Daisuke Murakami
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| Personal Info | ||
| Country: |  United States (through 2006/2007) Japan (2007/2008 onward) |
|
| Date of birth: | January 15, 1991 | |
| Height: | 163 cm (5 ft 4 in) | |
| Coach: | Nikolai Morozov | |
| Skating Club: | Osaka Skating Club | |
| ISU Personal Best Scores | ||
| Short + Free Total: | 156.18 | 2006 JGP Chinese Taipei |
| Short Program: | 55.51 | 2006 JGP Chinese Taipei |
| Free Skate: | 105.20 | 2006 World Juniors |
Daisuke "Dice" Murakami (村上 大介 Murakami Daisuke?, born January 15, 1991, in Kanagawa, Japan) is a Japanese figure skater who previously represented the United States in international competition.
Contents |
[edit] Personal life
The Murakami family moved to the United States in 2000 from Japan after winning a green-card lottery to become US residents.[1] Daisuke, nicknamed "Dice", began skating soon after.
Murakami is a two-time recipient of the Michael Weiss Foundation scholarship, which is a scholarship program created to help young American figure skaters.
[edit] Career
Murakami began skating at age nine. He began competing on the Juvenile level in 2001. He moved up the competition ladder and made his Nationals debut at the 2004 United States Figure Skating Championships, where he won the silver medal. This earned him a trip to the 2004 Triglav Trophy, which he won.
Moving up to the Junior level for the following season, Murakami was given a Junior Grand Prix assignment to Beijing, China, where he placed 11th. At the 2005 Pacific Coast sectional championships, the last step to qualifying for Nationals, Murakami placed 6th and did not qualify for the 2005 Nationals.
He stayed on the Junior level for the 2005-2006 season. Murakami won both his Regional and Sectional championships and then placed 4th at Nationals, winning the pewter medal. The USFSA selected the top three Junior skaters that year to go to the 2006 World Junior Figure Skating Championships. Murakami, by placing 4th, would have otherwise been the first alternate. However, one of the skaters who placed ahead of him was not Junior-age-eligible internationally and so Murakami was sent. At the World Junior Championships, Murakami, who is perfectly bilingual in English and Japanese, served as the interpreter for his friend Takahiko Kozuka at the competition.[2] He placed 11th at the Junior Worlds.
In the 2006-2007 season, Murakami moved up to the senior level nationally and won his first international Junior medal, the bronze at the Junior Grand Prix event in Mexico City. He won the silver medal at sectionals, qualifying him for the 2007 Nationals, where he placed 15th. Murakami was not selected for the 2007 Junior Worlds team.
Following the 2006/2007 season, Murakami was released by the USFSA to skate for Japan.[3] Murakami has begun competing in Japan nationals-qualifying competitions. While skating for America, he represented the All Year Figure Skating Club. He now represents the Osaka Skating Club.
Murakami began his 2007-2008 season skating at the junior level at the Japanese regional championships, Kinki Regionals. There, he placed second, less than .70 points behind winner Yukihiro Yoshida.[4] He then won Japanese Western Sectionals on the junior level with a score of 163.30.[5]
[edit] Program
| Season | Short Program | Long Program |
|---|---|---|
| 2007-2008 | ||
| 2006-2007 | Breakfast at Tiffany's (soundtrack) | Japanese soundtrack |
| 2005-2006 | Korobushka | music from "West Side Story" |
| 2004-2005 | Hava Nagila | music from "Pirates of the Caribbean" |
| 2003-2004 | Sing Sing Sing | Fiddler on the Roof |
| 2002-2003 | soundtrack from "Iron Monkey" |
[edit] Competitive highlights
For Japan:
| Event | 2007-2008 |
|---|---|
| Japanese Junior Championships | 5th |
| Western Sectionals | 1st J. |
| Kinki Regionals | 2nd J. |
For the United States:
| Event | 2003-2004 | 2004-2005 | 2005-2006 | 2006-2007 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| World Junior Championships | 11th | |||
| U.S. Championships | 2nd N. | 4th J. | 15th | |
| Junior Grand Prix, Mexico | 3rd | |||
| Junior Grand Prix, Taipei | 4th | |||
| Junior Grand Prix, China | 11th | |||
| Triglav Trophy | 1st N. | |||
| Pacific Coast Sectionals | 2nd N. | 6th J. | 1st J. | 2nd |
| Southwest Regionals | 1st N. | 2nd J. | 1st J. |
- N = Novice level; J = Junior level
[edit] References
- ^ Mroz Leaps from 11th to Second; Murakami Finishes Third at JGP Mexico
- ^ Bronze for Davis and White at World Junior Championships
- ^ Combined Report of ActionPDF (169 KiB)
- ^ 2007 Kinki Figure Skating Championships
- ^ 2007 Western Junior Championships
[edit] External links
- Official site
- Daisuke Murakami at the United States Figure Skating Association
- Daisuke Murakami at the International Skating Union biography page
