# Lucas Tsuyoshi Honda

Lucas Tsuyoshi Honda (本田 ルーカス剛史, Honda Lucas Tsuyoshi, born September 15, 2002) is a Japanese figure skater, who currently competes in the pairs discipline with partner, Sae Shimizu. Together, they are the 2024–25 Japan national bronze medalists, two-time Japan Junior national champions (2023, 2024), and the 2024 JGP Turkey bronze medalists.
As a singles skater, he is the 2021 CS Cup of Austria silver medalist, the 2020 NHK Trophy bronze medalist, and the 2020–21 Japan junior national champion.

## Personal life

Honda was born on September 15, 2002, in Osaka, Japan. He is a fourth generation Japanese Brazilian. In addition, Honda is able to speak English proficiently.
He was a student at Ayaha High School before enrolling at Doshisha University in 2021, where he currently studies in the Faculty of Sports and Health Science.
His figure skating idol is Takahiko Kozuka.

## Career
### Early career

Honda began figure skating in 2011. His first encounter with skating was in kindergarten. It wasn't until the second grade of elementary school, where he entered a class taught by coach Tsuyako Yamashita and began skating in earnest. He was then coached by Kotoe Nagasawa.
On the basic novice level, Honda finished thirteenth and fourth at the 2012–13 and 2013–14 Japan Basic Novice Championships, respectively. Going on to compete as an advanced novice level skater, Honda placed fifth at the 2014–15 Japan Advanced Novice Championships and ninth at the 2015–16 Japan Novice Championships.
As a junior skater, Honda competed at the 2016–17, 2017–18, and 2018–19 Japan Junior Championships, placing seventeenth, sixteenth, and ninth, respectively.

#### 2019–20 season

Honda started the season by winning the bronze medal at the 2019–20 Japan Junior Championships before going on to compete at the 2019–20 Japan Championships, finishing eleventh.
Following the season, Honda moved from Osaka to Uji, Kyoto to train at the Kinoshita Academy under coaches, Mie Hamada, Yamato Tamura, Hiroaki Sato, and Satsuki Muramoto.

#### 2020–21 season

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a large number of modifications were made to the Grand Prix structure. The competitors consisted only of skaters from the home country, skaters already training in the host nation, and skaters assigned to that event for geographic reason. As a result, Honda was selected compete at the 2020 NHK Trophy, where he won the bronze medal.
He then went on to win the gold medal at the 2020–21 Japan Junior Championships and place thirteenth at the 2020–21 Japan Championships.

#### 2021–22 season

Honda started the season by competing at the 2021 CS Cup of Austria, where he won the silver medal.
Despite the Japan Skating Federation not allowing Japanese figure skaters to compete on the Junior Grand Prix series due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Honda was nevertheless selected as a "wildcard" entry to compete at the 2021–22 Junior Grand Prix Final set to be held in Osaka, Japan. However, the Final ultimately ended up being cancelled due to the ongoing pandemic.
At the 2021–22 Japan Championships, Honda finished twelfth and was selected to compete at the 2022 World Junior Championships, where he ultimately came in fourteenth.

#### 2022–23 season

Competing on the Grand Prix series, Honda finished eleventh at the 2022 Grand Prix of Espoo. He went on to compete at the 2022–23 Japan Championships, finishing twenty-first.

### Pair skating with Shimizu
#### 2023–24 season

In early 2023, Honda decided to give try pair skating at the insistence of his mother. It was later announced in May that Honda had teamed up with fellow Kinoshita Academy singles skater, Sae Shimizu, and that the pair would continue training under their singles skating coach, Mie Hamada, while also making trips to Oakville, Ontario, Canada to work with Bruno Marcotte and Brian Shales, the coaches of World Champions, Riku Miura/Ryuichi Kihara.
The pair made their debut at the 2023 Japan Eastern Sectional Championships, which they won, before going on to also win the 2023–24 Japan Junior Championships.
Honda also competed in the men's singles event at the 2023–24 Japan Championships, where he finished a career-best tenth place. After the event, he announced his retirement from singles skating with the intention to focus on pair skating.
Shimizu/Honda were selected to compete at the 2024 World Junior Championships on the condition that they earn the minimum technical element scores to compete. Competing at the 2024 Bavarian Open, the pair finished eleventh, earning these minimum scores in the process. Going on to compete at the World Junior Championships, the pair placed fourteenth.

#### 2024–25 season

Competing on the 2024–25 ISU Junior Grand Prix circuit, the pair finished fourth at 2024 JGP Czech Republic and won the bronze medal at 2024 JGP Turkey. These results allowed the pair to qualify for the 2024–25 Junior Grand Prix Final in Grenoble, France.
In late November, the pair competed at the 2024–25 Japan Junior Championships, where they won the national title for a second consecutive time. This result ensured their qualification to compete at the senior championships. Going on to compete at the Junior Grand Prix Final, Shimizu/Honda would score personal bests in all three competition segments and finish fifth overall. Two weeks later, they competed at the 2024–25 Japan Championships. During their free skate, the pair stopped the performance after Shimizu dislocated her left shoulder following a fall during their attempted side-by-side jump combination. She then had her shoulder popped back into place so the pair could finish their performance. They would win the bronze medal overall and were subsequently named the World Junior team. Shimizu/Honda were also named to the World team on the condition that they could achieve the mininum technical element scores to compete at the event, which they were unable to do.
They concluded the season with an eleventh-place finish at the 2025 World Junior Championships in Debrecen, Hungary.

