Akiko Suzuki

1.1. Early Life and Education

Suzuki was born on March 28, 1985, in Toyohashi, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. She began skating at the age of six. During her novice career, she trained under Masako Ogino in Nagoya and started participating in summer training camps in Sendai organized by coach Hiroshi Nagakubo when she was in the sixth grade. After graduating from Toyohashi City Hanada Elementary School and Nagoya Keizai University Takakura Junior and Senior High School, she pursued higher education at Tohoku Fukushi University in Sendai, enrolling in the Department of Social Welfare. During her university years, she lived in Nagakubo's home to receive direct coaching.

Known by her nicknames Akko and Akko-chan, Suzuki developed a reputation for her expressive skating style early in her career. Beyond skating, her hobbies include reading and yoga, while her special skills are calligraphy and cooking. She is also a fan of Japanese singer Metis, with whom she shares a birthday and a close friendship; Suzuki even appeared in one of Metis's music videos. Suzuki is known for being a "late bloomer" in Japanese figure skating, achieving her first podium finish at the Japanese Nationals and her first Olympic appearance at the age of 24, and winning the national title at 28. She also noted being a regular consumer of Red Bull, especially when feeling fatigued or needing to focus.

1.2. Health Issues and Recovery

At the age of 18, upon moving away from home to attend university in Sendai, Suzuki began to struggle with anorexia nervosa, a severe eating disorder. Her weight plummeted to 71 lb ^{(32 kg)}, and her health deteriorated to the point where she was unable to perform jumps. As a result, she missed the entire 2003-2004 competitive season, withdrawing from events like the 2003 Skate Canada International.

Her recovery was a gradual process, taking about a year to regain the lost weight and return to physical strength. Suzuki credited Shizuka Arakawa's victory at the 2004 World Figure Skating Championships as a significant inspiration for her own return to competitive skating in the 2004-2005 season. Her personal experience with overcoming anorexia became a defining aspect of her journey, making her a symbol of resilience within the sport.

1.3. Family and Personal Relationships

In June 2016, Akiko Suzuki announced her engagement to a former classmate from her elementary school years. They married on February 1, 2017. However, their marriage was short-lived, and they divorced in September 2018.

Beyond her personal relationships, Suzuki has also taken on public roles. In March 2018, she was appointed as a goodwill ambassador for the Japanese Association in Istanbul, Turkey.

2.1. Junior Career and Early Senior Debut

Suzuki began her skating career at a young age, displaying promise early on. In the 1997-1998 season, as a first-year junior high school student, she secured third place in the A class at the inaugural All Japan Novice Championships held in October 1997.

During the 2000-2001 season, her first year of high school, she achieved second place at the Japan Junior Figure Skating Championships and an impressive fourth place at the senior Japan Figure Skating Championships. The 2001-2002 season saw her designated as a Junior Special Enhanced Athlete by the Japan Skating Federation. She won the Junior Grand Prix SBC Cup and earned a bronze medal at the 2001-02 Junior Grand Prix Final. She maintained her fourth-place finish at the Japanese National Championships and made her debut at the 2002 Four Continents Figure Skating Championships, placing eighth. In the 2002-2003 season, she was designated as both a Junior Special Enhanced Athlete and a Senior Enhanced Athlete, winning the junior class at the Mladost Trophy. This period of early success was, however, interrupted by her struggle with anorexia nervosa, which began around this time.

2.2. Return to Competitive Skating (2004-2009)

After missing the 2003-2004 season due to her health issues, Suzuki returned to competitive skating in the 2004-2005 season. While she was initially removed from the enhanced athlete designation, she was re-designated the following season. In 2007, she achieved a significant victory at the Winter Universiade.

