Yoshida Hana has the triple Axel. Now the rising Japanese star seeks "a program that only I can skate"
Last season's "Newcomer of the Year" sits down with Olympics.com to share how she's developing her style as the 2026 Games grow closer - and why she has a special connection with the great Asada Mao.
Figure Skating
Of the 12 women's singles medals handed out so far on this season's Grand Prix Series, 10 of them have gone to Japanese athletes.
It's a show of strength for the figure skating-rich country, where the sport receives regular mainstream coverage and top stars can become household names.
But making that Japanese Olympic team? That's as tough as it gets.
One of those 10 medals this year, though, belongs to 19-year-old Yoshida Hana, one of few women in history to land the triple Axel. And a skater who feels she's just starting to reach her true potential.
"I still feel like a challenger," Yoshida told Olympics.com after claiming the bronze medal at Skate Canada International last month. "I know I have to improve more to be at the top. My strong point is my jumps, but I know I can improve more on my program components [artistry] scores. I know I have to work on [that]."
The Nagoya-born teen is looking to the legacy of a skater who grew up in her same hometown: Vancouver 2010 silver medallist and three-time world champion, Asada Mao.
Asada was known for her triple Axel, too, but became one of the most respected artists in the sport in her storied career.
"Mao is my idol," Yoshida said in her near-perfect English, having attended an international school as a kid.
"I really respect her," she added of Asada. "She kept challenging her triple Axel [in her career], and that made me feel that I want to challenge my triple Axel, too."
Yoshida Hana eyes a second straight Grand Prix Final
A challenge in front of Yoshida this weekend at her second Grand Prix, Finlandia Trophy, comes in the form of expecations and outside pressure: She'll look for a podium finish to put herself in the running for the elite Grand Prix Final, which invites only the top six skaters from each disicipline.
She won the bronze at the Final a year ago, shocking herself - and many others - on debut. The results helped her to be named the ISU's "Newcomer of the Year" (above).
"Last year was my first senior year and everything was new," she said. "I really just enjoyed the Grand Prix Series and going to the Final was very surprising for me. And getting on the podium, I didn't even dream of being on the podium. I was very happy.
She added: "I know I can do more. So I still want to focus on just for myself and that about the results."
The belief that she can do more is shared by her team, which consists of famed skater-turned-coach Hamada Mie. This season, she's worked with renowned choreographers Benoit Richaud (short program) and Lori Nichol (free).
Can Yoshida claim a spot for the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026? Three-time and reigning champion Sakamoto Kaori is all but a lock for the three-skater squad - Hana would like to join her.
"The Olympics is my dream, but it's a very big dream," she said. "I still have to get the results of the competitions before the Olympics. I don't think about the Olympics too much. [Now] I'm focusing on every single competition.... that is my Olympics [right now]."
Yoshida: "I want to find my own" skating style
It wasn't until last year, when Yoshida made her senior international debut (at major events), that she had given true thought to the Olympics - or the World Championships, where she'd finish eighth in 2024.
"[The] Olympics is only every four years, so it's very special; everyone aims for it," she explained. "So it's very difficult. But, like aiming for the Olympics and building up for the Olympics, [that's] one of my motivations."
As she navigates the top ranks, Yoshida has been included in some of the sport's biggest exhibition show tours, including Stars on Ice in Japan, where she and reigning world silver medallist Isabeau Levito of the U.S. forged a close friendship.
"She's so cute; I love her," Yoshida said of Levito, saying the pair tend to spend entire sessions hanging out together just laughing. "She looks so calm when she's skating, but we just talk and play around. I really enjoy spending time with her."
While the triple Axel remains a steady strength, Yoshida wants to continue to build her skating as singular: A skating style uniquely her own.
Her programs reflect that this season: Yoshida has chosen two pieces of music that are both a stylistic change as well as a challenge for her. If she had any doubts on how her musical interpretation was going, she had to look no further than composer Christopher Tin, whose music she skates to in the short program.
"I'm a fan," Tin wrote on X, calling out two other Japanese skaters in the process.
"I want to find my own skate [style] that... the others don't have," a reflective Yoshida said. "And so I think I want to make my program that is special, a program that only I can skate."