When Fumie Suguri lived in Alaska as a young girl she enjoyed all kinds of winter sports including skating and skiing. They were natural sports for the three-year old to take up in the cold climate.

Fumie Suguri

For two years, until she was five, her family lived in Alaska where her father worked as a pilot.

When Suguri returned to Japan her mother enrolled her into a skating class so that she wouldn’t lose her memories of Alaska. Little did Suguri and her mother realize how many more memories they would share together and with the figure skating world.

Suguri became the first Japanese lady to win an ISU championship event since 1994 when she won gold at the 2001 Four Continents. Ironically her coach is Nabuo Sato, a former men’s Japanese champion and father of Yuka Sato, who was the last Japanese lady to win an ISU championship event -- the 1994 World Championships.

Suguri has since won four national championships and the 2004 ISU Grand Prix Final.

It didn’t take Suguri long to make a splash on the international skating scene. Within months of turning 16-years-old – she was born on New Year’s Eve in 1980 – Suguri placed fourth at the 1996 World Junior Championships.

Suguri, a native of Chiba, Japan, won her first national title in 1997 and competed as a junior and senior skater. She finished fourth in the World Juniors and in her first World Seniors Championship finished 18th.

One year later Suguri was injured and did not compete internationally.That only helped her focus on her ultimate goal of becoming one of the best lady skaters in the world.

Since that year off of competitive skating, Suguri has medaled in an international event every year since.

Suguri qualified for the 1999 Grand Prix Final, won gold at the 2001 Four Continents, finished fourth at the 2002 Worlds and was an impressive fifth in a elite field at the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City.

Suguri, who is bilingual, will compete in her second Olympics at Torino, Italy in February. She finished fifth in the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Games.

Personal

Name	Fumie Suguri
Born	December 31, 1980
Birthplace	Chiba, Japan
Hometown	Tokyo
Training town	Kanagawa, Japan
Home club	Waseda University, Tokyo
Coaches	Oleg Vasiliev, Nobuo Sato
Choreographer	Lori Nichol
Short program	Cancion Triste by Jesse Cook, Tosca Orilla by Jesse Cook, Alejandra Nunez
Free skate	Piana Concerto No. 2 in C mior by Sergei Rachmaninov
Best total score	182.08 ISU Grand Prix Final (2004)
Short program	62.12 World Championships (2006)
Free skate	120.06 ISU Grand Prix Final (2004)