Utana Yoshida and Masaya Morita secured their first national title at the 2024-25 Japanese National Championships on Sunday in Osaka, Japan. Azusa Tanaka and Shingo Nishiyama secured second place, while Ayano Sasaki and Yoshimitsu Ikeda finished in third.
With the retirement of Kana Muramoto/Daisuke Takahashi and Misato Komatsubara/Takeru Komatsubara, the landscape of Japanese ice dance has shifted, creating an opening for newer teams to step forward.
Skating together for the second year, Yoshida and Morita are coached by Cathy Reed in Uli, Japan, at the Kinoshita Academy. They teamed up in 2023 after a tryout. Both were skating with different partners prior to their partnership. Earlier this season, the team made their first appearance on the Grand Prix circuit at the 2024 NHK Trophy where they placed ninth.
At the 2024 Japanese National Championships, Yoshida and Morita were the last skaters to take the ice in the rhythm dance. They delivered an engaging performance, showing the playful side of their skating throughout. Their routine earned them a score of 71.84 points, placing them first in the segment ahead of Azusa Tanaka and Shingo Nishiyama.
In the free dance, they skated to the classical music of Romeo and Juliet, a routine that they worked on together alongside Scott Moir, Madison Hubbell, Adrian Diaz and Cathy Reed. The program was a perfect mix between drama and emotion. Showing notable growth since their early competitions, their skating has reached a new level of maturity. With a score of 103.37 in the free dance, including the highest PCS of the event, they earned a total of 176.21 points to secure the gold.
As national champions, Yoshida and Morita have been selected to compete at the 2025 Four Continents Championships and at the 2025 World Championships.
Tanaka and Nishiyama had a tough start to the season due to Tanaka’s injury early on. Like their compatriots Yoshida and Morita, they participated in the 2024 NHK Trophy as the host pick, though their participation was nearly in doubt due to Tanaka’s condition. Ultimately, the pair finished in tenth place.
As the first skaters to open the rhythm dance event, they lit up the rink with an electrifying performance to “September,” “Sir Duke,” and “Land of 1000 Dances.” The crowd was immediately drawn in after the first notes and responded with cheers as the performance unfolded. They scored 66.03.
In their free dance to Für Elise, the team displayed excellent synchronicity. They skillfully played with the tempo, particularly in the second half of the program. Fitting classical music into a skating program can be challenging, but they made it work beautifully. They scored 102.89 in the free dance, with the highest technical score of the event. Their total score was 168.92.
Tanaka and Nishiyama have also been assigned to the 2025 Four Continents Championships and are first alternates for the 2025 World Championships.
While Sasaki and Ikeda are not new to the discipline, this marks their second season skating together. The team trains in Lyon, France, under the guidance of Marien de la Asuncion and Emi Hirai, who also choreographed and helped with their programs. Last year, Sasaki and Ikeda narrowly missed the podium, finishing just off the top three at the national championships.
At the national championships, the team scored 55.53 in the rhythm dance. Skating to the Pride and Prejudice soundtrack for their free dance, they received 85.56 points in that segment, with a deduction for an extended lift. With a total score of 141.09, they took the bronze, their first national medal.
While they reflected on areas to improve for the next tournament, Sasaki and Ikeda expressed how much they enjoyed skating and were grateful for the support they had received along the way.
Mia Kuneshita and Seiya Alec Roueche made their debut skating together at their first national championships, finishing in fourth place overall (100.19).
Related Info:
The post Yoshida and Morita: 2024-25 Japanese National ice dance champions appeared first on Golden Skate.
