# Ikura Kushida

Ikura Kushida (櫛田 育良, Kushida Ikura, born October 29, 2007) is a Japanese figure skater. She is the 2022 JGP Czech Republic bronze medalist, the 2023–24 Japan Junior silver medalist, and the 2024–25 Japan Junior bronze medalist.

## Personal life

Kushida was born on 29 October, 2007 in Aichi, Japan. Apart from figure skating, she also enjoys creative dancing.
She is currently a student at Chukyo University Senior High School.

## Career

Kushida began skating in 2012 at the age of four. She initially trained at the Howa Sports Land Skating Club in Aichi, where she was coached by Hiroshi Nagakubo, Yoriko Naruse, Miho Kawaume, and Yuko Hongo. Kushida ultimately relocated to Uji, Kyoto in 2020 however to train at the Kinoshita Academy under coaches Mie Hamada, Satsuki Muramoto, and Hiroaki Sato.
At the 2020 Japanese National Novice Championships, Kushida finished fourth in the novice A category. The following season, she would finish twelfth at the 2020–21 Japan Junior Championships.
Throughout 2021, Kushida tried pairs skating with fellow Kinoshita Academy skater, Sumitada Moriguchi, but the pair split after less than a year together with Kushida electing to focus on singles skating. She would go on to compete at the 2021–22 Japan Junior Championships, finishing eighth.

### 2022–23 season

Kushida made her international debut on the Junior Grand Prix at the 2022 JGP Czech Republic, where she won the bronze medal. She went on to compete at the 2022–23 Japan Junior Championships, finishing fourth, and was selected to compete at the 2022–23 Japan Senior Championships due to this top eight finish. She would place eighth at those championships.
Kushida finished her season by winning a silver medal at the 2023 International Challenge Cup on the junior level.

### 2023–24 season

Competing on the Junior Grand Prix, Kushida started the season by competing at the 2023 JGP Japan and the 2023 JGP Armenia, finishing fourth at both events.
Kushida went on to compete at the 2023–24 Japan Junior Championships, unexpectedly winning the short program ahead of overwhelming favourite, Mao Shimada. She would place third in the free skate and won the silver medal overall behind Shimada. With this result, Kushida was selected to represent Japan at the 2024 World Junior Championships. She was also selected to compete at the 2023–24 Japan Senior Championships due to her top eight finish at the junior championships. At those championships, Kushida finished twenty-fifth in the short program and did not advance to the free skate segment of the competition. Following the event, Kushida said that while disappointed, she hoped to be able to use this experience to motivate her at future events.
At the 2024 World Junior Championships in Taipei, Kushida finished third in the short program, winning a bronze small medal for the segment. She said that she had felt "more nervous than usual" beforehand, given that it was her ISU championship debut. Kushida struggled in the free skate, falling twice, coming eleventh there and dropping to fifth overall.

### 2024–25 season

Kushida started the season in late August, finishing fifth at 2024 JGP Latvia. Almost three months later, she would win the bronze medal at the 2024–25 Japan Junior Championships. This result ensured her qualification to compete at the senior championships, where she finished in fourteenth place.

## Programs

| Season | Short program | Free skating | Exhibition |
| 2024–2025 | Sway by Luis Demetrio & Pablo Beltrán Ruiz performed by Pérez Prado and His Orchestra & Rosemary Clooney Mucho Mambo (Sway) by Luis Demetrio, Pablo Beltrán Ruiz, & Norman Gimbel performed by Galwaro, Karl8, & Andrea Monta Sway (Mucho Mambo) by Luis Demetrio & Pablo Beltrán Ruiz performed by Simon Fava & Yvvan Back choreo. by Kaitlyn Weaver | The Little Prince: Preparation Escape by Hans Zimmer & Richard Harvey choreo. by Kaitlyn Weaver | Por una Cabeza (from Scent of a Woman) by Itzhak Perlman, John Williams, & Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra |
| 2023–2024 | Red Violin by Joaquín Rodrigo & Ikuko Kawai choreo. by Cathy Reed | The Little Prince: Preparation Escape by Hans Zimmer & Richard Harvey choreo. by Kaitlyn Weaver | |
| 2022–2023 | Red Violin by Joaquín Rodrigo & Ikuko Kawai choreo. by Cathy Reed | Samson and Delilah: Dance Bacchanale S'apre per te il mio cor by Camille Saint-Saëns performed by Filippa Giordano choreo. by Cathy Reed | |
| 2021–2022 | The Sacrifice by Michael Nyman choreo. by Cathy Reed | Samson and Delilah: Dance Bacchanale S'apre per te il mio cor by Camille Saint-Saëns performed by Filippa Giordano choreo. by Cathy Reed | |

