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Shoma Uno

宇野昌磨

Uno at the 2018 Winter Olympics

Born

17 December 1997 (age 27)

Nagoya, Japan

Education

Chukyo University

Occupation

Figure skater

Height

1.58 m (5 ft 2 in)


Personal information
Country represented	Japan
Began skating	2002
Retired	2024

Shoma Uno (宇野昌磨, Uno Shōma, born 17 December 1997) is a famous retired figure skater from Japan. He has won many important medals in his career. These include three Olympic medals (a silver in 2018, and a bronze and team silver in 2022). He is also a two-time World champion (in 2022 and 2023). Shoma Uno also won silver medals at the World Championships in 2017 and 2018.

He was the 2019 Four Continents champion. He also won the 2022–23 Grand Prix Final. Uno earned 14 medals in the Grand Prix series. He was the 2017 Asian Winter Games champion. He also won the Japanese national title six times. As a junior skater, Uno was the 2015 World Junior champion. He also won the 2014–15 Junior Grand Prix Final. He earned a silver medal at the 2012 Youth Olympics.

Shoma Uno was the first skater to successfully land a quadruple flip jump. He was also the second skater, after Yuzuru Hanyu, to land a quadruple loop jump in an international competition. In 2023, Uno became the first Japanese man to win two World titles in a row. He also holds the record for the highest score by a junior skater in the short program.

About Shoma Uno

His Early Life and Family

Shoma Uno was born on December 17, 1997, in Nagoya, Japan. His parents are Junko and Hiroko Uno. He has a younger brother named Itsuki. His grandfather is a Japanese painter named Fujio Uno.

Shoma was born early, weighing only 900 grams (about 2 pounds). He was so tiny he could fit in his father's hand. As a child, he had asthma and often visited hospitals. To help him get stronger, his parents encouraged him to try many sports. He tried soccer, tennis, and ballet. But in soccer, he was scared of other players and would hide behind the goal.

How He Started Skating

Uno started skating when he was five years old. He met famous skater Mao Asada at a rink. He loved skating so much that he kept asking his parents to take him back. He joined skating classes in Nagoya. Soon, he was practicing five to six hours every day.

His favorite figure skater was Daisuke Takahashi. Uno won a bronze medal at the Japan Junior Championships in 2009–2010.

Shoma Uno's Skating Journey

Junior Competitions

First International Junior Events

Shoma Uno started competing internationally in the Junior Grand Prix (JGP) series in 2011. He won a bronze medal at the JGP Tallinn Cup in Estonia. He also placed fourth at an event in Poland. At the 2012 Winter Youth Olympics, he won a silver medal in the individual event. He also earned a gold medal in the team event. He finished tenth at the 2012 World Junior Championships. Uno was invited to skate in a special show at the 2012 World Team Trophy.

More Junior Success

In the 2012–2013 season, Uno placed sixth at a JGP event in Slovenia. He then won a silver medal at his next JGP event in Germany. He achieved his best scores in both programs there. He finished seventh at the 2013 World Junior Championships.

First Senior International Win

Uno competed in his third JGP season in 2013–2014. He won a bronze medal in Riga, Latvia, and placed fourth in Tallinn, Estonia. He finished fifth at the 2014 World Junior Championships. He then won his first senior international competition, the 2014 Gardena Spring Trophy.

Becoming World Junior Champion

Uno (left) with teammate Sōta Yamamoto at the 2015 World Junior Championships

Uno started his 2014–2015 season by winning the 2014 Asian Trophy. He competed in JGP events in Japan and Croatia. He placed second in Japan and first in Croatia. These results helped him qualify for his first JGP Final. He won his first junior national title at the Japan Junior Championships. The next month, he won gold at the JGP Final. He set junior world records for the free skate and total score. At the 2014–15 Japan Championships, he won the silver medal.

Uno made his senior ISU Championship debut at the 2015 Four Continents. He placed fifth overall and set new personal best scores. He finished his junior career by winning the 2015 World Junior Championships. He won the short program with a junior world record score. He became the fifth Japanese man to win this junior world title.

Senior Competitions

First Quad Flip and Grand Prix Medals

Uno at the 2015–16 Grand Prix Final

Uno started his senior career in 2015. He placed fifth at the 2015 U.S. Classic. He then won the individual event at the 2015 Japan Open.

