Daisuke Takahashi facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Daisuke Takahashi
高橋 大輔
Takahashi at the 2010 Skate America
Born	(1986-03-16) March 16, 1986 (age 39) Kurashiki, Okayama, Japan
Alma mater	Kansai University (2015)
Occupation	Figure skater Ice show producer
Height	165 cm (5 ft 5 in)
Daisuke Takahashi Personal information Country represented  Japan Partner Kana Muramoto Coach Marina Zueva Ilia Tkachenko Johnny Johns Utako Nagamitsu Takeshi Honda Nikolai Morozov Skating club Kansai Univ. Kaisers FSC Began skating 1994 Retired 2023

Daisuke Takahashi (高橋 大輔, Takahashi Daisuke, born March 16, 1986) is a famous Japanese figure skater. He competed in both men's singles and ice dance. He is also an ice show producer.

As a singles skater, he won a bronze medal at the 2010 Olympic Games. He was also the 2010 World champion. He won the 2012–13 Grand Prix Final and was a two-time Four Continents champion (2008, 2011). He also won the Japanese national title five times (2006–2008, 2010, 2012).

Daisuke Takahashi represented Japan at three Winter Olympics: 2006, 2010, and 2014. His bronze medal in 2010 was the first Olympic medal for an Asian country in men's singles figure skating. He was also the first Asian man to win a World title in 2010. At the 2012–13 Grand Prix Final, he became the first Asian man to win a gold medal at that event.

He first retired from competitive skating in 2014. However, he returned in 2018. After two seasons in singles, he switched to ice dance in 2020. He partnered with Kana Muramoto. With her, he won a silver medal at the 2022 Four Continents Championships. They also became the 2022-23 Japanese national champions. Daisuke Takahashi is the first and only skater to win medals at the Four Continents Figure Skating Championships in two different types of skating.

Even though he had a knee injury since 2008, he skated for 16 seasons in total. This is a very long career for a figure skater! Many other skaters, like Patrick Chan and Shoma Uno, look up to him. They are inspired by his amazing musicality and unique style.

Outside of competitions, Daisuke Takahashi has helped create new ice shows in Japan. He produced Hyoen, which mixes figure skating with traditional Japanese arts. In 2023, he also started producing his own show called Ice Explosion 2023. He has also performed as a dancer in other stage shows.

Skating Journey

Starting Out

Daisuke Takahashi was born in Kurashiki, Okayama Prefecture, Japan. He started figure skating when he was eight years old. A new skating rink opened near his home. He went to watch the skaters with his mom and decided to join the figure skating club. His mom actually wanted him to join the ice hockey club, but he didn't like the protective gear. So, he chose figure skating instead!

Daisuke had a great start to his career as a junior skater. He won the 2002 World Junior Championships. This was his first time at that competition. He was the first Japanese man to ever win this title.

Senior Skating Career

First Steps as a Senior Skater

Daisuke Takahashi became a senior skater for the 2002–03 season. It took him a few years to skate consistently well. In 2004, he moved to Osaka to go to university. The university even built a special rink for him and other top skaters.

He won a bronze medal at the 2005 Four Continents Championships. He then went to the 2005 World Championships. He placed 15th, which helped Japan get one spot for the 2006 Winter Olympics.

2005–06 Season

In the 2005–06 season, Daisuke competed for the Olympic spot. At the Japanese Championships, there was a mistake in the scoring. After it was corrected, Daisuke was awarded the gold medal. This meant he got to go to the Olympics. At the 2006 Winter Olympics, he finished 8th overall.

2006–07 Season

In the 2006–07 season, Daisuke won a silver medal at 2006 Skate Canada International and a gold at the 2006 NHK Trophy. He then won a silver medal at the Grand Prix Final. He won the Japanese Championships for the second year in a row. He also won the Winter Universiade.

At the 2007 World Championships, he won a silver medal. This was the first silver medal for a Japanese man at the World Championships. After this season, he was ranked first in the world.

2007–08 Season

In the 2007–08 season, Daisuke won gold at his Grand Prix events. He then won a silver at the Grand Prix Final. A few weeks later, he won his third Japanese national title.

He won the 2008 Four Continents Championships. He set new record scores in his free skate and overall. He was a favorite for the 2008 World Championships. However, he had a tough free skate and finished 4th.

2008–09 Season: Injury

Daisuke had to stop competing in the 2008–09 season. He suffered a serious knee injury in October 2008. He needed surgery and missed the whole season. He slowly recovered and started practicing jumps again in June.

2009–10 Season: Olympic Medalist

Takahashi at the 2010 World Championships.

After recovering from his injury, Daisuke started the Olympic season strong. He won the 2009 Finlandia Trophy. He then competed in Grand Prix events. He won his fourth national title at the Japanese Championships.

At the 2010 Winter Olympics, Daisuke won the bronze medal. This was a historic moment, as it was the first Olympic medal for Japan in men's figure skating. He then won the gold medal at the 2010 World Championships. He became the first Asian man to win a world championship in men's singles.

2010–11 Season

Daisuke won gold at both his Grand Prix events, the 2010 NHK Trophy and 2010 Skate America. At the Grand Prix Final, he finished 4th. He won a bronze medal at the Japanese Championships. He then won the 2011 Four Continents Championships. At the 2011 World Championships, he finished 5th. In May, he had another surgery on his knee to remove a bolt.

2011–12 Season

Takahashi at the 2011 Skate Canada International.

To improve his skills, Daisuke worked with ice dance experts in France. He won a bronze medal at 2011 Skate Canada International and a gold medal at the 2011 NHK Trophy. He finished second at the Grand Prix Final.

