# Sōta Yamamoto

Sōta Yamamoto (山本 草太, Yamamoto Sōta, born 10 January 2000) is a Japanese figure skater. He is the 2022–23 Grand Prix Final silver medalist, a three-time ISU Grand Prix medalist (including gold at the 2023 Skate Canada International), a four-time ISU Challenger Series medalist (two gold, two silver), the 2023 World University Games champion, and the 2023–24 Japanese national bronze medalist.
Earlier in his career, he was the 2016 Youth Olympic champion, the 2015 World Junior bronze medalist, a two-time Junior Grand Prix Final medalist (silver in 2014, bronze in 2015), and the 2015–16 Japan junior national champion.

## Personal life

Yamamoto was born on January 10, 2000, in Kishiwada, Osaka, Japan. He studied at the Chukyo University School of Sport Sciences and graduated in 2024.

## Career

Yamamoto started skating when he was five. He is a 3-time Japanese national novice medalist. He was invited to skate in the gala at the 2013 World Team Trophy as the Japanese national novice champion in the same season.

### 2013–14 season

Yamamoto debuted on the ISU Junior Grand Prix series in 2013–14 season, placing 11th in Riga, Latvia, his sole assignment. At the Japan Championships, he was 5th in the junior competition and 14th at the senior event.

### 2014–15 season

During the 2014–15 JGP series, Yamamoto won silver medals in Courchevel, France and Tallinn, Estonia, which qualified him to the 2014–15 JGP Final in Barcelona, Spain. Ranked first in the short program and third in the free skate, he finished second overall, behind Shoma Uno and ahead of Alexander Petrov. Nationally, he was the junior silver medalist, behind Shoma Uno, and finished 6th at the senior event. At the 2015 World Junior Championships, Yamamoto placed 7th in the short program and 3rd in the free skate to win the bronze medal in his first appearance at that competition.

### 2015–16 season

Competing in the 2015–16 ISU Junior Grand Prix, Yamamoto won the bronze medal in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and gold in Toruń, Poland. These results qualified him for the 2015–16 JGP Final, where he was awarded the bronze medal. He won his first junior national title at the 2015 Japanese Junior Championships.
In February 2016, Yamamoto won the gold medal in the men's singles discipline at the Winter Youth Olympics ahead of Latvia's Deniss Vasiljevs and Russia's Dmitri Aliev. He fractured his right ankle in practice on March 12, causing him to withdraw from the 2016 World Junior Championships in Debrecen.

### 2017–18 season

After missing the entirety of the 2016–2017 season, Yamamoto returned to competition domestically at the 2017–18 Japan Championships, placing ninth. Venturing out internationally, he placed fifth at the Coupe du Printemps.

### 2018–19 season

Debuting on the Challenger series, Yamamoto won gold at the 2018 CS Asian Open. He fared less well at his second Challenger, placing ninth at the 2018 CS Finlandia Trophy. Making his Grand Prix debut, Yamamoto was sixth at Japan's 2018 NHK Trophy. Ninth at the Japan Championships, he finished the season with a gold medal at the 2019 Challenge Cup.

### 2019–20 season

Again beginning the season with two Challenger assignments, Yamamoto won the silver medal at the 2019 CS U.S. Classic after placing third in the short program and second in the free skate. the season at the 2019 CS Finlandia Trophy, and led the field after the short program, in which he set a new personal best and landed two quad jumps. He fell four times in the free skate, placing sixth in the segment, but narrowly took the silver medal overall.

### 2020–21 season

Yamamoto won the gold medal at the domestic Western Sectionals championship, qualifying for a berth to the national championships. Assigned to the 2020 NHK Trophy, he placed eighth. He was ninth at the 2020–21 Japan Championships.

### 2021–22 season

Yamamoto debuted on the Grand Prix at the 2021 Skate Canada International, finishing in seventh. He was seventh as well at the 2021 NHK Trophy, and said afterwards he felt he was "able to grow a little bit since Skate Canada." Yamamoto finished the fall season with a gold medal at the 2021 CS Warsaw Cup.
At the 2021–22 Japan Championships, Yamamoto finished in eight place. He went on to win the bronze medal at the International Challenge Cup.

