Daisuke Takahashi

The world has seen and loved many mesmerizing figure skaters. One of those is a Japanese figure skater Daisuke Takahashi.

Takahashi has won several notable medals in Olympics, World Championships, Grand Prix Final, and Japanese National Championships.

Moreover, Takahashi is the first Japanese male to win the World Junior Championships, Grand Prix Final, and Senior World Championships. Daisuke is also the first Japanese male to win a GPF medal, World silver medal, and Olympic medal.

Takahashi is also the first singles skater to represent Japan in three Winter Olympics to date.

Furthermore, let’s dive deeper and know all about the figure skater champion Daisuke Takahashi’s early life, career, achievements, and net worth. But, first, here are some of Takahashi’s quick facts.

Daisuke Takahashi | Quick Facts

Full Name  Daisuke Takahashi
Birth Date March 16, 1986
Age   36 Years Old
Birth Place Kurashiki, Okayama
Nickname Zeus
Religion Not Available
Nationality Japanese
Education Kansai University
Horoscope Pisces
Father’s Name Not Disclosed
Mother’s Name Kiyoto Takahashi
Siblings Three
Height 5’5″ (1.65m)
Weight Not Available
Build Athletic
Shoe Size Not Available
Eye Color Brown
Hair Color Black
Marital Status Unmarried
Girlfriend    Not Disclosed
Children None
Profession Figure Skater
Began Skating   1994
Partner Kana Muramoto
Coach   Marina Zoueva
Former Coach   Utako Nagamitsu
Takeshi Honda
Nikolai Morozov
Net Worth $7 Million
Awards and Achievements 2010 World Champion
5x National Champion, etc.
Social Media Instagram
Merch Daisuke Takahashi – Dare Mo Shiranai Takahashi Daisuke DVD
Last Update August, 2022

The Early Life, Family, and Education of Daisuke Takahashi

Daisuke Takahashi, a Japanese figure skater, was born in Kurashiki, Okayama, on March 16, 1986. Daisuke is the youngest of his three older brothers, and his mother’s name is Kiyoto Takahashi.

Furthermore, Daisuke’s father’s identity as well as that of his brother’s are unknown.

When Daisuke was just eight years old, he began figure skating. After a skating rink was constructed close to his home, Takahashi went there with his mother to observe the skaters, and eventually, Takahashi joined a figure skating group.

Daisuke didn’t like the protective gear worn in ice hockey, so he enrolled in the figure skating club even though his mother had intended for him to join the ice hockey team.

Daisuke had a fruitful junior career after enrolling. In his one and only World Junior Championships debut, he took home the gold in 2002. As a result, Daisuke is the first man from Japan to win a championship at the World Junior Championships.

Age, height, and physical characteristics

In 2022, Daisuke will turn 36 years old. Takahashi also stands at a height of 5’5″ and has an athletic build (1.65m).

Daisuke’s birthdate indicates that he is a Pisces, a sign of the zodiac. Pisces sun sign individuals are renowned for their kindness and ingenuity.

Education

Regarding Takahashi’s educational history, he attended Kansai University alongside Nobunari Oda, a former professional figure skater from Japan.

Furthermore, there is no information accessible on Daisuke’s high school.

Career and Profession

Senior Debut for Daisuke

Daisuke switched to the senior division during the 2002–2003 season after winning the 2002 World Junior Championships.

He had trouble being consistent in his senior career over the first several years. In addition, the university administration in Osaka constructed a rink for the top skaters in their university after he enrolled there.

Takahashi earned the bronze medal at the 2005 Four Continents Championships and qualified for the 2005 World Championships as the second-ranked figure skater for the Japanese squad.

Additionally, Daisuke competed in the 2006 Winter Olympics qualifiers and earned the 15th rank after Takeshi Honda had to withdraw due to an injury.

The Japanese Championships had a problem

Nobunari Oda was a contender for an Olympic spot in the 2005–2006 season because both of them had successful Grand Prix campaigns.

Similar to that, Nobunari won the 2005–2006 Japanese Championships and met the requirements for the final Olympic slot. After that, though, the officials withdrew Oda’s gold medal back due to a mistake in the scoring computer system for the competition.

