Azusa Tanaka

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Azusa Tanaka
Tanaka competing in singles at the 2019 JGP United States
Native name田中 梓沙
Born (2005-10-29) October 29, 2005 (age 18)
Kyoto, Japan
HometownUji, Kyoto
Height1.52 m (5 ft 0 in)
Figure skating career
CountryJapan Japan
PartnerShingo Nishiyama
CoachRomain Haguenauer, Marie-France Dubreuil, Patrice Lauzon
Skating clubOrientalBio
Began skating2012

Azusa Tanaka (田中 梓沙, Tanaka Azusa, born October 29, 2005) is a Japanese ice dancer and former single skater. She and partner Shingo Nishiyama are the 2023–24 Japanese national silver medalists.

Early life and education[edit]

Tanaka was born on 29 October 2005 in Kyoto, Japan. She attends Kyoto Koka Girls' High School.[1] Tanaka looks up to fellow Japanese skaters Satoko Miyahara, Kana Muramoto and Yuna Shiraiwa.[2]

Career[edit]

Early years[edit]

Tanaka began skating in 2012 after being inspired by her older brother's classmate, who was a figure skater.[3] She placed fourteenth at 2017–18 Japan Novice A Championships and seventh at 2018–19 Japan Novice A Championships.[4][5]

2019–20 season: Junior Grand Prix debut[edit]

Tanaka was assigned to make her Junior Grand Prix debut at the 2019 JGP Lake Placid on the 2019–20 circuit. In her short program, she missed her combination due to a fall and doubled a planned triple Loop, placing her tenth with a score of 51.37 points.[6] During the free skate, Tanaka downgraded four jumps, falling twice, and doubled a Lutz. Tanaka finished in fourteenth place overall.[7] Appearing next at the 2019–20 Japan Junior Championships, Tanaka finished in tenth place.

2020–21 season[edit]

The 2020–21 Junior Grand Prix circuit was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[8] As a result, Tanaka did not have the opportunity to compete on the Junior Grand Prix again. At the 2020–21 Japan Junior Championships, Tanaka finished in fifteenth place after several mistakes in both programs.

2021–22 season[edit]

Tanaka competed at the 2021–22 Japan Junior Championships and placed fifth overall, making her highest placement in the event. She then competed at the senior level, finishing tenth in the short program with a clean skate despite a quarter call on her combination. Tanaka struggled in the free skate, coming nineteenth in the segment and dropping to eighteenth place overall.

Tanaka was assigned to compete at the 2023 Egna Trophy in the junior category. She came third in the short program with a score of 51.35. In the free skate, she under-rotated the first three jumps and struggled on the spins, then finishing in fourth place behind Canada's Fiona Bombardier.[9]

2023–24 season: Switch to ice dance[edit]

On 6 May 2023, Japanese ice dancer Shingo Nishiyama announced that he and Tanaka would be forming a new ice dance partnership, and would be training at the Ice Academy of Montreal in Montreal, Canada.[10]

Tanaka/Nishiyama made their international competitive debut on the Challenger circuit at the 2023 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb, coming ninth.[11] They next competed at the 2023–24 Japan Championships, which proved to be a tight contest between them and two other senior teams. Tanaka/Nishiyama won the rhythm dance, finishing ahead of four-time national champions Komatsubara/Koleto and the new team Yoshida/Morita. However, they were third in the free dance, and finished second overall. The team said they were satisfied to have made it onto the podium, noting their rapid progress in the short time since partnering.[12]

With the close result at the national championships, the Japan Skating Federation opted to postpone assigning Japan's lone berth at the 2024 World Championships pending the results of all three teams at the 2024 Four Continents Championships. Traveling to Shanghai to compete, Tanaka/Nishiyama finished eleventh overall, third among the Japanese teams.[13]

Programs[edit]

With Nishiyama[edit]

Season Rhythm dance Free dance Exhibition
2023–2024[14]

Super Mario:

Women's singles[edit]

Season Short program Free skating
2022–2023
[15]
2021–2022
[16]
2020–2021
[17] [18]
2019–2020
[19]

Competitive highlights[edit]

JGP: Junior Grand Prix

Ice dance with Nishiyama[edit]

