Yuna Aoki
Japanese figure skater (born 2002)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Yuna Aoki (Japanese: 青木祐奈[2] born 10 January 2002) is a Japanese competitive figure skater. She is the 2026 Four Continents champion, the 2024 NHK Trophy bronze medalist, the 2019 Bavarian Open silver medalist, the 2023 Triglav Trophy silver medalist, and the 2024 Challenge Cup silver medalist.
Yuna Aoki at 2025 Skate Canada International | ||||||
| Personal information | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Native name | 青木 祐奈 | |||||
| Born | 10 January 2002 | |||||
| Height | 1.55 m (5 ft 1 in)[1] | |||||
| Figure skating career | ||||||
| Country |  Japan | |||||
| Coach | Kensuke Nakaniwa Makoto Nakata Momoe Naguma Aya Tanoue Niina Takeno | |||||
| Skating club | MF Academy | |||||
| Began skating | 2007 | |||||
| Medal record | ||||||
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Personal life
Aoki was born on January 10, 2002, in Yokohama, Japan.[3] She graduated from Nihon University in 2024, where she earned a degree in the School of Sports Sciences.[4]
Aoki has expressed interest in becoming a choreographer after finishing her competitive skating career.[5][4]
Career
Early career
Aoki started skating at age five after being inspired by Shizuka Arakawa's 2006 Olympic victory.[6]: 2 Shoichiro Tsuzuki would begin coaching her at the age of six.[6]: 1
As an advanced novice skater, Aoki won the silver medal at the 2013–14 Japanese Novice Championships and went on to place fifteenth at the Japan Junior Championships.[7] The following season, she won the 2024–15 Japan Novice Championships before placing fifth at the 2014–15 Japan Junior Championships. During the 2015 World Team Trophy, Aoki was invited to perform in the gala.[8][9]
2015–16 season: Junior debut and injury
Shortly before the 2015–16 season, Aoki developed spondylolysis following a hard fall on a triple axel attempt in practice. This injury greatly hindered her training. Looking back on this injury, Aoki stated, "It first took a year for my spine to separate, and then another year after that. It hurt when I was skating, and even moving back and forth in my daily life hurt. Jumping hurt, and spins and other movements that require a lot of bending are a strain on my body." She further detailed how her parents tried encouraging her to quit skating due to how much pain she was in but Aoki persisted onwards due to her love for the sport.[5][10]
In spite of this, Aoki debuted on the ISU Junior Grand Prix circuit, placing seventh at 2015 JGP Latvia. She would then go on to finish seventh at the 2015–16 Japanese Junior Championships and sixteenth at the senior championships.[7][8]
2016–17 season
Competing on the Junior Grand Prix series for a second time, Aoki finished fourth at 2016 JGP Czech Republic and fifth at 2016 JGP Germany. She then ended the season by finishing ninth at the 2016–17 Japanese Junior Championships.[7][8]
2018–19, 2019–2020, & 2020–21 seasons: Struggles and injury
Aoki began the season by finishing seventh at 2018 JGP Canada. She then placed fifth at the Japan Junior Championships and fourteenth at the senior event. Aoki went on to make her senior international debut at the 2019 Bavarian Open, where she won the silver medal.[7][8]
Following the season, Aoki injured her left ankle and required surgery to treat it. This would cause her to miss the whole 2019–20 season.[5] She would return to competition during the subsequent season and finished nineteenth at the 2020–21 Japan Championships.[11]
Competing at the 2021–22 Japan Championships the following year, Aoki placed thirtieth in the short program and did not advance to the free skate. She would later describe this to be a dark point in her life and had deliberated on whether or not she should continue skating.[11] "Looking back, after going through a long and difficult period," Aoki later stated, "There were many times when I thought about quitting skating. I have had the support of many people and I have always loved skating. Figure skating is an indispensable part of me. I feel most confident on the ice."