Daisuke therefore took home the gold medal. In the end, Takahashi and Oda were given equal responsibility for the international assignments by the Japanese Skating Federation. As a result, Takahashi was given the Olympic spot, and Oda was given the opportunity to compete for Japan at the World Championships.

winning the Japanese Championships is Daisuke Takahashi Takahashi (center).

Furthermore, Daisuke was initially in a strong position during the 2006 Winter Olympics, but later on, he had terrible free skating and finished eighth overall in the competition.

ISU Position

Takahashi won a silver medal at the 2006 Skate Canada International and a gold medal at the 2006 NHK Trophy.

Daisuke also earned a spot in the Grand Prix Final and won the silver medal there. Takahashi unfortunately became unwell during the Grand Prix, but he still won the silver.

Similar to this, Daisuke won the Japanese Championships two years in a row before competing in and winning at the Winter Universiade.

At the 2007 World Championships, Takahashi finished first in the free skating competition and third in the short program. Daisuke was the first Japanese man to earn a silver medal at the World Championships when he also took home a silver.

The following season, Takahashi surpassed Brian Joubert in the ISU’s rankings to claim the top spot among all figure skaters.

However, because Brian was unable to compete in that particular competition because he was not a student at a university, Daisuke’s victory at the Winter Universiade was not taken into account when determining his global ranking.

Daisuke finished second overall as a result.

A different coach

In both the 2007 and 2008 Grand Prix Tournaments, Daisuke took home the gold medal. He also placed second at the Grand Prix Final.

After a few weeks, Daisuke also advanced, taking home his third straight Japanese national championship and earning a spot on the teams for the Four Continents and Worlds. Furthermore, he won the 2008 Four Continents Championships by breaking the previous record for both his overall score and free skating using the ISU Judging System.

Going into the 2008 World Championships, Daisuke was one of the favorites in the figure skating competition. But because he stumbled while attempting the second quad toe, his free skating performance was unsatisfactory as the game came to a close. He fell when performing a triple loop and triple Axel, as well.

Daisuke (left), who won the silver medal in the Grand Prix Final, attempted an additional combination to spice up his performance, but it was ruled incorrect and did not contribute toward his final score.

Additionally, Daisuke disclosed in May 2008 that he had broken off his association with Nikolai Morozov, his longtime co-coach. Morozov gave his reason for leaving by claiming that Daisuke’s new agent prevented him from coaching him.

Daisuke therefore resumed his jump training in Osaka, Japan, with coaches Takeshi Honda and Utako Nagamitsu.

Injury

For the 2008-2009 Grand Prix season, Daisuke was also planning to compete in the 2008 NHK Trophy and 2008 Cup of China.

On October 31, 2008, a few days before his first event, he unfortunately suffered a torn ACL in his right knee and was forced to withdraw from the competition.

According to reports, Daisuke required surgery to replace his right meniscus and ultimately missed the 2008–2009 campaign. Daisuke returned to the ice in April and resumed training in June, albeit, after a bolt was placed in his right knee.

Daisuke started the Olympic season and took part in the 2009 Finlandia Trophy after his recovery from the operation and regular training. He finally prevailed in the competition.

In addition, Takahashi skated in the 2009 Skate Canada International for the 2009–2010 Grand Prix season, finishing in second place. Daisuke took part in the 2009 NHK Trophy as well and finished in fourth place.

His finishes at those competitions qualified him to compete in the Grand Prix Final, where Daisuke won the short program with a score of 89.95, setting a new career high. He placed fifth overall, fifth in the free skating division, and fifth overall.

2010 World Championships with Daisuke

The Japanese Championships were won by Takahashi in 2009–2010, giving him his fourth national championship. In a similar vein, he earned a 247.43 score and the bronze medal at the Winter Olympics in 2010, becoming the first Japanese to do so in the men’s figure skating division.

Daisuke became the first Asian man to win a gold medal at a world championship when he went on to win it in the 2010 World Championships.

