Mei Okada (figure skater)
Japanese figure skater (born 2010)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mei Okada (岡田 芽依, Okada Mei; born April 22, 2010) is a Japanese figure skater. She is the 2025 Junior Grand Prix Final bronze medalist, a five-time Junior Grand Prix series medalist, and the 2025–26 Japan junior bronze medalist.
Japan| Personal information | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Native name | 岡田 芽依 | |||||||||||
| Born | April 22, 2010 Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, Japan | |||||||||||
| Height | 1.52 m (5 ft 0 in) | |||||||||||
| Figure skating career | ||||||||||||
| Country | Japan | |||||||||||
| Coach | Mie Hamada | |||||||||||
| Skating club | Kinoshita Academy | |||||||||||
| Began skating | 2015 | |||||||||||
Medal record
| ||||||||||||
Personal life
Mei Okada was born on April 22, 2010 in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, Japan.[1] Around 2019, she and her family moved to Nishio but despite that, Okada continued making the two-hour trip to Nagoya for her training until 2026 when she moved to Uji, Kyoto.[2][3]
She is named after the character, Mei Kusakabe, from My Neighbor Totoro. In reference to that, Okada often carries a Totoro tissue box with her to competitions.[4]
Her figure skating idols are Mao Asada and her former training mate, Miyabi Oba.[5] As hobbies, she enjoys cooking and nail art.[1][6]
In 2026, Okada enrolled at Chukyo University Chukyo High School.[7]
Career
Early years
Okada began learning how to skate in 2015 at the age of five at the encouragement of her mother, who was a fan of Mao Asada. She subsequently began training at the Meito Figure Skating Club under coaches, Yuko Monna, Rina Horie, and Haruka Oshima.[5][2][1]
She made her junior national debut at the 2023–24 Japan Junior Championships.[8]
2024–25 season: Junior international debut
Okada started her season by making her junior international debut on the Junior Grand Prix series, winning bronze at 2024 JGP Thailand and at 2024 JGP Slovenia.[8] With these results, Okada was named as the second alternate for the 2024–25 Junior Grand Prix Final.[9]
In November, Okada competed at the 2024–25 Japan Junior Championships. She placed twenty-first in the short program but rebounded with a third-place free skate to move up to eighth place overall. With this result, Okada was invited to compete at the senior national championships the following month, where she placed eighteenth overall.[8][10]
2025–26 season: Junior Grand Prix Final bronze
Okada began her season by competing Junior Grand Prix circuit, winning gold at 2025 JGP Latvia. "I was third place twice last year [on the Junior Grand Prix]," she stated in an interview following this result. "So this season I have set my goal as going to the [Junior Grand Prix] Final. And especially because it's going to be in my hometown so that gives me extra motivation."[6] Okada then went on to win the silver medal at 2025 JGP Thailand behind teammate, Mao Shimada.[11]
Okada's results on the Junior Grand Prix series allowed her to qualify for the 2025–26 Junior Grand Prix Final in her hometown of Nagoya, Japan.[12]
In November, Okada competed at the 2025–26 Japan Junior Championships where she won the bronze medal behind Mao Shimada and Mayuko Oka.[13] With this result, Okada was invited to compete at the senior national championships.[14]
The week after, Okada competed at the 2025–26 Junior Grand Prix Final where she placed second in the short program and fifth in the free skate to win the bronze medal overall behind Mao Shimada and Kim Yu-seong. During her free skate, Okada attempted a triple Axel for the first time in international competition but she fell on it and it marked as under-rotated.[15]
