Distinguishing herself with textbook technique and refined expressions beyond her years, Japan’s Rena Uezono made a remarkable international debut last season. At just 13 years old, she won bronze medals at both the 2023-24 Junior Grand Prix (JGP) Final and the 2024 World Junior Figure Skating Championships.
Climbing through the junior ranks, her skating drew the attention of skating experts and fans alike, and she quickly established herself as a new rising star of the skating world. Training at the LYS Skate Club under the guidance of renowned coach Mihoko Higuchi and her son Shota Higuchi, Uezono is already gearing up for the upcoming season.
We had the pleasure of interviewing her at LYS in Aichi Prefecture and watch her practice her new programs. During our talk, we got to know the smiling skater more as she reflected on her skating journey and talked about the upcoming season.
Uezono was born on June 7, 2010, in Aichi Prefecture. She discovered her passion for figure skating in 2017 at the age of seven after being inspired by watching 2010 Olympic silver medalist and three-time World champion Mao Asada perform at an ice show in their home region of Aichi. She then ended up taking up figure skating more seriously.
In 2022, Uezono joined Mihoko Higuchi’s newly founded skating club, the LYS Skate Club to further pursue her skating career. Situated in Moricoro Park (Expo 2005 Aichi Commemorative Park) in Nagakute, the club offers a stimulating environment for its young skaters.
“I like that people at the club are all very kind and that we all get along well,” Uezono replied when asked about her training mates and environment. “In addition, the coaches are warm-hearted, and they teach us students with love. And as for (how my practice at the club is going), I think it has been reflected in my current skating.”
Rena Uezono at LYS Skate Club with coaches Mihoko Higuchi (L) and Shota Higuchi (R). (Photo by Chloé di Sanzio)
The 2023-24 season was an impressive one for Uezono. She medaled at her first two JGP events in Turkey and Poland, securing silver and gold, respectively, qualifying for the JGP Final in Beijing. Additionally, Uezono placed third at the Japanese National Junior Championships, advancing to the Japanese Senior Nationals Championships. In her debut at nationals as a senior, she became the youngest participant among Japan’s top skaters and finished fourth overall, unofficially breaking the 200-point mark for the first time.
The skater then went on to win a bronze medal at both her first two major competitions of her young skating career: the JGP Final and the Junior World Championships. Regarding her special ritual before taking the ice, she revealed that she treats each daily practice as if it’s an actual competition.
“I am happy that I was able to deliver the results of my practice on all of these different stages,” Uezono said. “I want to continue delivering results and show a performance that moves the heart of the public.”
While she admitted to being a “little nervous” when competing against many high-level skaters at the international events, she was also excited.
“I enjoyed delivering results on the big stage and performing in front of such big audiences,” said Uezono. “I was not really able to communicate a lot with the other skaters (at international tournaments) due to the language barrier, but I got recognized by some of them.”
While she enjoyed all the competitions, Uezono picked her free skate at the Junior World Championships as the highlight of her season.
“I had made a mistake in the short program, and it had been difficult to perform as I had wanted to, even during practice time,” she admitted. “But I was able to overcome this feeling and then perform my free program well. I felt good about it, and I can use what I learned from this experience for the next challenge.”
“It was my goal to just perform on the Junior Grand Prix scene,” she summed up. “But achieving such results made me feel so happy.”
The off-season for Uezono has been packed with ice shows, choreography, and training. Recently, she was invited to perform at Stars On Ice, Fantasy On Ice and Dreams On Ice, which took place in March, May, and June. At these shows, she shared the ice with famous skaters such as Yuzuru Hanyu, Kaori Sakamoto and Stéphane Lambiel.
“There were many strong skaters at these shows,” she reflected. “I learned from their skating, from their way of practicing, and from their way of self-focusing. I want to be able to do that too for myself.”
Back at the rink in Aichi Prefecture, she has been working on two new programs and is looking forward to the upcoming season.
“The off-season is the time where I can try out new things,” said Uezono explained. “So, I would like to try out new techniques and new programs and be able to execute those well.”
For the 2024-25 season, the skater decided on a completely new genre of music in the short program. She will skate to “Voilà” by Barbara Pravi, an emotional and powerful French song. The program was choreographed by none other than Mihoko Higuchi, who also choreographs in addition to coaching. It combines the coach’s artistic vision with Rena’s own performance goals.
“It was my coach who selected the song,” Uezono revealed regarding the music choice. “The theme of the song is a strong and beautiful woman. It’s very different compared to the one I skated to last season. So, I want to brush up on my expressions, as well as my skating, a lot more for this season as and the next. I have already chosen the song for my free program for the 2025-26 season, but it’s still a secret.”
Rena Uezono during practice at the LYS Skate Club. (Photo by Chloé di Sanzio)
The skater has already debuted her new free program at Dreams On Ice. It’s a mashup of Rachmaninov’s “Bells of Moscow” and Richter’s “Chronos,” also choreographed by Mihoko Higuchi.
Looking ahead at the upcoming season, Uezono is eager to build on her past achievements. She is also committed to working hard to turn this goal into reality.
“I want to perform on the big stage again next season,” she shared. “I would like to show a performance that will move the hearts of the people in the audience. Therefore, I will do my best in training this off-season.”
Like many athletes, Uezono balances school and skating. As a junior high school student, most of her days are usually filled with school and training. However, she does not have a set routine.
“Normally, I go to school, then do training and then do skating practice,” she explained. “But there are also days where I happen to skate in the morning, and where I then go to school in the afternoon as well.”
Discussing her inspirations and personal interests, Uezono revealed a bit more about herself.
“My favorite skaters are Yuzuru Hanyu and Mao Asada from Japan, and Yuna Kim from South Korea,” she shared. “And my most beloved mascot character is Shin-Chan (クレヨンしんちゃん), from a Japanese 90’s’ manga series.”
Uezono’s aspirations extend far beyond her current achievements. When asked about what kind of skater she would like to grow into, she already knew the answer.
“To move people with my skating and performances,” she said. “I will do everything I can to achieve this. I want to become a skater who can deeply touches other people’s hearts. In addition, I will continue to train to be a skater who can perform on the big stage with my own unique strength.”
Just a few days ago, Uezono placed first at 2024 Minato Acles Cup—a local competition in Nagoya—at the junior level. In the short program, she landed a double Axel, triple Lutz-triple toe and triple flip. Her free skate featured seven triple jumps, including at triple Lutz-triple toe. All three flips in the competition were given an edge call, but she was otherwise very solid. All spins in both programs were graded a level four.
Looking ahead to her career in the sport, Uezono’s future dreams are also firmly in place.
“My dream is to win a gold medal at the Olympic Games,” she said. “I also want to skate in collaboration with artists and skaters.”
Ending the interview with a beaming smile, Uezono did not forget to thank all the people who have been supporting her.
“Thank you always for you continued support!” she said. “I will strive for a strong performance that will move all of your hearts this season. Please keep supporting me!”
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