Following her graduation from university in April 2007, Suzuki moved her training base to Howa Sports Land in Nagoya, where her long-time coach, Hiroshi Nagakubo, was located. She also became a contract employee of the company operating the facility. The 2007-2008 season marked a breakthrough for Suzuki; she won the 2007 Golden Spin of Zagreb and secured her highest finish at the Japanese Nationals since 2002, placing fifth. This performance earned her first senior Grand Prix assignment in the 2008-2009 season. She made her debut at the 2008 NHK Trophy, where she won a silver medal. That same season, she also won the 2008 Finlandia Trophy and finished eighth at the 2009 Four Continents Figure Skating Championships, marking her return to the Four Continents stage after a seven-season absence. She placed fourth at the 2008-2009 Japan Championships.

2.3. Olympic Debut and Grand Prix Success (2009-2010)

The 2009-2010 season, which Suzuki entered at 24 years old, was a pivotal year in her career. She participated in two Grand Prix events, winning her first Grand Prix Series title at the 2009 Cup of China and finishing fifth at the 2009 Skate Canada International. These placements qualified her for her first Grand Prix Final, where she earned a bronze medal. Following her second-place finish at the 2009-10 Japan Championships, her first podium at the national event, she was selected for the Japanese Olympic team. She also won a silver medal at the 2010 Four Continents Figure Skating Championships, where her short program received Level 4 for all spins, steps, and spirals.

At the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Suzuki placed eighth in the ladies' singles competition, after a challenging short program that left her in eleventh place, followed by a strong free skate in which she placed seventh. She later competed at the 2010 World Championships, her first senior Worlds appearance, where she finished eleventh after recovering from a twentieth-place short program. During the 2009 Cup of China, Suzuki gained positive attention when she was seen meticulously picking up flowers and seeds scattered on the ice by a fan who had thrown a bouquet without plastic wrapping, earning praise for her sportsmanship.

2.4. World Medal and Continued Success (2010-2013)

In the 2010-2011 season, Suzuki continued her strong performances, winning gold at the 2010 Finlandia Trophy. She secured silver medals at both of her Grand Prix assignments, the 2010 Cup of Russia and the 2010 Cup of China, which qualified her for her second consecutive Grand Prix Final, where she placed fourth. A fourth-place finish at the national championships prevented her from being selected for the World Championships team, but she competed at the 2011 Four Continents Figure Skating Championships, finishing seventh.

The 2011-2012 season marked a peak in Suzuki's career. She earned a silver medal at the 2011 Skate Canada International and a gold medal at the 2011 NHK Trophy, where she landed her first triple toe loop-triple toe loop combination and achieved personal best scores in both her short program and total score. These results qualified her for the 2011 Grand Prix Final, where she won the silver medal. At the 2011-12 Japan Championships, she placed second behind Mao Asada. At the 2012 World Figure Skating Championships, Suzuki earned a bronze medal, becoming the oldest ladies' single skater to medal at the event since Maria Butyrskaya. She also made a significant contribution to Team Japan's gold medal win at the 2012 ISU World Team Trophy, where she won the ladies' event, defeating then-World champion Carolina Kostner.

In the 2012-2013 season, Suzuki continued her consistent Grand Prix performances, winning silver medals at both the 2012 Skate Canada International and the 2012 NHK Trophy, qualifying her for her fourth consecutive Grand Prix Final. At the Final, she finished third overall despite falls in the free skate. In December 2012, Suzuki announced that the 2013-2014 season would be her last competitive season. She placed fourth at the 2012-13 Japan Championships. Suzuki then won a silver medal at the 2013 Four Continents Figure Skating Championships, contributing to a Japanese sweep of the ladies' podium alongside teammates Mao Asada (gold) and Kanako Murakami (bronze). At the 2013 World Figure Skating Championships, she placed twelfth. She again won the ladies' event at the 2013 World Team Trophy, helping Team Japan to a third-place finish overall. Her free skating score of 133.02 and her combined total score of 199.58 achieved at this event stood as her personal best scores. She announced her short program music for the 2013-2014 season as "Hymne à l'amour" (violin version) and her free skating music as "Phantom of the Opera" OST.