Moving up to the senior level to compete at the 2025–26 Japan Championships at the end of December, Okada finished the event in fourteenth place.[8]
Selected to compete at the 2026 World Junior Championships in Tallinn, Estonia, Okada placed a disappointing twenty-fourth in the short program after her triple loop was deemed as landed on the quarter, popping the first part of her planned triple flip-triple toe combination into a single, and falling on the second part of that combination.[16] She rebounded with a stronger free skate, however, placing fifth in that competition segment and moving up to tenth place overall.[8]
In April, it was announced that Okada had transferred to the Kinoshita Academy in Uji, Kyoto, where she would be coached by Mie Hamada.[17][3][18]
2026–27 season
Okada opened her season by winning the silver medal at Kinoshita Summer Cup.[19] She subsequently won silver at the Junior Grand Prix in Latvia, setting new ISU personal best scores in both program segments and overall.[20][21]
Programs
| Season | Short program | Free skating | Exhibition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026–2027 [22] |
|
|
|
| 2025–2026 [1] |
|
|
|
| 2024–2025 [23] |
|
|
|
| 2023–2024 [24] |
|
Competitive highlights
- JGP – Event of the ISU Junior Grand Prix
- TBD – Assigned
| Season | 2024–25 | 2025–26 |
|---|---|---|
| Japan Championships | 18th | 14th |
| Season | 2023–24 | 2024–25 | 2025–26 | 2026–27 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| World Junior Championships | 10th | |||
| Junior Grand Prix Final | 3rd | |||
| Japan Championships | 14th | 8th | 3rd | |
| JGP Latvia | 1st | 2nd | ||
| JGP Slovenia | 3rd | TBD | ||
| JGP Thailand | 3rd | 2nd |
Detailed results
| Segment | Type | Score | Event |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total | TSS | 205.47 | 2026 JGP Latvia |
| Short program | TSS | 72.47 | 2026 JGP Latvia |
| TES | 42.69 | 2026 JGP Latvia | |
| PCS | 29.78 | 2026 JGP Latvia | |
| Free skating | TSS | 133.00 | 2026 JGP Latvia |
| TES | 70.39 | 2026 JGP Latvia | |
| PCS | 63.61 | 2026 JGP Latvia |
Senior level
| Date | Event | SP | FS | Total | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | Score | P | Score | P | Score | ||
| Dec 19–22, 2024 | 2024–25 Japan Championships |
16 | 61.28 | 19 | 118.48 | 18 | 179.76 |
| Date | Event | SP | FS | Total | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | Score | P | Score | P | Score | ||
| Dec 18–21, 2025 | 2025–26 Japan Championships |
18 | 60.43 | 12 | 124.86 | 14 | 185.29 |
Junior level
| Date | Event | SP | FS | Total | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | Score | P | Score | P | Score | ||
| Nov 17–19, 2023 | 2023–24 Japan Championships (Junior) |
16 | 51.41 | 14 | 101.58 | 14 | 152.99 |
| Date | Event | SP | FS | Total | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | Score | P | Score | P | Score | ||
| Sep 11–14, 2024 |  2024 JGP Thailand |
3 | 57.58 | 4 | 118.38 | 3 | 175.96 |
| Oct 2–5, 2024 |  2024 JGP Slovenia |
2 | 68.34 | 3 | 122.59 | 3 | 190.93 |
| Nov 15–17, 2024 | 2024–25 Japan Championships (Junior) |
21 | 49.72 | 3 | 124.79 | 8 | 174.51 |
| Date | Event | SP | FS | Total | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | Score | P | Score | P | Score | ||
| Aug 20–23, 2025 |  2025 JGP Latvia |
1 | 68.38 | 1 | 121.29 | 1 | 189.67 |
| Sep 9–13, 2025 | 2025 JGP Thailand |
2 | 65.95 | 2 | 125.04 | 2 | 190.99 |
| Nov 22–24, 2025 | 2025–26 Japan Championships (Junior) |
2 | 65.07 | 3 | 123.24 | 3 | 188.31 |
| Dec 4–7, 2025 | 2025–26 Junior Grand Prix Final |
2 | 68.21 | 5 | 127.61 | 3 | 195.82 |
| Mar 3–8, 2026 |  2026 World Junior Championships |
24 | 53.70 | 5 | 124.07 | 10 | 177.77 |
| Date | Event | SP | FS | Total | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | Score | P | Score | P | Score | ||
| Aug 27–29, 2026 | 2026 JGP Latvia |
1 | 72.47 | 2 | 133.00 | 2 | 205.47 |