Upon deciding that she wanted to continue competing, Aoki decided that she was in need of a fresh start. In April 2022, she moved from her hometown of Yokohama to Chiba so she could train under Kensuke Nakaniwa, Makoto Nakata, Momoe Naguma, and Aya Tanoue at the MF Skating Academy.[12][8][5]
2022–23 season
At the Japan Championships, Aoki placed tenth in the short program and sixth in the free skate, finishing in seventh place overall. This was her first time finishing in the top ten at the senior national championships.[7]
She then competed at the 2023 Triglav Trophy, where she won the silver medal behind Hana Yoshida.[11]
2023–24 season
Aoki was invited to make her Grand Prix debut at the 2023 NHK Trophy, where she placed eighth in the short program after receiving three underrotation calls on jumps, though she observed that despite this she landed them "comfortably." In the free skate she received only one quarter underrotation call, placing fifth in that segment and rising to fifth place overall.[13] Aoki said she was "very happy to have been able to show my personal skating skills without mistakes on such a big stage."[14]
She went on to finish ninth at the 2023–24 Japan Championships, before closing her season with a silver medal win at the 2024 Challenge Cup.[15][7]
Aoki originally intended to retire at the end of the season, in conjunction with graduating from university. However, due to her experience at the NHK Trophy, along with encouragement from Kanako Murakami and Kana Muramoto, she decided to continue competitive skating.[16]
2024–25 season: First Grand Prix medal
Beginning her season on the 2024–25 Grand Prix series, Aoki finished seventh at 2024 Skate America.[7] She then competed at the 2024 NHK Trophy as the host pick, where she gained a new personal best short program score by over eleven points, with 69.78.[17] Aoki finished fifth in the free skate segment, but her lead from the short program put her third overall with a new personal best total score of 195.07. She won her first Grand Prix medal, and she rounded out a Japanese women's podium sweep at the competition alongside Kaori Sakamoto and Mone Chiba.[18][19] Following the event, Aoki expressed elation at the result, saying, "I competed in the Junior Grand Prix but I never stood on the podium. So at this age, just standing on the podium, I'm so grateful for it. I'm so glad that I kept on going."[20] Chloe Flower, the composer of Aoki's free program music, also took to her Instagram, where she praised Aoki's performance and thanked her for "bringing life to my song."[21]
In October 2024, Aoki joined forces with Olympic champion Shizuka Arakawa, Olympic bronze medalist Daisuke Takahashi, Kana Muramoto, Takahito Mura, Kazuki Tomono, Keiji Tanaka, Kosho Oshima, Yuto Kishina and Rena Uezono to launch the members-only official fan community F-Ske on the platform FANICON.[22]
Going on to compete at the 2024–25 Japan Championships in December, Aoki finished the event in twelfth place.[8] She again considered ending her competitive career. Aoki said that she both wanted to clear away the disappointment of her low placement and felt afraid of once more experiencing the pressure and distress of working hard without producing a good result. She said that what made her decide to continue was her coach, Kensuke Nakaniwa, telling her that he wanted to see her perform again.[16]
2025–26 season: Four Continents champion
During the off-season, Aoki elected to use music from the La La Land soundtrack for her free skate. During the choreographic process, she worked with Chelsea Thedinga, one of the film's backup dancers.[23][24]
Aoki opened the season by competing on the 2025–26 Grand Prix series, finishing sixth at 2025 Skate Canada International and at the 2025 NHK Trophy.[8]
