Coach Kori Ade Skating club DuPage FSC Began skating 2005 Choreographer Marina Zueva | Former choreographer Olga Ganicheva Height 1.54 m Country represented United States of America | |
 | ||
Home town Hoffman Estates, Illinois, United States | ||
Tomoki hiwatashi sp 2017 u s championships
Tomoki Hiwatashi (born January 20, 2000) is an American figure skater. He is the 2016 World Junior bronze medalist and the 2016 U.S. national junior champion.
Contents
- Tomoki hiwatashi sp 2017 u s championships
- Personal life
- Career
- Early career
- 201415 season
- 201516 season
- Skating technique
- Competitive highlights
- References
Personal life
Hiwatashi was born on January 20, 2000 in Englewood, New Jersey. Both of his parents are from Kobe, Japan.
Career
Hiwatashi began skating at the age of five after a rink opened near his house.
Early career
Hiwatashi competed on the juvenile level during the 2008–09 season, placing fourth at the Upper Great Lake Regional Championships. Continuing as a juvenile in 2009–10, he won the bronze medal at the Upper Great Lakes Regionals before finishing 6th at the 2010 U.S. Championships. During the 2010–11 season, he won the juvenile gold medal at both the Upper Great Lakes Regionals and the 2011 U.S. Championships.
In 2011–12, Hiwatashi moved up to the intermediate level, winning gold at the Upper Great Lakes Regionals and the 2012 U.S. Championships. He advanced to the novice level in 2012–13, winning gold at the Upper Great Lakes Regionals, the Midwestern Sectionals, and the 2013 U.S. Championships.
Hiwatashi missed the 2013–14 season after sustaining a medial malleolus fracture of the left foot during the official practice time at his ISU Junior Grand Prix (JGP) assignment in Mexico.
2014–15 season
Hiwatashi competed on the junior level during the 2014–15 season. He won the bronze medal at the Midwestern Sectionals and placed 5th at the 2015 U.S. Championships. He ended his season with the junior gold medal at the International Challenge Cup.
2015–16 season
In 2015–16, Hiwatashi debuted on the JGP series, placing 5th in Colorado Springs, Colorado before winning the bronze medal in Zagreb, Croatia. He won the junior silver medal at the Midwestern Sectionals, finishing second to Alexei Krasnozhon, and went on to become the national junior champion, outscoring Kevin Shum by 14.78 points for gold at the 2016 U.S. Championships. Later that month, he was selected to replace the injured Nathan Chen at the 2016 World Junior Championships in Debrecen, Hungary. Competing in March at Junior Worlds, he placed sixth in the short program and third in the free skate to win the bronze medal behind Daniel Samohin of Israel and Nicolas Nadeau of Canada.
Skating technique
Unlike most skaters, Hiwatashi jumps and spins clockwise. He also has the ability to perform the Biellmann spin, an element rarely performed by men due to the flexibility it requires.
Competitive highlights
CS: Challenger Series; JGP: Junior Grand Prix. Pewter medals (4th place) awarded only at U.S. national, sectional, and regional events.