### 2022–23 season

Beginning the season on the Grand Prix, Yamamoto won the short program at the 2022 Grand Prix de France. He was overtaken in the free skate by Frenchman Adam Siao Him Fa, but still scored a new personal best in that segment and won the silver medal, his first Grand Prix podium placement. Yamamoto reflected on his past struggles with injury, saying that it made the moment "special for me, and I know I couldn't have achieved it myself. I have had all the support from my team as well as support from the fans." At his second event, the 2022 NHK Trophy on home ice in Sapporo, Yamamoto again finished first in the short program with a new personal best score of 96.49, ahead of reigning World champion Shoma Uno. He was again overtaken in the free skate, this time by Uno, but won his second silver medal and qualified to the Grand Prix Final for the first time. He said that he was pleased at the prospect of competing together with Uno at the Final.
At the Final in Turin, Yamamoto finished second in the short program behind Uno. He assessed that his quad Salchow was "not perfect, but I am happy I was able to skate without any mistakes and going into the free skating, it will be a confidence boost." The segment also saw several other skaters, such as widely favoured American Ilia Malinin, underperform. In the free skate, Yamamoto set a new personal best (on his way to a personal best total score as well), finishing third in the segment behind Uno and Malinin, but remaining second overall. Winning the silver medal, he said he was pleased to have delivered a satisfactory free skate for the first time in the season and to have achieved his goal of making the podium.
Yamamoto finished third in the short program at the 2022–23 Japan Championships, but a seventh-place free skate dropped him to fifth overall. Despite this, due to the Japan Skating Federation's selection criteria incorporating international results, he was selected as Japan's third man for the 2023 World Championships, which occasioned some controversy due to national silver medalist Koshiro Shimada being passed over.
Named to the Japanese team for the 2023 Winter World University Games in Lake Placid, Yamamoto won the gold medal, finishing more than thirty points ahead of silver medalist Tatsuya Tsuboi. He then won the silver medal at the International Challenge Cup at the end of February. Yamamoto was fifteenth in his World Championship debut on home ice in Saitama.

### 2023–24 season

Yamamoto began the season at the 2023 CS Autumn Classic International, finishing in fourth place. Moving on to the Grand Prix, he started at the 2023 Skate Canada International. First in the short program despite an underrotated quad jump and a spin error, he was only third in the free skate, but remained in first place overall to claim his first Grand Prix gold medal. At the 2023 Cup of China, he finished in sixth place after struggles in the short program.
At the 2023–24 Japan Championships, Yamamoto finished second in the short program, albeit more than ten points behind segment leader Shoma Uno. In the free skate he came third, and placed third overall, winning the bronze medal and standing on the Japanese national podium for the first time in his senior career. Reflecting on his career, Yamamoto said there "were good times and bad times, and there were really tough days. But I'm glad I did my best even through those times. This is the result I was aiming for, but I want to look even further ahead, set my goals even higher, and grow even more."
Yamamoto competed at the 2024 Four Continents Championships in Shanghai, coming fourth in both segments and finishing fourth overall.

### 2024–25 season

Yamamoto opened the season by winning gold at the 2024 CS Nebelhorn Trophy. Going on to compete on the 2024–25 Grand Prix circuit, Yamamoto placed third in the short program at 2024 Skate Canada International. However, he dropped to fourth after making a few costly mistakes during his free skate. Following the event, Christopher Tin, who composed one of tracks that Yamamoto used for his free program, praised Yamamoto's performance on his social media accounts. Three weeks later, Yamamoto would also place fourth at the 2024 Finlandia Trophy.
In December, Yamamoto finished tenth at the 2024–25 Japan Championships and was named as the third alternate to the 2025 World Championship team. One month later, Yamamoto competed at the 2025 Winter World University Games in Turin, Italy, where he finished in sixth place. He then closed the season by winning the bronze medal at the 2025 Road to 26 Trophy

