Yuka Sato

Yuka Sato (佐藤有香; Satō Yūka, born February 14, 1973 in Tokyo, Japan) is a Japanese figure skater. Shortly after placing fifth in the 1994 Winter Olympic Games, she won the gold medal at the 1994 World Figure Skating Championships. Image File history File links Sato_yuka_SS.jpg‎ Yuka Sato skates in a show. ... Image File history File links Sato_yuka_SS.jpg‎ Yuka Sato skates in a show. ... February 14 is the 45th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Figure skating is an ice skating sporting event where individuals, mixed couples, or groups perform spins, jumps, and other moves on the ice, often to music. ... (Redirected from 1994 Winter Olympic Games) The XVII Olympic Winter Games were held in 1994 in Lillehammer, Norway. ... Gold Medal is an album by American band The Donnas, released in 2004. ... 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated as the International Year of the Family and the International Year of the Sport and the Olympic Ideal by United Nations. ... The World Figure Skating Championships is an annual event sanctioned by the International Skating Union in which elite figure skaters compete for the title of World Champion. ...

Career Brief

Sato skated in the shadow of Midori Ito, a popular figure skater and the first woman to land the triple axel jump. Sato's first international success was winning the 1990 World Junior title. She then finished 7th at the 1992 Winter Olympic Games and 8th at the subsequent World Championships. Ito retired from amateur skating following a 2nd place finish at these Olympic Games. Subsequently, Sato defeated Nancy Kerrigan and Chen Lu, reigning world medalists, at the start of the 1992-1993 season in the important Skate America competition. She also became the Japanese National Figure Skating champion in 1993. That season, she finished 4th at the World Championships in Prague after a performance that included four clean triple jumps. Midori Ito , born August 13, 1969) is a former Japanese figure skater. ... Tonya Harding performs a triple Axel jump at the 1991 U.S. Figure Skating Championships. ... 1990 (MCMXC) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... (Redirected from 1992 Winter Olympic Games) The XVI Olympic Winter Games were held in 1992 in France. ... Nancy Kerrigan (born October 13, 1969 in Stoneham, Massachusetts) is a two-time Olympic figure skating medalist and 1993 U.S. champion. ... Categories: People stubs | 1976 births | Chinese figure skaters | Figure skaters at the 1994 Winter Olympics | Figure skaters at the 1998 Winter Olympics ... 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday. ... 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ... Nickname: City of a Hundred Spires Motto: Praga Caput Rei publicae Location within the Czech Republic Coordinates: Country Czech Republic Region Capital City of Prague Founded 9th century  - Mayor Pavel Bém Area    - City 496 km²  (191. ...

Sato experienced setbacks in the fall of 1993. For example, she failed to medal at the Piruetten Olympic test event held at Hamar, Norway, the site of the upcoming games. More importantly, she made a major mistake in the technical program at the Olympics. While intending a triple lutz/double toe loop combination, she popped the first jump and earned a major deduction. Although she was one of the top competitors at the event, the mistake left her in 7th place after the initial portion of the competition. Because of this, she had little chance to medal. Regardless, she skated a strong program in the free-skating portion of the event, completing six triple jumps, four spins, and a diagonal step sequence (performed at great speed). Sato placed 4th in the free skate and her effort was enough to bring her up to 5th place overall. In retrospect, some skating observers have argued that she deserved to win the free skating part of the event. County Hedmark Landscape Hedemarken Municipality NO-0403 Administrative centre Hamar Mayor (2004) Einar Busterud (By- og bygdelista - The City and Rural areas Party) Official language form Neutral Area  - Total  - Land  - Percentage Ranked 257 351 km² 338 km² 0. ... The lutz is a jump in figure skating, named after Alois Lutz, an Austrian skater who performed it in 1913. ... The toe loop is one of the simplest jumps in figure skating. ...

All three of the Olympic medalists, Oksana Baiul, Nancy Kerrigan, and Chen Lu, withdrew from the following 1994 World Figure Skating Championships. Thus, the battle for the world title was wide open and Sato had a great opportunity to win a medal. Also, the World Championships were being held in Japan and Sato was a hometown favorite. Oksana Baiul (Ukrainian: ), born November 16, 1977 in Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine (then the Soviet Union), is a professional figure skater and Olympic gold medalist. ... Nancy Kerrigan (born October 13, 1969 in Stoneham, Massachusetts) is a two-time Olympic figure skating medalist and 1993 U.S. champion. ... Categories: People stubs | 1976 births | Chinese figure skaters | Figure skaters at the 1994 Winter Olympics | Figure skaters at the 1998 Winter Olympics ... 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated as the International Year of the Family and the International Year of the Sport and the Olympic Ideal by United Nations. ... The World Figure Skating Championships is an annual event sanctioned by the International Skating Union in which elite figure skaters compete for the title of World Champion. ...

