Japan’s Hana Yoshida may not be quite satisfied with her programs yet, but she is welcoming the opportunities for challenges. In this interview, the 19-year-old reflects on her season thus far and talks about her preparations and goals for her third consecutive Grand Prix Final.
Yoshida qualified for the Final by earning a bronze medal at 2024 Skate Canada and gold at 2024 Finlandia Trophy (where she earned a new personal best for the short program). For the first time in her career, Yoshida worked with prestigious choreographers Lori Nichol for the short program and Benoit Richaud for the free skate, and she shares some insights into both of the programs and their meaning for her personally.
We get to know Yoshida as a person, learn how she followed her older sister to the ice rink, and what made her stick to the sport. Four and a half years ago, Yoshida moved to Kyoto to train at the renowned Kinoshita Academy under coach Mie Hamada. She explains why this is the ideal training environment for her. She additionally shares when she learned her signature jump—the triple Axel—and explains how this jump is particularly important to her and that she wants to keep challenging it.
Off the ice, Yoshida talks about how she came to speak English and how it’s important for her to learn about new cultures and communicate globally. She is currently even learning another European language for her studies that she enrolled in this spring.
Yoshida is one of five Japanese women that qualified for the 2024-25 ISU Grand Prix Final 2024 that will take place in Grenoble, France, this week.
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