In his senior Grand Prix debut, Uno won a silver medal at 2015 Skate America. He then won the short program at the 2015 Trophée Éric Bompard. The free skate was canceled due to events in Paris, so he was declared the winner. This win qualified him for the 2015–16 Grand Prix Final in Barcelona, where he won a bronze medal.

After winning his second national silver medal, Uno finished fourth at the 2016 Four Continents Championships. At the 2016 World Championships in Boston, he placed seventh. At the 2016 Team Challenge Cup, Uno made history. He became the first skater to land a quadruple flip jump in an international competition.

First National Title and World Silver

Uno (left) and Yuzuru Hanyu at the 2017 World Championships

In December 2016, Uno won a bronze medal at the Grand Prix Final. Later that month, he won his first national title in Osaka, Japan.

In February 2017, he scored over 100 points in the short program for the first time at the Four Continents Championships. He landed four quad jumps in his free skate, including his first quad loop in international competition. He won the bronze medal.

At the 2017 World Figure Skating Championships in Helsinki, he set new personal best scores. He earned the silver medal, finishing very close behind World Champion Yuzuru Hanyu. At the World Team Trophy in Tokyo, he helped Japan win a gold medal.

Olympic Silver Medal

Uno at the 2018 Winter Olympics

Uno started his 2017–2018 season by winning gold at the 2017 Lombardia Trophy. He set new personal bests in all parts of the competition. At the 2017 Japan Open, he won a silver medal with his team. Uno won gold at 2017 Skate Canada. He then won silver at 2017 Internationaux de France. These results qualified him for his third Grand Prix Final, where he won a silver medal.

Uno successfully defended his national title at the 2017 Japan Figure Skating Championships. He represented Japan at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. Uno won a silver medal at the 2018 Winter Olympics.

At the 2018 World Figure Skating Championships in Milan, Uno had some pain from his skates. Despite this, he competed and won another silver medal. His performance helped Japan secure three spots for men at the next World Championships.

Four Continents Champion

Uno at the 2019 Four Continents Championships podium

Uno started the 2018–2019 season by winning the 2018 CS Lombardia Trophy. He also won gold with Team Japan at the 2018 Japan Open. He won his first two Grand Prix events of the season: 2018 Skate Canada International and the 2018 NHK Trophy. He qualified for the 2018–19 Grand Prix Final and placed second. At the 2018 Japan Figure Skating Championships, Uno won his third national title in a row.

At the 2019 Four Continents Championships, Uno won his first major international competition. He set a world record for the free skate score. At the 2019 World Championships in Saitama, he placed fourth. He finished the season at the 2019 World Team Trophy, where Team Japan won the silver medal.

In June 2019, Uno announced he would no longer be coached by Machiko Yamada and Mihoko Higuchi. He later decided to train full-time with Stéphane Lambiel.

Challenges and Fourth Japanese Title

Uno performing an upright spin in his short program at the Internationaux de France

Uno began the 2019–2020 season by winning gold at the 2019 CS Finlandia Trophy. At the 2019 Internationaux de France, he had his worst result at a senior international competition, placing eighth. Despite this, he felt positive and thankful for the support.

After training with Stéphane Lambiel, Uno placed fourth at the 2019 Rostelecom Cup. He felt he was improving. He then won his fourth national title at the 2019–20 Japan Figure Skating Championships. This was his first individual win over Yuzuru Hanyu. He later won gold at the Challenge Cup in the Netherlands. The World Championships were canceled due to the pandemic.

2020–2021 Season

The 2020 Internationaux de France was canceled. At the 2020–21 Japan Championships, Uno won the silver medal.

At the 2021 World Championships, Uno placed fourth. He was part of the Japanese team for the 2021 World Team Trophy, where Team Japan placed third.

Beijing Olympics and First World Title

Uno started his 2021–2022 season at 2021 Skate America, where he won a silver medal. He then won both parts of the 2021 NHK Trophy, defeating Vincent Zhou. These results qualified him for the Grand Prix Final, which was later canceled.

