating. He placed first in the men's event and Japan took the team gold medal. He switched to new skating boots just after returning from training in the U.S. in October. This affected his practice schedule leading up to his Grand Prix events. Takahashi said: "The shoes happened to be uncomfortable beyond my expectations, which attributed to difficulty in blade adjustments. As a result, I was not able to practice as I had scheduled."[30] At the 2012 Cup of China, his first Grand Prix event of the season, he won the silver medal behind Tatsuki Machida. Takahashi won the silver medal at his next Grand Prix event, the 2012 NHK Trophy, and qualified for his seventh Grand Prix Final. The 2012 Grand Prix Final took place in Sochi, Russia at the planned 2014 Winter Olympics rink. Takahashi placed first in short program and third in free skating and won his first GPF gold medal. He is also the first Japanese man ever to win a gold medal at the Grand Prix Final.[31]

At the Japanese Championships, six strong competitors fought for three available spots on the Japanese men's world team. Takahashi came in second in short program, nine points behind Yuzuru Hanyu. Takahashi was first in free skating but finished second overall. He was named in the Japanese team for the 2013 Four Continents Championships, held in Takahashi's current hometown, and the 2013 World Championships.

Takahashi announced he would change his short program to Moonlight Sonata. With roughly a month to prepare the new program, Takahashi said he was still trying to "feel" the music with his body.[32] He was 4th in short program, 8th in free skating, and finished 7th overall at the Four Continents Championships. Takahashi was also 4th in short program and 8th in free skating at the World Championships, finishing sixth.[33]

In the 2013–14 ISU Grand Prix season, Takahashi was 4th at the 2013 Skate America before winning the 2013 NHK Trophy.

At the Japanese Championships, he placed 4th in short program and 5th in free skating to place 5th overall.[34] He was named to the Sochi Olympic team.

At the Olympics, he finished 4th in short program and 6th in free skating to finish 6th overall, with a total score of 250.67.[35] He was originally slated to compete at the 2014 World Championships in Saitama, Japan, but pulled out due to knee injury.[36]

Takahashi announced his retirement from competitive skating in October 2014.[37]

Takahashi announced his intent to return to competitive skating at the start of the 2018–19 season. He placed second behind Shoma Uno at the Japanese championships, but declined offers of international assignments.[1]

In September of 2019, Takahashi announced that he would finish his competitive singles career that season, and switch to competing in ice dance with partner Kana Muramoto, to be coached by Marina Zueva.[2] He finished twelfth at the 2019–20 Japan Championships, his final appearance in singles competition.[38]

Note: Because of the introduction of the new +5 / -5 GOE (Grade of Execution) system which replaced the previous +3 / -3 GOE system, ISU has decided that all statistics start from zero from the 2018-19 season onwards. All previous records are now historical.[59]