## Programs
### With Shimizu

| Season | Short program | Free skating |
| 2024–2025 | Music Box: Wind Up by Dr. Sound FX Swan Lake (Music Box Hollywood Sound Effects) by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Swan Lake Theme performed by David Garrett choreo. by Cathy Reed | Photograph / Clair de Lune by Claude Debussy & Cody Fry Fantasietta on a Theme from “Photograph” by Cody Fry choreo. by Cathy Reed |
| 2023–2024 | Music Box: Wind Up by Dr. Sound FX Swan Lake (Music Box Hollywood Sound Effects) by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Swan Lake Theme performed by David Garrett choreo. by Cathy Reed | West Side Story The Dance at the Gym: Blues, Promenade Maria Balcony Scene (Tonight) by Leonard Bernstein & Stephen Sondheim performed by Rachel Zegler & Ansel Elgort choreo. by Cathy Reed |

### Men's singles

| Season | Short program | Free skating | Exhibition |
| 2023–2024 | Black Betty by Ram Jam choreo. by Cathy Reed | Exogenesis: Symphony Part 3 (Redemption) by Muse choreo. by Mihoko Higuchi | |
| 2022–2023 | El Choclo by performed by Cello Project choreo. by Cathy Reed | Exogenesis: Symphony Part 3 (Redemption) by Muse choreo. by Mihoko Higuchi | |
| 2021–2022 | S.O.S d’un terrien un détresse by Daniel Balavoine performed by Dimash Kudaibergen choreo. by Cathy Reed | Blues for Klook by Eddy Louiss The Prophet by Gary Moore choreo. by Cathy Reed | |
| 2020–2021 | S.O.S d’un terrien un détresse by Daniel Balavoine performed by Dimash Kudaibergen choreo. by Cathy Reed | Spectre Los Muertos Vivos Estan by Thomas Newman Writing's on the Wall by Sam Smith The Name's Bond... James Bond by David Arnold choreo. by Cathy Reed | Katchi by Ofenbach choreo. by Cathy Reed |
| 2019–2020 | Crazy Little Thing Called Love by Queen choreo. by Cathy Reed | Spectre Los Muertos Vivos Estan by Thomas Newman Writing's on the Wall by Sam Smith The Name's Bond... James Bond by David Arnold choreo. by Cathy Reed | |

## Competitive highlights

GP: Grand Prix; CS: Challenger Series; JGP: Junior Grand Prix

### Pair skating with Shimizu

International :
| Event | 23–24 | 24–25 |
| Asian Winter Games | | 6th |
| International: Junior |||
| Junior Worlds | 14th | 11th |
| JGP Final | | 5th |
| JGP Czech Republic | | 4th |
| JGP Turkey | | 3rd |
| Bavarian Open | 11th | |
| National |||
| Japan | | 3rd |
| Japan Junior | 1st | 1st |

### Men's singles 2019–20 season to 2023–24

International :
| Event | 19–20 | 20–21 | 21–22 | 22–23 | 23–24 |
| GP Finland | | | | 11th | |
| GP NHK Trophy | | 3rd | | | |
| CS Cup of Austria | | | 2nd | | |
| International: Junior ||||||
| Junior Worlds | | C | 14th | | |
| JGP Final | | | C | | |
| Bavarian Open | 3rd | | | | |
| National ||||||
| Japan | 11th | 13th | 12th | 21st | 10th |
| Japan Junior | 3rd | 1st | | | |
| Team events ||||||
| Japan Open | | 2nd T 1st P | | | |

### Men's singles pre-international debut

National :
| Event | 16–17 | 17–18 | 18–19 |
| Japan Junior | 17th | 16th | 9th |

## Detailed results
### Pairs with Shimizu

ISU personal best scores in the +5/-5 GOE System :
| Segment | Type | Score | Event |
| Total | TSS | 145.66 | 2024–25 JGP Final |
| Short program | TSS | 50.20 | 2024–25 JGP Final |
| Short program | TES | 26.58 | 2024–25 JGP Final |
| Short program | PCS | 24.22 | 2025 World Junior Championships |
| Free skating | TSS | 95.46 | 2024–25 JGP Final |
| Free skating | TES | 48.57 | 2024 JGP Turkey |
| Free skating | PCS | 48.73 | 2024–25 JGP Final |