At the 2025–26 Japan Championships, Aoki placed fifth, a personal best for her at the Japan Championships. In the free skate, she successfully landed a difficult triple Lutz jump-triple loop jump combination.[16][25] She was subsequently assigned to the 2026 Four Continents Championships, her first ISU championship assignment.[26] She was also named as the second alternate for the 2026 Winter Olympic team.[27]
The following month, Aoki won the women's title at the 2026 Four Continents Championships, her first ever senior championship appearance. She set new ISU personal best scores in both the short program and free skate, beating her previous personal best total score from the 2024 NHK Trophy by over 20 points and defeating Olympic team members Ami Nakai and Mone Chiba. About the result, she said, "I haven’t really thought that I would medal and this result would come. It hasn’t really sunk in. I’m very grateful and happy about the result. I’m happy to achieve my personal best today. I feel like the results that I had was what I’ve been building on."[28]
Programs
| Season | Short program | Free skating | Exhibition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025–26 [24][29] |
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| 2024–2025 [30][31][32] |
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| 2023–2024 [33] |
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| 2022–2023 [11] |
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| 2021–2022 [11] |
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| 2020–2021 [11] |
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| 2019–20 | Did not compete this season | ||
| 2018–2019 [34][35] |
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| 2016–2017 [36] |
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| 2015–2016 [3] |
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| 2014–2015 [37] |
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Competitive highlights
- GP – Event of the ISU Grand Prix Series
- JGP – Event of the ISU Junior Grand Prix Series
- TBD – Assigned
| Season | 2015–16 | 2018–19 | 2020–21 | 2021–22 | 2022–23 | 2023–24 | 2024–25 | 2025–26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Four Continents Championships | 1st | |||||||
| Japan Championships | 16th | 14th | 19th | 30th | 7th | 9th | 12th | 5th |
| GP NHK Trophy | 5th | 3rd | 6th | |||||
| GP Skate America | 7th | |||||||
| GP Skate Canada | 6th | |||||||
| Bavarian Open | 2nd | |||||||
| Challenge Cup | 2nd | |||||||
| Triglav Trophy | 2nd |
| Season | 2012–13 | 2013–14 | 2014–15 | 2015–16 | 2016–17 | 2017–18 | 2018–19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Japan Championships | 15th | 5th | 7th | 9th | 17th | 5th | |
| JGP Canada | 7th | ||||||
| JGP Czech Republic | 4th | ||||||
| JGP Germany | 5th | ||||||
| JGP Latvia | 7th | ||||||
| Asian Open Trophy | 1st | ||||||
| Bavarian Open | 2nd |
Detailed results
| Segment | Type | Score | Event |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total | TSS | 217.39 | 2026 Four Continents Championships |
| Short program | TSS | 71.41 | 2026 Four Continents Championships |
| TES | 39.06 | 2026 Four Continents Championships | |
| PCS | 32.89 | 2024 NHK Trophy | |
| Free skating | TSS | 145.98 | 2026 Four Continents Championships |
| TES | 74.82 | 2026 Four Continents Championships | |
| PCS | 71.16 | 2026 Four Continents Championships |
| Segment | Type | Score | Event |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total | TSS | 169.60 | 2016 JGP Germany |
| Short program | TSS | 56.67 | 2015 JGP Latvia |
| TES | 32.04 | 2015 JGP Latvia | |
| PCS | 26.37 | 2016 JGP Germany | |
| Free skating | TSS | 113.13 | 2016 JGP Germany |
| TES | 61.07 | 2016 JGP Germany | |
| PCS | 54.06 | 2016 JGP Germany |
Small medals for short and free programs awarded only at ISU Championships. At team events, medals are awarded for team results only. Bolded scores reflect an ISU personal best.