## Programs

| Season | Short program | Free skating | Exhibition |
| 2024–2025 | Split, Postcards from Far Away (The Tea Room) by Ezio Bosso arranged by Cédric Tour choreo. by Benoît Richaud | Melting by Nico Cartosio Sogno di Volare ("The Dream of Flight") by Christopher Tin choreo. by Lori Nichol | Teeth by 5 Seconds of Summer choreo. by Misao Sato Beat It by Michael Jackson performed by Fujii Kaze choreo. by Misao Sato |
| 2023–2024 | Chameleon by Maynard Ferguson, Herbie Hancock, Bennie Maupin, Harvey Mason, & Paul Jackson choreo. by David Wilson | Exogenesis: Symphony Part 3: Redemption by Muse choreo. by Kenji Miyamoto | Teeth by 5 Seconds of Summer choreo. by Misao Sato |
| 2022–2023 | Yesterday by The Beatles performed by Michael Bolton choreo. by Mihoko Higuchi | Piano Concerto No. 2 by Sergei Rachmaninoff, Walter Afanasieff choreo. by Akiko Suzuki | Poeta by Vicente Amigo choreo. by Kenji Miyamoto |
| 2021–2022 | Yesterday by The Beatles performed by Michael Bolton choreo. by Mihoko Higuchi | Io Ci Saro by David Foster, Walter Afanasieff performed by Andrea Bocelli choreo. by Mihoko Higuchi | |
| 2020–2021 | Dark Eyes choreo. by Kenji Miyamoto | Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story by Randy Edelman choreo. by Kenji Miyamoto | |
| 2019–2020 | East of Eden by Lee Holdridge choreo. by Pasquale Camerlengo | In This Shirt by The Irrepressibles choreo. by Pasquale Camerlengo | You're Beautiful by James Blunt |
| 2018–2019 | Air on the G String by Johann Sebastian Bach choreo. by Kenji Miyamoto | Nobunaga Concerto by Taku Takahashi choreo. by Kenji Miyamoto | Anthem Performed by Josh Groban choreo. by Akiko Suzuki |
| 2017–2018 | Anthem Performed by Josh Groban choreo. by Akiko Suzuki | Jekyll & Hyde by Frank Wildhorn and Steve Cuden choreo. by Kenji Miyamoto | |
| 2015–2016 | Poeta by Vicente Amigo choreo. by Kenji Miyamoto | Piano Concerto No. 1 by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky choreo. by Kenji Miyamoto | Love Theme performed by Joseph Calleja |
| 2014–2015 | Piano Concerto by Sergei Rachmaninov | Lorelei by Naoki Satō | Love Theme performed by Joseph Calleja Tenchijin by Michiru Oshima |
| 2013–2014 | Tenchijin by Michiru Oshima | Lorelei by Naoki Satō | |
| 2012–2013 | | Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story by Randy Edelman choreo. by Kenji Miyamoto | |

## Competitive highlights

* GP – Event of the ISU Grand Prix Series
* JGP – Event of the ISU Junior Grand Prix Series
* CS – Event of the ISU Challenger Series
* Medals at team events are awarded for the team results only. Individual placements at team events are listed in parentheses.
Competition placements at senior level :
| Season | 2017–18 | 2018–19 | 2019–20 | 2020–21 | 2021–22 | 2022–23 | 2023–24 | 2024–25 |
| World Championships | | | | | | 15th | | |
| Four Continents Championships | | | | | | | 4th | |
| Grand Prix Final | | | | | | 2nd | | |
| Japan Championships | 9th | 9th | 7th | 9th | 8th | 5th | 3rd | 10th |
| GP Cup of China | | | | | | | 6th | |
| GP Finland | | | | | | | | 4th |
| GP France | | | | | | 2nd | | |
| GP NHK Trophy | | 6th | 6th | 8th | 7th | 2nd | | |
| GP Skate Canada | | | | | 7th | | 1st | 4th |
| CS Asian Open Trophy | | 1st | | | | | | |
| CS Autumn Classic | | | | | | | 4th | |
| CS Finlandia Trophy | | 9th | 2nd | | | | | |
| CS Nebelhorn Trophy | | | | | | | | 1st |
| CS U.S. Classic | | | 2nd | | | | | |
| CS Warsaw Cup | | | | | 1st | | | |
| Challenge Cup | | 1st | | | 3rd | 2nd | | |
| Coupe du Printemps | 5th | | | | | | | |
| Japan Open | | | | 1st (2nd) | 1st (4th) | | | |
| Road to 26 Trophy | | | | | | | | 3rd |
| Winter University Games | | | | | | 1st | | 6th |
Competition placements at junior level :
| Season | 2011–12 | 2012–13 | 2013–14 | 2014–15 | 2015–16 |
| Winter Youth Olympics | | | | | 1st |
| World Junior Championships | | | | 3rd | |
| Junior Grand Prix Final | | | | 2nd | 3rd |
| Japan Championships (Senior) | | | 14th | 6th | 6th |
| Japan Championships (Junior) | 11th | 4th | 5th | 2nd | 1st |
| JGP Estonia | | | | 2nd | |
| JGP France | | | | 2nd | |
| JGP Latvia | | | 11th | | |
| JGP Poland | | | | | 1st |
| JGP United States | | | | | 3rd |
| Coupe du Printemps | | | 1st | | |