At the 2021–22 Japan Championships, Uno won the silver medal. He was chosen for his second Japanese Olympic team. At the Games, Uno helped Japan win a bronze medal in the Olympic team event. This was his second Olympic medal. Two days later, he won a bronze medal in the men's event, his third Olympic medal.

Uno finished his season at the 2022 World Championships in Montpellier. He skated a clean short program and won his first World title. He became the third Japanese man to achieve this.

Grand Prix Final Gold and Second World Title

Uno on the Grand Prix Final podium with Sōta Yamamoto (left) and Ilia Malinin (right)

Uno started his 2022–2023 season at the Japan Open, where he finished first in the men's free skate. Japan won the gold medal. Uno won his third gold medal at Skate Canada International. At the 2022 NHK Trophy in Sapporo, Uno won his third NHK title.

Uno won the Grand Prix Final in Turin. He landed five quadruple jumps successfully and won his first Grand Prix Final title. He also completed his first Career Grand Slam, meaning he won all major international titles.

Uno won his fifth national title at the 2022–23 Japan Championships. Despite an ankle injury, Uno won his second World title in a row at the 2023 World Championships in Saitama. He was the first Japanese man to win back-to-back world titles since 1896. He later withdrew from the 2023 World Team Trophy due to his ankle.

2023–2024 Season and Retirement

Uno started his 2023–2024 season at the 2023 Cup of China, where he won a silver medal. He also won another silver medal at the 2023 NHK Trophy.

Uno during his short program at the 2024 World Championships

At the 2023–24 Grand Prix Final, Uno won another silver medal. He said he was "quite happy" with his Grand Prix season.

Uno won his sixth national title at the 2023–24 Japan Championships. He won the short program with a strong score. He finished the season at the 2024 World Championships in Montreal. He won the short program but dropped to fourth place overall after some errors in the free skate.

Shoma Uno announced his retirement from competitive skating on May 9, 2024. He held a press conference about his decision on May 14, 2024.

After Competing

In 2023, Shoma Uno played the main role of Monkey D. Luffy in the ice show One Piece on Ice. He also appeared in Stéphane Lambiel's show The Sorcerer's Apprentice in Switzerland in August 2024. He will play Monkey D. Luffy again in new One Piece shows in September 2024.

During the 2024 Paris Olympics, a medal ceremony was held for Uno and his teammates from the 2022 Olympic Figure Skating Team Event. They received their Olympic silver medals. Uno could not attend, but he was happy for his teammates. His medal was later given to him. At the 2024 NHK Trophy gala, all members of the 2022 Olympic Team Event, including Uno, were celebrated for their achievement.

Public Life and Education

Sponsorships and Partnerships

Shoma Uno has worked with many companies. He has a sponsorship deal with car maker Toyota. He also partners with healthcare brand Colantotte, sports company Mizuno, and cosmetics maker DHC.

Books and Magazines

In March 2018, Uno released a photo book called Shoma Uno New Hero: Path to the Silver Medal. It was published by Kodansha. The book shows his journey at the 2018 Winter Olympics where he won silver. He also released two official calendars in 2018 and 2020.

Personal Life and School

Uno went to Chukyo High School and Chukyo University in Nagoya. He described himself as a quiet student who liked playing games on his smartphone with friends. In September 2022, Uno confirmed he was in a relationship with retired Japanese figure skater Marin Honda.

Amazing Records and Achievements

He was the first skater ever to successfully land a quadruple flip jump. This happened at the 2016 Team Challenge Cup. This achievement is recognized by Guinness World Records.
He became the first Japanese figure skater to win three Olympic Medals. This happened at the 2022 Beijing Olympics.
He set the junior-level men's record for the short program score with 84.87 points. This was at the 2015 Junior Worlds.
He set the junior-level men's record for the combined total score with 238.27 points. This was at the 2014–15 Junior Grand Prix Final.
He set the junior-level men's record for the free program score with 163.06 points. This was at the 2014–15 Junior Grand Prix Final.
He set the men's record for the short program score with 104.15 points at the 2018 CS Lombardia Trophy.
He set the men's record for the combined total score with 276.20 points at the 2018 CS Lombardia Trophy.
He set the men's record for the free program score with 197.36 points at the 2019 Four Continents Championships.