Takeshi Honda

For footballer, see Takeshi Honda (footballer). For the animator, see Takeshi Honda (animator).

Takeshi Honda (本田 武史, Honda Takeshi, born 23 March 1981) is a former Japanese competitive figure skater. He is a two-time World bronze medalist (2002, 2003), two-time Four Continents champion (1999, 2003), and six-time Japanese national champion.

Takeshi Honda
Born	(1981-03-23) 23 March 1981 (age 43) Kōriyama, Fukushima, Japan
Height	1.68 m (5 ft 6 in)
Figure skating career
Country	Japan
Retired	2006
Medal record
Event World Championships 0 0 2 Four Continents Championships 2 2 0 Japanese Championships 6 0 0 World Junior Championships 0 1 0 Medal list World Championships 2002 Nagano Singles 2003 Washington, D.C. Singles Four Continents Championships 1999 Halifax Singles 2003 Beijing Singles 2001 Salt Lake City Singles 2002 Jeonju Singles Japanese Championships 1995–96 Yokohama Singles 1996–97 Nagano Singles 1999–2000 Fukuoka Singles 2000–01 Nagano Singles 2002–03 Kyoto Singles 2004–05 Yokohama Singles World Junior Championships 1996 Brisbane Singles

Personal life

Takeshi Honda was born on 23 March 1981 in Kōriyama, Fukushima, Japan.^[1][2] He plays the piano.^[3]

Career

Honda began short track speed skating at the age of six with his brother and switched to figure skating at nine.^[3] At 12, when he entered junior high school, he moved to Sendai to train with Hiroshi Nagakubo.^[4] Although he started the training somewhat late, he caught up very quickly and was, at 14, the youngest senior national champion in Japan ever.

In December 1997, Honda left Japan to train with Galina Zmievskaya at the International Skating Center in Simsbury, Connecticut.^[5] He represented Japan at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, where he finished 15th. Following the 1998 Skate Canada International, Honda moved to Barrie, Ontario, Canada to work with Doug Leigh.^[3] He became the first Four Continents champion in history when he won the inaugural event in 1999.

In 2002, Honda won the bronze medal at the 2002 World Championships and finished in 4th place at the Winter Olympics. He was the first male skater from Japan to medal at the World Championships since Minoru Sano took the bronze in 1977. Honda withdrew from the 2005 World Championships after injuring his ankle in a fall during the qualifying segment.

Honda ended his competitive career and turned to show skating in March 2006. He is also a TV commentator.^[6] He resides in Takatsuki city, Osaka to coach Daisuke Takahashi (as a technical coach)^[7] and Kansai University Skating club.^[6] He also coached Mai Asada.^[8]

Programs

Season	Short program	Free skating	Exhibition
2005–06 [1][9]	Romeo and Juliet by Nino Rota	Tosca by Giacomo Puccini	The Dirty Boogie by Brian Setzer
2004–05 [10]	Piano Concerto No. 1 by Frédéric Chopin	Warsaw Concerto by Richard Addinsell Red Ribbon[11] by Kodo (taiko group)	The Dirty Boogie[12] by Brian Setzer
2003–04 [13]	Romeo and Juliet by Nino Rota	Warsaw Concerto by Richard Addinsell	Wherever You Will Go by The Calling
2002–03 [3][14][15]	Leyenda by Vanessa-Mae	Riverdance[11] by Bill Whelan The Mummy by Jerry Goldsmith	Moulin Rouge! by Steve Sharples Wherever You Will Go by The Calling
2001–02 [16][17]	Don Quixote[18] by Ludwig Minkus Sing Sing Sing[18] by Louis Prima	Concierto de Aranjuez[11] by Joaquín Rodrigo Rhapsodia Cubana by Ernesto Lecuona	Bonzo's Montreux by Led Zeppelin
2000–01 [19]	Don Quixote[18] by Ludwig Minkus	Concierto de Aranjuez[11] by Joaquín Rodrigo	Mambo Mambo by Lou Bega
1999–2000	Violin Concerto by Felix Mendelssohn	Rising Sun[18] by Kitarō	I Could Not Ask For More by Edwin McCain
1998–99	Two-Minute Warning by Ernie Albert Doop-Doop by Doop	The Man in the Iron Mask[18] by Nick Glennie-Smith	Heaven and Earth by Kitarō I Believe I Can Fly by R. Kelly
1997–98	Original song[20]	El Cid[21] by Miklós Rózsa	I Believe I Can Fly by R. Kelly
1996–97 [22]	Tico Tico	Swing Kids[11]

Results

GP: Champions Series/Grand Prix

International[23]
Event	94–95	95–96	96–97	97–98	98–99	99–00	00–01	01–02	02–03	03–04	04–05	05–06
Olympics				15th				4th
Worlds		13th	10th	11th	6th	10th	5th	3rd	3rd		WD
Four Continents					1st	5th	2nd	2nd	1st	WD
GP Final								5th
GP Lalique									3rd
GP NHK Trophy		4th	9th	6th	2nd	6th	4th	1st	2nd		7th	9th
GP Skate America			6th	7th				2nd		2nd
GP Skate Canada			9th		5th	3rd	5th		1st	3rd	7th	4th
GP Sparkassen								5th
Nebelhorn Trophy		1st
Asian Games									1st
International: Junior[23]
Junior Worlds		2nd
National[23]
Japan Champ.		1st	1st			1st	1st		1st		1st	5th
Japan Junior	5th	1st
WD: Withdrew

References

1. "Takeshi HONDA: 2005/2006". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 18 October 2006.
2. Hine, Tommy (6 February 1998). "Skating Center Athletes". Hartford Courant.
3. Mittan, Barry (6 August 2003). "Honda Finds Second Home In Canada". GoldenSkate.com. Retrieved 5 September 2011.
4. 日本のメダリストのコーチたち～長久保裕編（２） (in Japanese). Sports Hochi. 27 July 2011. Archived from the original on 8 December 2011.
5. Hine, Tommy (29 March 1998). "Honda Makes The Jump". Hartford Courant. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2015-08-01.
6. フィギュア本田　コーチ業満喫 [Honda, Figure skater enjoys coaching] (in Japanese). yomiuri. 12 December 2006. Retrieved 8 May 2010.
7. "Daisuke Takahashi Fan Forum Profile".
8. "Mai Asada profile" (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 19 December 2010.
9. "Cutting Edge" pp.90-91
10. "Takeshi HONDA: 2004/2005". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 23 July 2005.
11. "Cutting Edge" p.19
12. "Cutting Edge" p.91
13. "Takeshi HONDA: 2003/2004". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 4 June 2004.
14. "Takeshi HONDA: 2002/2003". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 17 February 2003.
15. "Takeshi HONDA: 2002/2003". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 2 December 2002.
16. "Takeshi HONDA: 2001/2002". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 11 June 2002.
17. "Takeshi HONDA: 2001/2002". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 4 October 2001.
18. "Cutting Edge" p.91, 19
19. "Takeshi HONDA: 2000/2001". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 9 June 2001.
20. 『氷上の貴公子』p.105
21. 『氷上の貴公子』p.10
22. Mittan, J. Barry (1997). "Takeshi Honda". Archived from the original on 14 May 2012.
23. "Competition Results: Takeshi HONDA". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016.

External links

Media related to Takeshi Honda at Wikimedia Commons

• Takeshi Honda at the International Skating Union