## Detailed results

ISU personal best scores in the +5/-5 GOE System :
| Segment | Type | Score | Event |
| Total | TSS | 274.35 | 2022 Grand Prix Final |
| Short program | TSS | 96.49 | 2022 NHK Trophy |
| Short program | TES | 55.46 | 2022 NHK Trophy |
| Short program | PCS | 41.03 | 2022 NHK Trophy |
| Free skating | TSS | 183.72 | 2024 CS Nebelhorn Trophy |
| Free skating | TES | 101.30 | 2024 CS Nebelhorn Trophy |
| Free skating | PCS | 83.82 | 2023 Skate Canada International |
ISU personal best scores in the +3/-3 GOE System :
| Segment | Type | Score | Event |
| Total | TSS | 232.42 | 2015 JGP Poland |
| Short program | TSS | 76.14 | 2014–15 Junior Grand Prix Final |
| Short program | TES | 43.46 | 2014–15 Junior Grand Prix Final |
| Short program | PCS | 34.85 | 2016 Winter Youth Olympics |
| Free skating | TSS | 157.26 | 2015 JGP Poland |
| Free skating | TES | 86.74 | 2015 JGP Poland |
| Free skating | PCS | 70.80 | 2016 Winter Youth Olympics |
* Small medals for the short program and free skating are only awarded at ISU Championships.
* Medals at team events are awarded for the team results only. Individual placements at team events are listed in parentheses.