To her credit, Sato skated very well in all rounds of the competition. In the free skate, she again landed six triple jumps, had strong spins, and fast steps. She skated better than she had at the Olympics as her jumps had smoother landings. She also landed a difficult double axel jump/step/triple salchow jump sequence. The judges awarded her the gold medal by a margin of five judges to four over France's Surya Bonaly. Bonaly, who had finished 4th at the games, had previously beaten Sato at many of the most important events. But, at this event, Bonaly did not win and felt cheated out of the gold medal. She protested the result by refusing to stand on the podium and reluctantly received her silver medal, which she promptly took off. This drew criticism from the audience. Tonya Harding performs a triple Axel jump at the 1991 U.S. Figure Skating Championships. ... The salchow is a figure skating jump with a takeoff from a back inside edge and landing on the back outside edge of the opposite foot after one or more rotations in the air. ... Surya Bonaly Surya Bonaly (born December 15, 1973) is a French professional figure skater, born in Nice, France. ...

The decision was close and Bonaly might have won had she not faltered on one of her triple jumps. When attempting the triple loop, she landed slopily, stepping out. She also underrotated another triple jump and thus earned deductions. Sato, on the other hand, skated a cleaner performance, with better basic skating skills and non-jump elements. Thus, the deciding factor may have been the quality of Sato's elements versus the difficulty of Bonaly's jumps. The Loop is a figure skating jump that takes off from a back outside edge and lands on the same edge. ...

Following her win at the 1994 World Championships, Sato retired from amateur skating and became a popular performer with a long career on the pro circuit, winning many pro competitions. In addition to continuing to skate singles, she also began pair skating with her husband Jason Dungjen in 1998, the same year she recorded the song Bokura no FREEDOM for Bakusou Kyoudai Let's & Go. Sato now skates professionally with Stars on Ice. Jason Dungjen is an American professional pairs figure skater. ... 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ... Bakusou Kyoudai Lets & Go!! (爆走兄弟レッツ&ゴー!!) is a manga by Tetsuhiro Koshita that appeared in CoroCoro Comic centered around Mini 4WD racing. ... Stars on Ice is a touring figure skating show produced by IMG. It was originally conceived in 1986 as a vehicle for IMG client Scott Hamilton, who had been released from his contract with Ice Capades. ...

Trivia

Both of Sato's parents are former skaters. Her father Nobuo Sato competed in the 1960 and 1964 Winter Olympics and placed 4th at the 1965 World Figure Skating Championships; while her mother Kumiko Okawa competed in the 1964 and 1968 Winter Olympics, placing 8th in the latter event. They have coached many international champions, such as Shizuka Arakawa, Fumie Suguri, Miki Ando, Lucinda Ruh, and Yukari Nakano. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The VIII Olympic Winter Games were held in 1960 in Squaw Valley, USA. Alexander Cushing, the creator of the resort, campaigned vigorously to win the Games. ... The 1964 Winter Olympics, officially known as the IX Olympic Winter Games, were held in 1964 in Innsbruck, Austria. ... 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1965 calendar). ... The World Figure Skating Championships is an annual event sanctioned by the International Skating Union in which elite figure skaters compete for the title of World Champion. ... The 1964 Winter Olympics, officially known as the IX Olympic Winter Games, were held in 1964 in Innsbruck, Austria. ... The 1968 Winter Olympics, officially known as the X Olympic Winter Games, were held in 1968 Grenoble, France and opened on February 6. ... Shizuka Arakawa (荒川 静香 Arakawa Shizuka, born December 29, 1981) is a Japanese figure skater who won the gold medal at the 2006 Winter Olympics in the Ladies Singles event in Turin, Italy on February 23, 2006, and the 2004 World Figure Skating Championship. ... Fumie Suguri (村主章枝; Suguri Fumie, born December 31, 1980) is a Japanese figure skater. ... Miki Ando (安藤美姫, Andō Miki, born on December 18, 1987 in Nagoya, Japan) is a Japanese figure skater. ... Lucinda Martha Ruh (born July 13, 1979 in Zurich, Switzerland) is a two-time Swiss national figure skating champion known for her extreme flexibility and phenomenal spinning ability. ... Yukari Nakano (born on August 25, 1985 in Konan, Japan) is a Japanese figure skater. ...

In addition to being taught by her parents, Sato also worked with coach Peter Dunfield in Canada.

Sato is a graduate of Hosei University in Tokyo. Hosei University (法政大学 hōsei daigaku) is a private university based in Tokyo, Japan, and one of the Tokyo 6 Universities. It developed from a school of law established in 1880 and merged with a school of French studies in 1889. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Competitive highlights

This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The World Figure Skating Championships is an annual event sanctioned by the International Skating Union in which elite figure skaters compete for the title of World Champion. ... An athlete carries the Olympic torch The Winter Olympic Games or the Olympic Winter Games, are a winter multi-sport event held every four years. ... Skate America is a figure skating competition in the Grand Prix Series. ... The Bofrost Cup on Ice (previously Sparkassen Cup and Nations Cup) is a German figure skating competition. ... The NHK Trophy is an international, senior-level invitation-only figure skating competition. ... The World Junior Figure Skating Championships is an annual event sanctioned by the International Skating Union in which younger figure skaters compete for the title of World Junior Champion. ...

External links

• YukaSato.net - fan website
• Pairs on Ice: Yuka Sato & Jason Dungjen

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