Post-Injury Achievements

Moreover, Daisuke took part in the Skate America and NHK Trophy during the 2010–2011 Grand Prix season. With 234.79 points, he won the 2010 NHK Trophy. He also triumphed at the 2010 Skate America competition despite making a few mistakes in both his short program and free skate.

Additionally, Daisuke won the bronze medal at the 2010–2011 Japanese Championships and went on to triumph at the 2011 Four Continents Championships.

Similar results were achieved at the 2011 World Championships, where Takahashi took third place in the short program and fifth place overall.

During his first element in the free skating portion of the 2011 World Championships, a screw from his boot broke off. Takahashi’s performance continued after the Japanese team fixed the issue in the allotted three minutes.

Daisuke underwent surgery on May 19, 2011, to have a bolt that was inserted during his late-2008 procedure taken out of his right knee.

Following the procedure, he said:

“I FEEL MUCH BETTER NOW THAT THERE IS NOTHING INSIDE MY BODY. IT IS THINNER AROUND MY KNEE. It feels much lighter, though I could be be imagining it.

The path to earning the maximum ISU score
In addition, Daisuke worked for two weeks in Lyon, France in August 2011 to prepare for the 2011–2012 season with ice dance experts Romain Haguenauer, Olivier Schoenfelder, and Muriel Boucher-Zazoui.

In a conversation, Takahashi said:

Not because I was bad at it, but because I think Olivier is the best and adore the way he skates, I wanted to improve my skating technique.

Daisuke also won the bronze medal with a combined score of 237.87 in the 2011 Skate Canada International after earning scores of 84.66 in the short program category and 153.21 in the free skating event.

2011 NHK broadcast of Daisuke Takahashi

At the 2011 NHK Trophy, Takahashi achieved a new personal best score of 90.43 and beat teammate Takahiko Kozuka by 10.66 points in the short program category.

With a combined total score of 259.75 points, Daisuke earned the gold medal and qualified for the Grand Prix Final, where he finished in second place.

Daisuke won the top spot at the Japanese Championships with a short program score of 96.05 and finished third in the free skating division with 158.38 points.

Daisuke therefore won his sixth national title with a final score of 254.60 and qualified for the 2012 World Championships, where he earned the silver medal.

However, the French spectators thought Daisuke should have won the gold medal instead of Patrick Chan. Nevertheless, Takahashi said he was happy with the outcome and that his off-season surgery had not prepared him for this victory.

Silver medalist Daisuke Takahashi Daisuke at the 2012 World Championships.
Takahashi established a new high mark for the ISU Judging System with his short program score of 94.00. After the 2010 World Championships, he defeated Patrick Chan for the first time with this victory.

Formula One 2012–2013

Daisuke debuted his new free skating routine for the season at the 2012 Japan Open, marking the first time since his injury that he has performed two quad leaps.

He won the top spot in the men’s competition as a result, and the Japanese team took home the gold.

Takahashi additionally took home the silver medal at the 2012 Cup of China. At the 2012 NHK Trophy, another Grand Prix competition, he also captured his second silver medal.

Daisuke qualified for his sixth Grand Prix Final contest by winning both Grand Prix competitions.

In addition to taking first place in the short program and third in the free skate, Daisuke also won his first gold medal at the Grand Prix Final. Takahashi so became the first Japanese man to triumph in the Grand Prix Final with a gold medal.

Daisuke also joined the Japanese team that competed in the 2013 World Championships and 2013 Four Continents Championships.

At the Four Continents Championships, he placed fourth in the short program and eighth in the free skate, giving him a seventh-place overall finish.

At the World Championships, Daisuke finished eighth in the free skating and fourth in the short program to take sixth place.

Also Read Shoma Uno Career

Retirement

Furthermore, Daisuke finished fourth at Skate America 2013 and took home the 2013 NHK Trophy during the 2013-2014 ISU Grand Prix season.

At the Japanese Championships, he finished fifth overall and fourth in the short program and fifth in the free skate, respectively. thereby joining the Olympic team in Sochi.

Daisuke (left) with a silver medal during the 2012 World Championships

In addition, Daisuke placed fourth in the Olympics’ short program and sixth in the free skating competition. Additionally, with a final score of 250.67, he placed sixth overall.