### Senior level

Results in the 2013–14 season :
| Date | Event | SP | SP | FS | FS | Total | Total |
| Date | Event | P | Score | P | Score | P | Score |
| Dec 20–23, 2013 | 2013–14 Japan Championships | 11 | 65.90 | 19 | 104.72 | 14 | 170.62 |
Results in the 2014–15 season :
| Date | Event | SP | SP | FS | FS | Total | Total |
| Date | Event | P | Score | P | Score | P | Score |
| Dec 26–28, 2014 | 2014–15 Japan Championships | 7 | 67.19 | 6 | 139.61 | 6 | 206.80 |
Results in the 2015–16 season :
| Date | Event | SP | SP | FS | FS | Total | Total |
| Date | Event | P | Score | P | Score | P | Score |
| Dec 24–27, 2015 | 2015–16 Japan Championships | 11 | 62.92 | 5 | 152.23 | 6 | 215.15 |
Results in the 2017–18 season :
| Date | Event | SP | SP | FS | FS | Total | Total |
| Date | Event | P | Score | P | Score | P | Score |
| Dec 20–24, 2017 | 2017–18 Japan Championships | 8 | 72.88 | 10 | 135.39 | 9 | 208.27 |
| Mar 16–18, 2018 | 2018 Coupe du Printemps | 6 | 69.04 | 5 | 128.77 | 5 | 197.81 |
Results in the 2018–19 season :
| Date | Event | SP | SP | FS | FS | Total | Total |
| Date | Event | P | Score | P | Score | P | Score |
| Aug 1–5, 2018 | 2018 CS Asian Open Trophy | 6 | 57.92 | 1 | 141.00 | 1 | 198.92 |
| Oct 5–7, 2018 | 2018 CS Finlandia Trophy | 8 | 72.16 | 10 | 133.63 | 9 | 205.79 |
| Nov 9–11, 2018 | 2018 NHK Trophy | 6 | 74.98 | 5 | 138.42 | 6 | 213.40 |
| Dec 20–24, 2018 | 2018–19 Japan Championships | 10 | 71.95 | 8 | 140.74 | 9 | 212.69 |
| Feb 21–24, 2019 | 2019 International Challenge Cup | 1 | 82.24 | 1 | 171.63 | 1 | 253.87 |
Results in the 2019–20 season :
| Date | Event | SP | SP | FS | FS | Total | Total |
| Date | Event | P | Score | P | Score | P | Score |
| Sep 17–22, 2019 | 2019 CS U.S. International Classic | 3 | 82.88 | 2 | 157.23 | 2 | 240.11 |
| Oct 11–14, 2019 | 2019 CS Finlandia Trophy | 1 | 92.81 | 6 | 130.43 | 2 | 223/24 |
| Nov 22–24, 2019 | 2019 NHK Trophy | 7 | 74.88 | 5 | 151.39 | 6 | 226.27 |
| Dec 18–22, 2019 | 2019–20 Japan Championships | 13 | 68.16 | 7 | 152.33 | 7 | 220.49 |
Results in the 2020–21 season :
| Date | Event | SP | SP | FS | FS | Total | Total |
| Date | Event | P | Score | P | Score | P | Score |
| Oct 3, 2020 | 2020 Japan Open | – | – | 2 | 137.97 | 1 | – |
| Nov 27–29, 2020 | 2020 NHK Trophy | 9 | 62.38 | 7 | 127.81 | 8 | 190.19 |
| Dec 24–27, 2020 | 2020–21 Japan Championships | 9 | 82.60 | 6 | 134.74 | 9 | 217.34 |
Results in the 2021–22 season :
| Date | Event | SP | SP | FS | FS | Total | Total |
| Date | Event | P | Score | P | Score | P | Score |
| Oct 2, 2021 | 2021 Japan Open | – | – | 4 | 156.13 | 1 | – |
| Oct 29–31, 2021 | 2021 Skate Canada International | 7 | 78.78 | 8 | 146.96 | 7 | 225.74 |
| Nov 12–14, 2021 | 2021 NHK Trophy | 5 | 86.05 | 8 | 152.85 | 7 | 238.90 |
| Nov 17–20, 2021 | 2021 CS Warsaw Cup | 1 | 91.75 | 3 | 155.90 | 1 | 247.65 |
| Dec 22–26, 2021 | 2021–22 Japan Championships | 4 | 93.79 | 12 | 146.39 | 8 | 240.18 |
| Feb 24–27, 2022 | 2022 International Challenge Cup | 1 | 90.25 | 3 | 147.51 | 3 | 237.76 |
Results in the 2022–23 season :
| Date | Event | SP | SP | FS | FS | Total | Total |
| Date | Event | P | Score | P | Score | P | Score |
| Nov 4–6, 2022 | 2022 Grand Prix de France | 1 | 92.42 | 3 | 165.48 | 2 | 257.90 |
| Nov 18–20, 2022 | 2022 NHK Trophy | 1 | 96.49 | 6 | 161.36 | 2 | 257.85 |
| Dec 8–11, 2022 | 2022–23 Grand Prix Final | 2 | 94.86 | 3 | 179.49 | 2 | 274.35 |
| Dec 21–25, 2022 | 2022–23 Japan Championships | 3 | 86.89 | 7 | 158.52 | 5 | 245.41 |
| Jan 13–15, 2022 | 2023 Winter World University Games | 1 | 101.32 | 1 | 173.54 | 1 | 274.86 |
| Feb 23–26, 2023 | 2023 International Challenge Cup | 2 | 84.72 | 2 | 160.89 | 2 | 245.61 |
| Mar 20–26, 2023 | 2023 World Championships | 17 | 75.48 | 15 | 156.91 | 15 | 232.39 |
Results in the 2023–24 season :
| Date | Event | SP | SP | FS | FS | Total | Total |
| Date | Event | P | Score | P | Score | P | Score |
| Sep 14–16, 2023 | 2023 CS Autumn Classic International | 7 | 70.39 | 3 | 160.84 | 4 | 231.23 |
| Oct 27–29, 2023 | 2023 Skate Canada International | 1 | 89.56 | 3 | 168.86 | 1 | 258.42 |
| Nov 10–12, 2023 | 2023 Cup of China | 8 | 75.48 | 5 | 170.10 | 6 | 245.58 |
| Dec 20–24, 2023 | 2023–24 Japan Championships | 2 | 94.58 | 3 | 192.42 | 3 | 287.00 |
| Jan 30 – Feb 4, 2024 | 2024 Four Continents Championships | 4 | 94.44 | 4 | 168.99 | 4 | 263.43 |
Results in the 2024–25 season :
| Date | Event | SP | SP | FS | FS | Total | Total |
| Date | Event | P | Score | P | Score | P | Score |
| Sep 19–21, 2024 | 2024 CS Nebelhorn Trophy | 3 | 79.00 | 1 | 183.72 | 1 | 262.72 |
| Oct 25–27, 2024 | 2024 Skate Canada International | 3 | 92.16 | 3 | 164.84 | 4 | 257.00 |
| Nov 15-17, 2024 | 2024 Finlandia Trophy | 4 | 82.43 | 3 | 167.48 | 4 | 249.91 |
| Dec 19–22, 2024 | 2024–25 Japan Championships | 7 | 80.10 | 12 | 136.99 | 10 | 217.09 |
| Jan 16–18, 2025 | 2025 Winter World University Games | 6 | 78.81 | 5 | 163.42 | 6 | 242.23 |
| Feb 18–20, 2025 | Road to 26 Trophy | 4 | 83.79 | 3 | 153.68 | 3 | 237.47 |