2.5. National Champion and Retirement (2013-2014)

The 2013-2014 season marked Akiko Suzuki's final year in competitive skating. She started her season with a silver medal at the 2013 Finlandia Trophy and another silver at the 2013 Skate Canada International, both behind Yulia Lipnitskaya. She then earned a bronze medal at the 2013 NHK Trophy.

The highlight of her final season was winning her first Japanese national championship at the 2013-14 Japan Championships. Despite placing second in the short program behind Mao Asada, she delivered a flawless free skate with no negative GOE marks, earning the highest free skating and total score in the ladies' event at the Japanese Championships. At 28 years old, she became the oldest woman to win the Japanese national title and qualify for the Winter Olympics.

At the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Suzuki competed in the team event's free skating portion, placing fourth in that segment, contributing to Japan's fifth-place overall finish. In the individual ladies' singles competition, despite struggling with pain from corns on her little toes, she placed eighth in both the short program and free skate, finishing eighth overall. This made her the fifth Japanese female figure skater in history to achieve two consecutive top-eight finishes at the Winter Olympics. Following the Olympics, at the 2014 World Figure Skating Championships in Saitama, she scored her personal best in the short program with over 70 points, placing fourth. Although her free skate had some errors, including a failed triple Lutz combination and jump under-rotations, she finished sixth overall. At 29 years old, this marked her as the oldest Japanese woman to achieve a top-eight finish at the World Championships. Immediately after this competition, Suzuki announced her retirement from competitive skating.

3.1. As a Choreographer

Suzuki began working as a choreographer and teaching at the Howa Sports Land Skating Club in Aichi Prefecture, collaborating with her long-time coach, Hiroshi Nagakubo. She cited renowned figure skating choreographers Shae-Lynn Bourne and Pasquale Camerlengo as inspirations for her transition into choreography.

Suzuki's debut as a choreographer came in the 2015-2016 season with the short program for Rika Hongo. Her prior advice to Hongo, which contributed to Hongo's victory at the 2014 Rostelecom Cup, served as a catalyst for this new career path. Since then, she has choreographed programs for a notable roster of skaters, including:

• Yuna Aoki
• Mone Chiba
• Maria Egawa
• Rika Hongo
• Moa Iwano
• Yuma Kagiyama
• Lim Eun-soo
• Yura Matsuda
• Miyu Nakashio
• Mai Mihara
• Yuka Nagai
• Ami Nakai
• Rin Nitaya
• Kaori Sakamoto
• Shin Ji-a
• Shun Sato
• Yuna Shiraiwa
• Rion Sumiyoshi
• Yo Takagi
• Tatsuya Tsuboi
• Kaoruko Wada
• Sota Yamamoto
• Mako Yamashita
• Yuhana Yokoi

3.2. Media and Public Engagements

In addition to her choreography work, Suzuki has remained a prominent figure in the public eye through various media and public engagements. She was a main cast member of the annual touring ice show Fantasy on Ice, participating in all editions from 2010 to 2019, and provided live commentary for the show in 2022.

Her media appearances include serving as a guest judge for the 62nd NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen in 2011, a Monday regular on the CBC and TBS television program Gogosuma -GO GO!Smile!- starting October 2014, and a Wednesday regular "Net Navigator" for NHK's NEWS WEB from April 2015 to March 2016. She was a guest on NHK E-tele's Heart Net TV in April 2017 and served as a local reporter for TBS's coverage of the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang. From March to September 2021, she was a Monday commentator for RKB Mainichi Broadcasting's Machipuri, and provided commentary for the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing in February 2022. Suzuki also began serving as a Monday partner on NHK Radio 1's Manmaru in April 2024.

Her work extends beyond direct commentary and appearances; she was chosen as an athlete committee member for the Japanese Olympic Committee in July 2017. Furthermore, she contributed her expertise to the animated series Medalist, providing figure skating choreography via motion capture for the show, which premiered in January 2025.