At the Japanese Championships, he won his fifth national title. He then won a silver medal at the 2012 World Championships. He finished the season at the 2012 World Team Trophy. He set new personal best scores and finished first in the men's event. This was his first win over Patrick Chan since 2010.

2012–13 Season

Daisuke performed his new free skate at the 2012 Japan Open. He won the men's event. He won silver medals at his Grand Prix events, the 2012 Cup of China and the 2012 NHK Trophy. This qualified him for his seventh Grand Prix Final.

At the 2012 Grand Prix Final in Russia, Daisuke won his first gold medal at this event. He was the first Japanese man to ever win the Grand Prix Final. At the Japanese Championships, he finished second. He competed at the Four Continents Championships and the World Championships, finishing 7th and 6th respectively.

2013–14 Season: Final Olympics

In the 2013–14 Grand Prix season, Daisuke finished 4th at 2013 Skate America and won the 2013 NHK Trophy. At the Japanese Championships, he placed 5th. He was then chosen for the Sochi Olympic team.

At the Olympics, he finished 6th overall. He was supposed to compete at the 2014 World Championships in Japan, but he had to withdraw due to a knee injury. Daisuke announced his retirement from competitive skating in October 2014.

2018–19 Season: Return to Singles

Daisuke Takahashi surprised many by announcing his return to competitive skating for the 2018–19 season. He placed second at the Japanese championships.

2019–20 Season: Switching to Ice Dance

In September 2019, Daisuke announced that he would finish his singles career that season. He decided to switch to competing in ice dance with partner Kana Muramoto. He finished 12th at the 2019–20 Japan Championships, which was his last singles competition.

2020–21 Season: Ice Dance Debut

After ending his singles career, Daisuke began training with Kana Muramoto in Florida. Their decision to switch to ice dance created a lot of excitement in Japan.

They made their debut at the 2020 NHK Trophy. They won a bronze medal, even though Daisuke made some mistakes. They then won a silver medal at the Japan Championships. They were named as alternates for the World team.

2021–22 Season

Muramoto and Takahashi competed at the 2021 NHK Trophy, finishing 6th. They then won a silver medal at the 2021 CS Warsaw Cup.

At the 2021–22 Japan Championships, they won silver for the second year in a row. They were chosen to compete at the Four Continents Championships and the World Championships.

Muramoto and Takahashi won the silver medal at Four Continents. Daisuke became the first person to win medals at Four Continents in two different skating types. They finished 16th at the 2022 World Championships.

2022–23 Season: National Champions and Final Retirement

Muramoto and Takahashi decided to continue skating for the 2022–2023 season. They won their first gold medal as a team at the 2022 CS Denis Ten Memorial Challenge. They finished 6th at the 2022 NHK Trophy.

At the 2022–23 Japan Championships, Muramoto and Takahashi became national champions for the first time! They then competed at the Four Continents Championships, finishing 9th. At the 2023 World Championships in Japan, they finished 11th, which was a great result for a Japanese ice dance team.

They were part of Team Japan at the 2023 World Team Trophy, where Team Japan won the bronze medal. In May 2023, Daisuke and Kana announced their retirement from competitive skating. Daisuke explained that his knee injury made it too hard to continue.

Life After Competing

After his first retirement in 2014, Daisuke mainly performed in ice shows. These included Hyoen, Art on Ice, and Stars on Ice. He also worked as a reporter for Fuji TV. He interviewed many famous people and reported live from the 2016 and 2018 Winter Olympics.

In 2016, Daisuke helped test a new technology that mixes projection mapping with figure skating. This technology was then used in the show Hyoen - Basara (2017). This was the first time projection mapping was used in a Japanese ice show.

In 2016 and 2017, Daisuke performed as a dancer in the stage show Love on the Floor. He danced alongside other famous skaters and professional dancers.

After his second retirement in May 2023, Daisuke has continued to perform in ice shows. He performs both solo and with Kana Muramoto. In 2023 and 2024, he produced his own ice shows, Ice Explosion and Kassouya.

In 2024, Daisuke co-choreographed a program called Symmetry with Kana Muramoto. He also choreographed his own solo program for Friends on Ice 2024.

Since April 2024, he has been a co-host on the TV show Poka Poka on Fuji TV. In July/August 2024, he made his acting debut in the movie Kura no Aru Machi. He plays a museum curator in the film.

Notable Ice Show Appearances

Daisuke Takahashi has performed in many ice shows around the world. Here are some of the most important ones:

Personal Life

Daisuke Takahashi was a student at Kansai University. He has three older brothers.

After his first retirement, he moved to New York. He took English classes and studied different dance styles. In 2023, he moved from Osaka to Tokyo.

Public Life and Endorsements

After winning a silver medal at the 2007 Worlds, Daisuke appeared in many media shows. He also performed in many ice shows in Japan and other countries.

In 2007, the Japanese Olympic Committee chose him as a "JOC symbol athlete." This program helped him get funding from companies. After winning the 2010 Worlds, he appeared on many TV shows and in advertisements.

Programs

Ice Dance with Muramoto

Men's Singles

Takahashi during his short program to Violin Concerto by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky at the 2006 Skate Canada International.

Competitive Highlights

GP: Grand Prix; JGP: Junior Grand Prix

Ice Dance with Muramoto

Senior Men's Singles

Takahashi with the other medalists at the 2011 Four Continents Championships.

Filmography

• Kura no Aru Machi (2025)

See also

In Spanish: Daisuke Takahashi para niños