#### Senior level

Current personal best scores are highlighted in bold.
2024–25 season :
| Date | Event | SP | FS | Total |
| February 11–13, 2025 | 2025 Asian Winter Games | 6 45.69 | 6 89.89 | 6 135.58 |
| December 19–22, 2024 | 2024–25 Japan Championships | 3 54.22 | 3 82.50 | 3 136.72 |

#### Junior level

Current personal best scores are highlighted in bold.
2024–25 season :
| Date | Event | SP | FS | Total |
| February 26–March 3, 2025 | 2025 World Junior Championships | 11 49.33 | 10 92.50 | 11 141.83 |
| December 5–8, 2024 | 2024–25 JGP Final | 5 50.20 | 4 95.46 | 5 145.66 |
| November 15–17, 2024 | 2024–25 Japan Junior Championships | 1 48.51 | 1 84.34 | 1 132.83 |
| September 18–21, 2024 | 2024 JGP Turkey | 4 48.04 | 3 92.15 | 3 140.19 |
| September 4–7, 2024 | 2024 JGP Czech Republic | 7 44.96 | 3 91.33 | 4 136.29 |
| 2023–24 season |||||
| Date | Event | SP | FS | Total |
| February 26–March 3, 2024 | 2024 World Junior Championships | 14 43.69 | 14 72.08 | 14 115.77 |
| January 1–February 4, 2024 | 2024 Bavarian Open | 12 39.82 | 7 77.22 | 11 117.04 |
| November 17–19, 2023 | 2023–24 Japan Junior Championships | 1 40.00 | 1 69.69 | 1 109.69 |

### Men's singles

ISU personal best scores in the +5/-5 GOE System :
| Segment | Type | Score | Event |
| Total | TSS | 225.89 | 2021 CS Cup of Austria |
| Short program | TSS | 83.95 | 2021 CS Cup of Austria |
| Short program | TES | 46.15 | 2021 CS Cup of Austria |
| Short program | PCS | 37.80 | 2021 CS Cup of Austria |
| Free skating | TSS | 141.94 | 2021 CS Cup of Austria |
| Free skating | TES | 67.24 | 2021 CS Cup of Austria |
| Free skating | PCS | 74.70 | 2021 CS Cup of Austria |

#### Senior level

Current personal best scores are highlighted in bold.
2023–24 season :
| Date | Event | SP | FS | Total |
| December 20–24, 2023 | 2023–24 Japan Championships | 14 73.58 | 10 144.04 | 10 217.62 |
| 2022–23 season |||||
| Date | Event | SP | FS | Total |
| December 21–25, 2022 | 2022–23 Japan Championships | 20 62.48 | 20 118.39 | 21 180.87 |
| November 25–27, 2022 | 2022 Grand Prix of Espoo | 10 67.92 | 11 129.98 | 11 197.90 |
| 2021–22 season |||||
| Date | Event | SP | FS | Total |
| December 22–26, 2021 | 2021–22 Japan Championships | 11 78.53 | 11 146.69 | 12 225.22 |
| November 11–14, 2021 | 2021 CS Cup of Austria | 1 83.95 | 5 141.94 | 2 225.89 |
| 2020–21 season |||||
| Date | Event | SP | FS | Total |
| December 23–27, 2020 | 2020–21 Japan Championships | 14 67.52 | 13 126.51 | 13 194.03 |
| November 27–29, 2020 | 2020 NHK Trophy | 3 79.22 | 6 138.34 | 3 217.56 |
| October 3, 2020 | 2020 Japan Open | – | 1 137.99 | 1P/2T 137.99 |
| 2019–20 season |||||
| Date | Event | SP | FS | Total |
| December 18–22, 2019 | 2019–20 Japan Championships | 9 75.72 | 12 134.24 | 11 209.96 |

#### Junior level

2021–22 season :
| Date | Event | SP | FS | Total |
| April 13–17, 2022 | 2022 World Junior Championships | 9 73.01 | 16 123.82 | 14 196.83 |
| 2020–21 season |||||
| Date | Event | SP | FS | Total |
| November 21–23, 2020 | 2020–21 Japan Junior Championships | 1 80.35 | 3 129.13 | 1 209.48 |
| 2019–20 season |||||
| Date | Event | SP | FS | Total |
| February 3–9, 2020 | 2020 Bavarian Open | 2 69.45 | 3 126.25 | 3 195.70 |
| November 15–17, 2019 | 2019–20 Japan Junior Championships | 4 74.14 | 6 120.61 | 3 194.75 |
| 2018–19 season |||||
| Date | Event | SP | FS | Total |
| November 23–25, 2018 | 2018–19 Japan Junior Championships | 7 63.34 | 9 111.29 | 9 174.63 |
| 2017–18 season |||||
| Date | Event | SP | FS | Total |
| November 24–26, 2017 | 2017–18 Japan Junior Championships | 15 53.51 | 17 92.72 | 16 146.23 |
| 2016–17 season |||||
| Date | Event | SP | FS | Total |
| November 23–25, 2016 | 2016–17 Japan Junior Championships | 16 51.32 | 17 99.51 | 17 150.83 |