### Junior level

Results in the 2011–12 season :
| Date | Event | SP | SP | FS | FS | Total | Total |
| Date | Event | P | Score | P | Score | P | Score |
| Nov 25–27, 2011 | 2011–12 Japan Championships (Junior) | 14 | 41.62 | 10 | 90.98 | 11 | 132.60 |
Results in the 2012–13 season :
| Date | Event | SP | SP | FS | FS | Total | Total |
| Date | Event | P | Score | P | Score | P | Score |
| Nov 17–18, 2012 | 2012–13 Japan Championships (Junior) | 11 | 47.32 | 4 | 112.29 | 4 | 159.61 |
Results in the 2013–14 season :
| Date | Event | SP | SP | FS | FS | Total | Total |
| Date | Event | P | Score | P | Score | P | Score |
| Aug 28–31, 2013 | 2013 JGP Latvia | 11 | 56.15 | 12 | 100.08 | 11 | 156.23 |
| Nov 22–24, 2013 | 2013–14 Japan Championships (Junior) | 3 | 62.28 | 10 | 103.82 | 5 | 166.10 |
| Mar 14–16, 2014 | 2014 Coupe du Printemps | 1 | 65.24 | – | – | 1 | 65.24 |
Results in the 2014–15 season :
| Date | Event | SP | SP | FS | FS | Total | Total |
| Date | Event | P | Score | P | Score | P | Score |
| Aug 20–23, 2014 | 2014 JGP France | 3 | 65.66 | 2 | 130.14 | 2 | 195.80 |
| Sep 24–27, 2014 | 2014 JGP Estonia | 2 | 66.42 | 2 | 136.28 | 2 | 202.70 |
| Nov 22–24, 2014 | 2014–15 Japan Championships (Junior) | 2 | 67.81 | 1 | 134.69 | 2 | 202.50 |
| Dec 10–14, 2014 | 2014–15 Junior Grand Prix Final | 1 | 76.14 | 3 | 136.98 | 2 | 213.12 |
| Mar 2–8, 2015 | 2015 World Junior Championships | 7 | 69.99 | 3 | 145.46 | 3 | 215.45 |
Results in the 2015–16 season :
| Date | Event | SP | SP | FS | FS | Total | Total |
| Date | Event | P | Score | P | Score | P | Score |
| Sep 2–5, 2015 | 2015 JGP United States | 2 | 65.11 | 3 | 138.57 | 3 | 203.68 |
| Sep 23–26, 2015 | 2015 JGP Poland | 1 | 75.16 | 1 | 157.26 | 1 | 232.42 |
| Nov 21–23, 2015 | 2015–16 Japan Championships (Junior) | 1 | 70.42 | 1 | 142.98 | 1 | 213.40 |
| Dec 9–13, 2015 | 2015–16 Junior Grand Prix Final | 3 | 72.85 | 4 | 132.46 | 3 | 205.31 |
| Feb 12–21, 2016 | 2016 Winter Youth Olympics | 1 | 73.07 | 3 | 142.45 | 1 | 215.52 |