Takahashi had intended to compete at the 2014 World Championships, but a knee injury prevented him from competing. Daisuke made the announcement that he was giving up competitive skating in October 2014.

Daisuke, however, declared that he would return to competitive skating in the 2018–2019 season. Takahashi won the second place at the Japanese championships after his return.

But after that, he turned down invitations to compete in international competitions. He reportedly enrolled in English classes in Long Island, New York, after retiring.

Career in Doubles

Additionally, Daisuke declared that he would stop competing in singles competitions in September 2019 and transition to ice dancing with partner Kana Muramoto.

His last singles match was so at the Japan Championships for the 2019–2020 season.

Daisuke started training in Florida with Muramoto under Marina Zoueva after his singles career was over.

Moreover, the Grand Prix competition was mostly dependent on geographic location because to the COVID-19 epidemic.

However, Muramoto and Takahashi made the trip to Japan from Florida in order to make their competition debut at the 2020 NHK Trophy.

In the rhythm dance division, Muramoto and Takahashi came in second place and won a combined bronze medal.

Likewise, Takahashi and Muramoto finished second in the rhythm dance division in their Japan Championships debut. Additionally, they took third place in the free dance division. The Japan Championships saw Takahashi and Muramoto take home the silver medal overall.

Highlights

  • First Asian male skater to win the World Junior Championships
  • Bronze Medalist at the 2010 Winter Olympics
  • Gold Medalist at the 2010 World Championships
  • Two-time Silver Medalist at the 2007 and 2012 World Championship
  • Two-time Gold Medalist at the 2008 and 2011 Four Continents Championships

Endorsements for Daisuke Takahashi

Following his silver-medal performance at the 2007 World Championship, Daisuke took part in numerous ice performances and media engagements in his native Japan.

In 2008, he participated in the Festa On Ice in South Korea. He was also on the guest list for the Stars sur glace performance by the French squad in Paris, France.

Daisuke was also chosen by the Japanese Olympic Committee to be one of their icon athletes. In addition, Takahashi received 20 million yen from JOC annually for the use of his picture.

Similar to this, Daisuke appeared as a guest on numerous TV shows after winning the 2010 World Championships and served as the spokesperson for the Japan Post and the Use pesticides safely campaign.

Daisuke Takahashi’s estimated wealth

One of the most accomplished Japanese figure skaters in the world is Takahashi. Over the course of his career, he has garnered numerous titles and medals.

Daisuke has also landed a number of sponsorship opportunities thanks to his accomplishments from publications like Vogue Japan and AERA. On the other hand, little is known about Daisuke’s professional earnings. When we reflect on his career, we can say that:

DAISUKE TAKAHASHI’S ESTIMATED NET WORTH IS ABOUT $7 MILLION.

Relationships and Girlfriends with Daisuke Takahashi

Takahashi has not yet disclosed information about his interactions with the public. There are no publications that mention anything about his previous or potential romantic relationships.

We can therefore conclude that Daisuke Takahashi is most likely single.

Contrary to popular assumption, Takahashi and Kana Muramoto are only skating partners. The 2018 Four Continents bronze medalist in ice dancing is the stunning Muramoto.

Daisuke Takahashi | Social Media Presence

Instagram – 155k Followers 

Common Queries about Daisuke Takahashi

Did Daisuke Takahashi work with Morozov later?

On June 15, 2012, Daisuke confirmed that he would resume working with Morozov as his advisory coach, and after he retired from his singles career, he started working with Marina Zoueva.

Is Yuri on Ice based on Daisuke Takahashi?

The anime television series is based on multiple real-life figure skaters. So, some parts of it might be based on his life.

Furthermore, the characters in the series are gay, so it might depict a figure skater who is gay.

Have Daisuke Takahashi and Mao Asada performed together?

Yes, the pair have performed together and are very good friends. Although many speculate that the two are dating, Takahashi and Asada have not confirmed the rumor yet.

Is Daisuke Takahashi the voice actor of Yoru?

No, Daisuke Takahashi is not the voice actor of Yoru. Daisuke Namikawa, a Japanese actor, singer, and voice actor, is the actual voice actor of Yoru in the video game Valorant.