## Competitive highlights

International: Junior :
| Event | 20–21 | 21–22 | 22–23 | 23–24 | 24–25 |
| Junior Worlds | | | | 5th | |
| JGP Poland | | | | 4th | |
| JGP Czech Republic | | | 3rd | | |
| JGP Japan | | | | 4th | |
| JGP Latvia | | | | | 5th |
| Challenge Cup | | | 2nd | | |
| National ||||||
| Japan | | | 8th | 25th | 14th |
| Japan Junior | 12th | 8th | 4th | 2nd | 3rd |

## Detailed results

ISU personal best scores in the +5/-5 GOE System :
| Segment | Type | Score | Event |
| Total | TSS | 180.97 | 2024 World Junior Championships |
| Short program | TSS | 66.61 | 2024 World Junior Championships |
| Short program | TES | 37.79 | 2024 World Junior Championships |
| Short program | PCS | 29.19 | 2023 JGP Japan |
| Free skating | TSS | 121.35 | 2022 JGP Czech Republic |
| Free skating | TES | 64.14 | 2022 JGP Czech Republic |
| Free skating | PCS | 59.41 | 2023 JGP Japan |

### Senior level

2024–25 season :
| Date | Event | SP | FS | Total |
| December 19–22, 2024 | 2024–25 Japan Championships | 13 64.46 | 16 122.68 | 14 187.14 |
| 2023–24 season |||||
| Date | Event | SP | FS | Total |
| December 20–24, 2023 | 2023–24 Japan Championships | 25 50.20 | – | 25 50.20 |
| 2022–23 season |||||
| Date | Event | SP | FS | Total |
| December 21–25, 2022 | 2022–23 Japan Championships | 9 63.29 | 10 127.29 | 8 190.58 |

### Junior level

2024–25 season :
| Date | Event | SP | FS | Total |
| November 15–17, 2024 | 2024–25 Japan Junior Championships | 3 64.54 | 2 124.98 | 3 189.52 |
| August 28–31, 2024 | 2024 JGP Latvia | 2 66.36 | 8 99.65 | 5 166.01 |
| 2023–24 season |||||
| Date | Event | SP | FS | Total |
| February 26–March 3, 2024 | 2024 World Junior Championships | 3 66.61 | 11 114.36 | 5 180.97 |
| November 17–19, 2023 | 2023–24 Japan Junior Championships | 1 65.30 | 3 124.82 | 2 190.12 |
| October 4–7, 2023 | 2023 JGP Armenia | 4 59.99 | 3 113.72 | 4 173.71 |
| September 13–16, 2023 | 2023 JGP Japan | 3 62.79 | 5 113.30 | 4 176.09 |
| 2022–23 season |||||
| Date | Event | SP | FS | Total |
| February 23–26, 2023 | 2023 International Challenge Cup | 2 61.45 | 2 119.38 | 2 180.83 |
| November 25–27, 2022 | 2022–23 Japan Junior Championships | 5 62.32 | 4 121.97 | 4 184.29 |
| August 31–September 3, 2022 | 2022 JGP Czech Republic | 8 55.67 | 3 121.35 | 3 177.02 |
| 2021–22 season |||||
| Date | Event | SP | FS | Total |
| November 19–21, 2021 | 2021–22 Japan Junior Championships | 9 57.35 | 7 107.74 | 8 165.09 |
| 2020–21 season |||||
| Date | Event | SP | FS | Total |
| November 21–23, 2020 | 2020–21 Japan Junior Championships | 12 53.21 | 13 89.66 | 12 142.87 |