Takahashi Daisuke coming full circle on world stage in Japan
A week after turning 37, the three-time medallist is set to appear in his 10th ISU World Figure Skating Championships as a singles skater and ice dancer combined. What will the Japanese trailblazer leave behind in Saitama?
Figure Skating
In 2014, when the ISU World Figure Skating Championships were also held in Saitama, Japan, Takahashi Daisuke was in his last days as a singles skater.
Takahashi, though, had to pull out of those worlds due to a knee injury stemming from the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games.
Seven months later, he retired. Takahashi was 28.
Fast forward nine years to another world championships in Saitama and - this time - Takahashi is in attendance again, only this time reborn as an ice dancer from a surprise 2019 comeback.
“I’m nervous but excited at the same time,” Takahashi, now a seasoned 37, said on Tuesday (21 March) following practice at the Saitama Super Arena flanked by his partner Muramoto Kana.
“We felt really good this morning in practise, we were composed and had a good time.”
His solo days added in, Takahashi will appear in his 10th worlds on Friday starting with the rhythm dance followed by the free the day after.
Takahashi is a three-time singles world medallist, having won two silvers (Tokyo 2007, Nice 2012) and a gold in Torino in 2010. He was the first Japanese man in history to capture an Olympic medal - bronze at Vancouver 2010.
He was far off of the podium in his ice dance world debut last year in Montpellier, France, finishing in 16th place. The goal this weekend for Muramoto/Takahashi is a realistic 10th.
They were ninth at last month’s Four Continents Championships in Colorado Springs, where the Rocky Mountains altitude made things challenging for a couple brandishing a physically punishing program.
The two boast the highest ice dance score by a Japanese duo (188.30 points) but it remains to be seen if and how close they can get to the podium.
“Top 10. It’s a really, really big goal for us but we’re not obsessing about it,” Muramoto said. “Our focus is on performing as well as we can. Because we’re not going to get there if we don’t perform to the best of our ability.”
After the Beijing Olympic season, Takahashi wasn’t sure if he wanted to continue for another campaign.
Although he decided to return for one more run, it’s not entirely clear how far and to where Takahashi is willing to go as an ice dancer. Muramoto herself turned 30 this month, two weeks before Takahashi celebrated his birthday.
But one thing is clear: Takahashi is like no other, carving out his own unique path. Regardless of result, this weekend might turn out to be a memorable one for him and his partner.
“For whatever reason, it hadn’t worked out for me with world championships in Japan," he said, a nod to his singles career. "But maybe it was meant to be, so that I could come back here - in this way. I want these worlds to carry that kind of meaning.
“When I was skating singles, my first medal at the world championships was the one held in Japan. I’ve managed to come back to the competition as an ice dancer, and I want to make it as great of a worlds as I can.”