Senior level
| Date | Event | SP | FS | Total | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | Score | P | Score | P | Score | ||
| Oct 18–20, 2024 |  2024 Skate America |
10 | 56.51 | 4 | 126.52 | 7 | 183.03 |
| Nov 8–10, 2024 | 2024 NHK Trophy |
3 | 69.78 | 5 | 125.29 | 3 | 195.07 |
| Dec 19–22, 2024 | 2024–25 Japan Championships |
6 | 70.07 | 14 | 124.00 | 12 | 194.07 |
| Date | Event | SP | FS | Total | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | Score | P | Score | P | Score | ||
| Oct 31 – Nov 2, 2025 |  2025 Skate Canada International |
6 | 64.58 | 6 | 118.27 | 6 | 182.85 |
| Nov 7–9, 2025 | 2025 NHK Trophy |
9 | 56.72 | 5 | 126.59 | 6 | 183.31 |
| Dec 18–21, 2025 | 2025–26 Japan Championships |
7 | 69.84 | 3 | 142.16 | 5 | 212.00 |
| Jan 21–25, 2026 |  2026 Four Continents Championships |
2 | 71.41 | 1 | 145.98 | 1 | 217.39 |
| 2023–2024 season | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Event | SP | FS | Total |
| February 22–25, 2024 | 2024 Challenge Cup | 1 72.01 |
2 137.36 |
2 209.37 |
| December 20–24, 2023 | 2023–24 Japan Championships | 11 61.44 |
8 130.57 |
9 192.01 |
| November 24–26, 2023 | 2023 NHK Trophy | 8 58.28 |
5 126.18 |
5 184.46 |
| 2022–23 season | ||||
| Date | Event | SP | FS | Total |
| April 12–16, 2023 | 2023 Triglav Trophy | 2 57.22 |
2 128.70 |
2 185.92 |
| December 21–25, 2022 | 2022–23 Japan Championships | 10 62.48 |
6 129.41 |
7 191.89 |
| 2021–22 season | ||||
| Date | Event | SP | FS | Total |
| December 22-26, 2021 | 2021–22 Japan Championships | 30 46.90 |
– | 30 46.90 |
| 2020–21 season | ||||
| Date | Event | SP | FS | Total |
| December 24–27, 2020 | 2020–21 Japan Championships | 14 59.97 |
21 98.27 |
19 158.24 |
| 2018–19 season | ||||
| Date | Event | SP | FS | Total |
| February 5–10, 2019 | 2019 Bavarian Open | 1 68.43 |
2 114.47 |
2 182.90 |
| December 20–24, 2018 | 2018–19 Japan Championships | 8 63.72 |
17 105.56 |
14 169.28 |
| 2015–16 season | ||||
| Date | Event | SP | FS | Total |
| December 24–27, 2015 | 2015–16 Japan Championships | 9 58.96 |
18 96.88 |
16 155.84 |
Junior and novice level
| 2018–19 season | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Event | SP | FS | Total |
| November 23–25, 2018 | 2018–19 Japan Junior Championships | 4 55.23 |
6 102.11 |
5 157.34 |
| September 12–15, 2018 | 2018 JGP Canada | 8 54.81 |
7 99.43 |
7 154.24 |
| 2017–18 season | ||||
| Date | Event | SP | FS | Total |
| November 23–25, 2017 | 2017–18 Japan Junior Championships | 17 51.27 |
16 94.93 |
17 146.20 |
| 2016–17 season | ||||
| Date | Event | SP | FS | Total |
| November 18–20, 2016 | 2016–17 Japan Junior Championships | 8 53.72 |
9 104.55 |
9 161.35 |
| September 28–October 2, 2016 | 2016 JGP Germany | 5 56.47 |
3 113.13 |
5 169.60 |
| September 1–4, 2016 | 2016 JGP Czech Republic | 4 56.60 |
4 99.19 |
4 155.79 |
| 2015–16 season | ||||
| Date | Event | SP | FS | Total |
| February 17–21, 2016 | 2016 Bavarian Open | 2 62.84 |
3 85.38 |
2 148.22 |
| November 21–23, 2015 | 2015–16 Japan Junior Championships | 10 52.96 |
8 109.51 |
7 162.47 |
| August 26–30, 2015 | 2015 JGP Latvia | 5 56.67 |
10 89.56 |
7 146.23 |
| August 5–8, 2015 | 2015 Asian Open Trophy | 2 44.49 |
1 89.99 |
1 134.48 |
| 2014–15 season | ||||
| Date | Event | SP | FS | Total |
| November 22–24, 2014 | 2014–15 Japan Junior Championships | 3 60.37 |
6 103.31 |
5 163.68 |
| 2013–14 season | ||||
| Date | Event | SP | FS | Total |
| November 22–24, 2013 | 2013–14 Japan Junior Championships | 5 50.03 |
18 84.13 |
15 134.16 |