International[11]
Event 23–24
Four Continents 11th
CS Golden Spin 9th
National[20]
Japan 2nd
Japan Western Sect. 2nd
TBD = Assigned; WD = Withdrew

Women's singles[edit]

International: Junior[21]
Event 15–16 16–17 17–18 18–19 19–20 20–21 21–22 22–23
JGP U.S. 14th
Egna Trophy 4th
National
Japan 18th
Japan Junior 10th 15th 5th
Japan Novice 14th A 7th A
Japan Western Sect. 8th J 6th J 3rd J
Kinki Reg. 16th B 2nd B 4th A 3rd A 7th J 3rd J 5th J 6th J
TBD = Assigned; WD = Withdrew; C = Cancelled
A = Novice A; B = Novice B; J = Junior

Detailed results[edit]

Current personal best scores are highlighted in bold.

With Nishiyama[edit]

2023–24 season
Date Event RD FD Total
Jan. 30 – Feb. 4, 2024 2024 Four Continents Championships 11
62.09 		12
95.54 		11
157.63
December 20–24, 2023 2023–24 Japan Championships 1
71.08 		3
105.35 		2
176.43
December 6–9, 2023 2023 CS Golden Spin 10
61.86 		9
96.83 		9
158.69

References[edit]

  1. ^ Asano, Yumi (May 6, 2023). "西山真瑚と田中梓沙がアイスダンスでカップル結成、拠点はカナダ・モントリオール" [Shingo Nishiyama and Azusa Tanaka form an ice dance team, based in Montreal, Canada]. 4years Asahi.
  2. ^ Gallagher, Jack (August 3, 2022). "[ICE TIME] Japan's Top Juniors Tuning Up for Return to JGP Circuit". Japan Forward.
  3. ^ 木下スケートアカデミー [@kinoshitaskate] (July 11, 2022). "【田中 梓沙 - AZUSA TANAKA -】" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  4. ^ "2017 Japan Novice A Ladies - Final Results". Japan Skating Federation.
  5. ^ "2018 Japan Novice A Ladies - Final Results". Japan Skating Federation.
  6. ^ "JGP Lake Placid 2019 Judges Details Per Skater, Junior Ladies' Short Program" (PDF). International Skating Union.
  7. ^ "JGP Lake Placid 2019 Judges Details Per Skater, Junior Ladies' Free Skate" (PDF). International Skating Union.
  8. ^ "ISU Junior Grand Prix series 2020-21 cancelled". International Skating Union.
  9. ^ "2022 Egna Spring Trophy - Junior Women's singles results". Italian Ice Sports Federation.
  10. ^ Shingo Nishiyama [@shinnnnn_gooo] (May 6, 2023). "この度、田中梓沙と西山真瑚はアイスダンスチームを結成することになりました！モントリオールのアイスアカデミーモントリオールで練習できることとても嬉しいです！行ってきます！" [Azusa Tanaka and Shingo Nishiyama will form an ice dance team! I am very happy to be able to practice at Ice Academy Montreal in Montreal! Let's go!] (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  11. ^ a b "Competition Results: Azusa TANAKA / Shingo NISHIYAMA". International Skating Union. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
  12. ^ Di Sanzio, Chloé (December 24, 2023). "Komatsubara and Koleto reclaim national title". Golden Skate. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
  13. ^ Gallagher, Jack (February 5, 2024). "Komatsubara, Koleto Clinch Ticket to Worlds by Placing 8th at Four Continents". Japan Forward. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
  14. ^ "Competition Results: Azusa TANAKA / Shingo NISHIYAMA: 2023/2024". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on February 3, 2024.
  15. ^ Quadruple Axel 編集部 [@AxelQuadruple] (July 30, 2022). "#田中梓沙 選手 2022-2023シーズンプログラム" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  16. ^ "Azusa TANAKA: 2021/2022". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on February 3, 2022.
  17. ^ "West Japan Junior Championships 2020 Women's Short Program". Scramble Talk.
  18. ^ "West Japan Junior Championships 2020 Women's Free Skate". Scramble Talk.
  19. ^ "Azusa TANAKA: 2019/2020". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on September 20, 2019.
  20. ^ "JPN-Azusa TANAKA/Shingo NISHIYAMA". Skating Scores.
  21. ^ "Competition Results: Azusa TANAKA". International Skating Union. May 6, 2023.

External links[edit]

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