Minoru Sano
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Minoru Sano (佐野 稔 Sano Minoru?, born on June 3, 1955 in Yamanashi, Japan) was a Japanese figure skater. He won the Japan Figure Skating Championships from 1972 to 1976[1] and represented Japan in the World Figure Skating Championships from 1973 to 1977.
After winning the Bronze medal in the World Championships in 1977, he subsequently retired and became an instant national hero as it was the first time that a Japanese figure skater stood on a podium in that particular competition. No Japanese man re-achieved this feat until Takeshi Honda won the Bronze medal in the World Championships in 2002. [2]
Sano is currently a TV commentator and a figure skating instructor.[3] His former students include Shizuka Arakawa and Yamato Tamura.
[edit] Competitive highlights
| Event | 1970-1971 | 1971-1972 | 1972-1973 | 1973-1974 | 1974-1975 | 1975-1976 | 1976-1977 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter Olympic Games | 9th | ||||||
| World Championships | 14th | 8th | 10th | 7th | 3rd | ||
| Japanese Championships | 3rd | 2nd | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st |
