Shizuka Arakawa facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Shizuka Arakawa
Arakawa at the 2009 Festa On Ice.
Personal information
Country represented	Japan
Born	(1981-12-29) December 29, 1981 (age 43) Shinagawa, Tokyo, Japan
Height	1.66 m
Skating club	Prince Hotel
Retired	May 7, 2006

Shizuka Arakawa (荒川 静香, Arakawa Shizuka, born December 29, 1981) is a famous Japanese figure skater. She is best known for winning the gold medal at the 2006 Winter Olympics. She also won the World Championship in 2004.

Shizuka Arakawa made history as the first Japanese skater to win an Olympic gold medal in figure skating. She was also the only Japanese athlete to win a medal at the 2006 Winter Olympics. After her big Olympic win, she stopped competing professionally. Now, she performs in ice shows and works as a TV commentator for skating events in Japan.

About Shizuka Arakawa

Shizuka Arakawa was born in Shinagawa, Tokyo, Japan. She grew up in Sendai. She is the only child of her parents, Koichi and Sachi Arakawa.

In 2000, Shizuka started studying at Waseda University. She earned a bachelor's degree in social sciences in 2004. This was amazing because she was still competing as a skater at the time! She won the 2004 World Figure Skating Championships just days after finishing her final exams.

Shizuka trained in Simsbury, Connecticut for a while. This was after her home rink in Sendai closed down. Her favorite figure skaters are Kristi Yamaguchi and Yuka Sato. She enjoys listening to music by artists like Christina Aguilera and Beyoncé. Her hobbies include shopping, driving, swimming, golf, and marine sports. She also loves gourmet cooking. Shizuka collects beanie babies and has several pets, including a shih tzu dog named Charo.

Shizuka Arakawa got married on December 29, 2013, which was her 32nd birthday. She had her first child, a daughter, on November 6, 2014. Later, on May 23, 2018, she welcomed her son.

Shizuka's Skating Journey

Starting Young: Early Career Highlights

Shizuka Arakawa started skating when she was just 5 years old. She joined the Chibikko Skate School. By age 7, she began taking ballet lessons. At the same age, she also started training with Hiroshi Nagakubo, a former Olympic skater. By the time she was 8, Shizuka was already landing difficult triple Salchow jumps!

She began competing in national Japanese competitions in 1994. Shizuka quickly became a top junior skater. She was the first skater in Japan to win three junior national titles in a row.

Becoming a Senior Skater

Shizuka Arakawa became the senior national Japanese champion in 1998 and 1999. She made her first Olympic appearance at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano when she was 16. She finished 13th at these Olympics. In 2002, she placed second at the Japanese national championships. However, she was not chosen for the 2002 Winter Olympics team.

During the 2002–2003 season, Shizuka won gold at the Asian Winter Games and the Winter Universiade. She also earned silver medals at the Four Continents Championships two years in a row. She continued to perform well, earning a bronze medal at the NHK Trophy.

In 2004, Shizuka won the World Championships in Dortmund, Germany. She beat famous American skaters Sasha Cohen and Michelle Kwan. She landed seven clean triple jumps in her performance. Shizuka was the third Japanese woman to win this important title. She had planned to retire after this win, but her victory made her change her mind.

In 2005, Shizuka won the NHK Trophy. She also placed second at the Grand Prix Finals. However, she finished 9th at the 2005 World Championships. This result motivated her to keep skating and get back to her best form. In November 2005, she started working with a new coach, Nikolai Morozov.

Winning Olympic Gold in 2006

Arakawa performs a Kerrigan spiral at the 2004 NHK Trophy.

At the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy, Shizuka Arakawa skated her short program to music by Chopin. She was in third place before the final long program. The top three skaters, including Sasha Cohen and Irina Slutskaya, were very close in scores.

In the long program, Sasha Cohen fell twice. This opened the door for Shizuka. Shizuka skated her free program to a piece called "Violin Fantasy on Puccini's Turandot." She performed a beautiful Ina Bauer move, followed by a three-jump combination. The "Ina Bauer" became very famous in Japan because of her performance.

Shizuka won the free program and earned a total score of 191.34 points. This was almost eight points ahead of Sasha Cohen, who finished second. Shizuka Arakawa became the gold medalist! She was the only Japanese athlete to win a medal at the 2006 Games. At 24 years old, she was the oldest woman to win an Olympic skating title in over 80 years.

After her victory, the Japanese Prime Minister, Junichiro Koizumi, called her to congratulate her. He said, "All the Japanese people are rejoicing. I give a perfect score to every bit of your performance."

Life After Competing

After winning the Olympics, Shizuka Arakawa retired from competitive skating. She now performs in many ice shows. She is also a regular skating commentator on Japanese television. Shizuka produces her own ice show called "Friends on Ice." She also performs in "Fantasy on Ice" and helps with choreography for other skaters.

In 2006, Shizuka appeared in a Japanese TV drama called Shichinin no onna bengoshi (7 female lawyers). She played a public prosecutor in one episode.

In 2010, she competed in an ABC skating series called "Thin Ice." She was paired with Olympic silver medalist Stéphane Lambiel. They won the viewer's votes and finished third overall.

On April 18, 2018, Shizuka Arakawa was honored by being elected into the World Figure Skating Hall of Fame.

Shizuka's Special Skating Moves

Arakawa performs her signature layback Ina Bauer at the 2006 Olympics.

Shizuka Arakawa was known for her amazing jumps. She could do difficult triple-triple combinations, like the triple Salchow-triple toe and the triple Lutz-triple toe. Sometimes, she even added a double loop to these combinations. She was also known for her beautiful artistry on the ice.

Her skating blades were very quiet, which is a sign of great skill. She was also a strong spinner. She performed an excellent donut spin, which is a difficult move that needs a lot of flexibility. In 2004, she added a Biellmann spin to her routines. Shizuka's special Y-spiral was also unique. She would release her free leg but keep it close to her head without using her hand.

Her most famous move is the Ina Bauer with a full backbend. Because she performed this move so perfectly at the 2006 Olympics, the term "Ina Bauer" became very popular in Japan. People in Japan often refer to the Ina Bauer move using Shizuka Arakawa's name.

Awards and Honors

• Purple Ribbon (Japan Medals of Honor)
• JOC Sports Award - Special Achievement Award (2002), Best Award (2005) (from the Japanese Olympic Committee)
• Miyagi "Citizens Award of Honor" (2006) (from her home municipality)
• Class of 2018 inductee (World Figure Skating Hall of Fame)

Skating Programs

Competitive Results

Arakawa on the podium at the 2004 NHK Trophy.

GP: Grand Prix / Champions Series

Images for kids

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  Arakawa performs a donut spin at the 2003 Skate Canada International.

See also

In Spanish: Shizuka Arakawa para niños