Takahiko Kozuka facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Takahiko Kozuka
Kozuka at the 2008 Skate America
Personal information
Country represented	Japan
Born	(1989-02-27) February 27, 1989 (age 36) Nagoya, Japan
Height	1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)
Former coach	Nobuo Sato, Yuka Sato, Jason Dungjen, Tsuguhiko Kozuka, Kumiko Sato
Former choreographer	Kenji Miyamoto, Lori Nichol, Shae-Lynn Bourne, Marina Zueva, Yuka Sato, Kurt Browning, David Wilson, Fedor Andreev
Skating club	Toyota Motor Corporation SC
Former training locations	Toyota, Aichi Detroit Yokohama
Began skating	1992
Retired	March 15, 2016
ISU personal best scores
Combined total	258.41 2011 Worlds
Short program	86.39 2012-13 Grand Prix Final
Free skate	180.79 2011 Worlds

Takahiko Kozuka (born February 27, 1989) is a former competitive Japanese figure skater. He is known for his smooth skating style.

Kozuka won a silver medal at the 2011 World Championships. He also earned medals twice at the Grand Prix Final and twice at the Four Continents Championships. In Japan, he was the 2010–11 Japanese national champion. Before that, he was the 2006 World Junior champion and the 2005–06 Junior Grand Prix Final champion.

About Takahiko Kozuka's Life and Family

Takahiko Kozuka was born on February 27, 1989, in Nagoya, Japan. Skating runs in his family! His father, Tsuguhiko Kozuka, was an Olympic singles skater in 1968. His mother, Sachiko, competed in ice dancing. Even his grandfather, Mitsuhiko Kozuka, was important in early Japanese skating.

Kozuka went to Chukyo University to study sports education. He even wrote a special paper comparing jumps on the floor to jumps on the ice. In March 2016, he earned his master's degree in physical education.

During his skating career, Kozuka worked for Toyota, one of his sponsors. He continued working for the company after he stopped competing. On July 23, 2015, Kozuka announced he was getting married to Yukari Oshima, a Japanese television news presenter. They got married in February 2016.

Takahiko Kozuka's Skating Journey

Since both his parents were coaches, Takahiko Kozuka started skating at age three. He began training seriously when he was five years old. He was inspired by Yuka Sato's win at the 1994 World Championships. Nobuo Sato and Kumiko Sato became his main coaches when he was in primary school.

Kozuka was famous for how well he used his skate edges and his basic skating skills. His coaches made him practice compulsory figures when he was young. This helped him develop his smooth and strong skating style.

Early Success as a Junior Skater

The 2005–06 season was a big one for Kozuka. He won the Junior Grand Prix Final. He also became the champion at the Japanese Junior Championships. To top it off, he won the World Junior Championships.

Stepping Up to Senior Competitions (2006–2009)

Kozuka started competing in the senior ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating series in the 2006–07 season. He won a bronze medal at the 2006 NHK Trophy. He also placed 6th at the 2006 Trophée Eric Bompard.

In the 2007–08 season, he earned a silver medal at the Japan Championships. He finished 8th at both the Four Continents and World Championships.

The 2008–09 season was even better. Kozuka won gold at the 2008 Skate America and silver at the 2008 Trophee Eric Bompard. These wins helped him qualify for the Grand Prix Final, where he won a silver medal. He also won another silver medal at the Japan Championships. He then earned a bronze medal at the Four Continents and placed 6th at the World Championships.

Competing at the Olympics (2009–2010)

In the 2009–10 season, Kozuka won a silver medal at the 2009 Cup of Russia. He also earned a bronze medal at the Japanese National Championships. This helped him qualify for the 2010 Winter Olympics and the 2010 World Championships.

At the 2010 Winter Olympics, Kozuka finished eighth overall. He then placed tenth at the 2010 World Championships.

Becoming a National Champion (2010–2011)

For the 2010–11 Grand Prix season, Kozuka competed at the 2010 Cup of China and the 2010 Trophée Eric Bompard. He won gold at both events, placing first in both parts of the competition. This made him the top qualifier for the Grand Prix Final.

At the Grand Prix Final, Kozuka accidentally bumped into fellow skater Daisuke Takahashi during practice. Both were okay and still competed. Kozuka apologized, and Takahashi accepted. Kozuka finished fourth in the short program and second in the free skate, earning a bronze medal.

In December 2010, he won his first Japanese national title. He placed first in both the short and free programs. At the 2011 World Championships, he started in sixth place. But after a strong long program, he moved up to second overall and won his first World silver medal.

Later Career and Retirement (2011–2016)

For the 2011–12 Grand Prix season, Kozuka won a bronze medal at 2011 Skate America and a silver medal at 2011 NHK Trophy. He also earned a silver medal at the 2011 Japanese national championships. This qualified him for the 2012 World Championships, where he finished 11th.

Kozuka started the 2012–13 season by winning gold at the 2012 Skate America. He then won silver at the 2012 Rostelecom Cup. In December 2012, he hurt his right foot. He finished 5th at the Japan Championships.

In the 2013–14 season, Kozuka won a bronze medal at the 2013 Cup of China. He placed 3rd at the 2013 Japanese National Championships. He was not chosen for the Olympics that year. Instead, he competed at the 2014 Four Continents Championships and won a silver medal. When Daisuke Takahashi couldn't compete at the 2014 World Championships, Kozuka took his place and finished 6th.

In 2014–15, Kozuka placed 8th at Skate Canada and 6th at Rostelecom Cup. He was 6th in the short program at the 2014 Japanese National Championships. But he skated a great free skate, finishing 2nd in that part, and ended up 3rd overall. He competed at the 2015 World Championships, where he finished 12th.

Towards the end of his career, Kozuka had tendinitis (a painful swelling) in his left ankle. He announced he was retiring from skating on March 15, 2016. On April 17, he performed his last exhibition program, called Epilogue, at the 2016 Stars on Ice Japan show in Tokyo. In 2017, he said he would stay involved in figure skating. He started the Kozuka Skate Academy in 2016 and also works as a skating commentator for Fuji TV.

Skating Programs

Kozuka performing his exhibition gala to Stayin' Alive at the 2007 Cup of Russia.

Takahiko Kozuka performed many different programs throughout his career. Here are some of them:

Competitive Highlights

Here are some of Takahiko Kozuka's main results from his skating competitions: GP: Grand Prix; JGP: Junior Grand Prix

Detailed Results

Small medals for short and free programs awarded only at ISU Championships.

Kozuka (left) with the other medalists at the 2011 World Championships.

Kozuka (center) with the other medalists at the 2008 Skate America.

Senior Results

Junior Results

See also

In Spanish: Takahiko Kozuka para niños