Wakaba Higuchi

Wakaba Higuchi

Higuchi in December 2014
Personal information
Native name 樋口新葉
Country represented Japan
Born (2001-01-02) January 2, 2001
Tokyo, Japan
Height 1.51 m (4 ft 11 1⁄2 in)
Coach Koji Okajima
Choreographer Shae-Lynn Bourne, Marina Zueva, Massimo Scali
Former choreographer Noriko Sato, Nanami Abe
Skating club Nihonbashi Jogakan Junior High School FSC
Training locations Tokyo
Began skating 2004
ISU personal best scores
Combined total 194.48
2016 Trophée de France
Short program 66.66
2016 CS Lombardia Trophy
Free skate 129.46
2016 Trophée de France
Medal record
Representing  Japan
Figure skating: Ladies' singles
World Junior Championships
2015 Tallinn Ladies' singles
2016 Debrecen Ladies' singles
Junior Grand Prix Final
2014–15 Barcelona Ladies' singles

Wakaba Higuchi (Japanese: 樋口新葉, born January 2, 2001) is a Japanese figure skater. She is a two-time World Junior bronze medalist (2015, 2016), the 2014–15 Junior Grand Prix Final bronze medalist, and a two-time Japan senior national medalist (bronze in 2015, silver in 2016).

Personal life

Wakaba Higuchi was born January 2, 2001 in Tokyo, Japan.[1] She is the youngest of three children — her brother, Daisuke, and sister, Saki, are five and eight years older respectively.[2]

Career

Early career

Higuchi began skating at age three.[2] She appeared internationally on the novice level for three seasons beginning in 2011–12. She won novice titles at the Gardena Spring Trophy, International Challenge Cup, and Asian Trophy.

At thirteen, Higuchi was invited as a guest skater to skate in the gala at the 2014 World Championships in Saitama, Japan.

2014–15 season

In the 2014–15 season, Higuchi became age-eligible for international junior competitions. Having opened her season at the Asian Trophy, she made her Junior Grand Prix (JGP) debut in Ostrava, Czech Republic, taking silver. With a gold medal at her second JGP event in Dresden, Germany, she qualified for the 2014–15 JGP Final. Higuchi won the Japanese national junior title in November before competing at the JGP Final in Barcelona, Spain. Ranked fifth in the short program and third in the free skate, she finished third overall, behind Evgenia Medvedeva and Serafima Sakhanovich. She then took the bronze medal in her senior national debut at the Japan Championships. In her first appearance at the World Junior Championships, she won the bronze medal after placing third in the short program and second in the free skate.

2015–16 season

At the beginning of the 2015–16 season, Higuchi suffered from a back injury.[3] Competing in the JGP series, she finished 5th in Linz, Austria before winning silver, behind teammate Marin Honda, in Zagreb, Croatia.

After repeating as the national junior champion, Higuchi edged Mao Asada by 1.6 points for the senior silver medal at the Japan Championships. In March, she competed at the World Junior Championships in Debrecen, Hungary. Ranked fifth in the short program and second in the free skate, she was awarded her second consecutive bronze medal, behind Honda and Sotskova.

Programs

Season Short program Free skating Exhibition
2016–17
[1]
  • Byakuya wo Iku
    (from Byakuyakō)
    by Shin Kono
2015–16
[4][5][6]
2014–15
[7]
2013–14
  • Beloved Czardas
    by Vittorio Monti
    choreo. by Noriko Sato, Nanami Abe
  • Beloved Czardas
    by Vittorio Monti
    choreo. by Noriko Sato, Nanami Abe
2012–13
  • Don Quixote
    by Ludwig Minkus
    choreo. by Noriko Sato, Nanami Abe

Competitive highlights

Higuchi at the 2015 World Junior Championships

GP: Grand Prix; CS: Challenger Series; JGP: Junior Grand Prix

International[8]
Event 11–12 12–13 13–14 14–15 15–16 16–17
GP NHK Trophy 4th
GP Trophée 3rd
CS Lombardia 1st
International: Junior[8]
Junior Worlds 3rd 3rd
JGP Final 3rd
JGP Austria 5th
JGP Croatia 2nd
JGP Czech Rep. 2nd
JGP Germany 1st
Asian Trophy 2nd N 1st N 1st J
Challenge Cup 1st N 1st N
Gardena 1st N
National[8][9]
Japan 3rd 2nd
Japan Junior 7th 8th 1st 1st
Japan Novice 3rd B 2nd A 1st A
Team events
Japan Open 1st T
5th P
TBD = Assigned; WD = Withdrew
Levels: N = Advanced novice, J = Junior
T = Team result; P = Personal result. Medals awarded for team result only.

Detailed results

Small medals for short and free programs awarded only at ISU Championships. At team events, medals awarded for team results only.

Senior career

2016–17 season
Date Event SP FS Total
25–27 November 2016 2016 NHK Trophy 5
62.58		 4
122.81		 4
185.39
11–13 November 2016 2016 Trophée de France 5
65.02		 3
129.46		 3
194.48
1 October 2016 2016 Japan Open - 5
116.99		 1T/5P
8–11 September 2016 2016 CS Lombardia Trophy 1
66.66		 3
112.20		 1
178.86

Junior career

2015–16 season
Date Event Level SP FS Total
14–20 March 2015 2016 World Junior Championships Junior 5
58.08		 2
125.65		 3
183.73
24–27 December 2015 2015–16 Japan Championships Senior 3
67.48		 3
127.87		 2
195.35
21–23 November 2015 2015–16 Japan Junior Championships Junior 1
66.83		 1
122.40		 1
189.23
7–11 October 2015 2015 JPG Croatia Junior 1
60.77		 2
114.29		 2
175.06
10–13 September 2015 2015 JPG Austria Junior 8
46.55		 4
110.24		 5
156.79
2014–15 season
Date Event Level SP FS Total
2–8 March 2016 2016 World Junior Championships Junior 3
61.27		 2
124.30		 3
185.27
26–28 December 2014 2014–15 Japan Championships Senior 3
64.35		 3
117.47		 3
181.82
11–14 December 2014 2014–15 JGP Final Junior 5
60.37		 3
117.72		 3
178.09
17–18 November 2014 2014–15 Japan Junior Championships Junior 1
63.98		 1
123.97		 1
187.95
1–4 October 2014 2014 JPG Germany Junior 1
58.99		 1
117.15		 1
176.14
3–6 September 2014 2014 JPG Czech Skate Junior 5
52.75		 1
116.93		 2
169.68
7–10 August 2014 2014 Asian Trophy Junior 2
57.05		 1
109.85		 1
166.90
2013–14 season
Date Event Level SP FS Total
6–9 March 2014 2014 Challenge Cup Novice 1
40.35		 1
90.74		 1
131.09
22–24 November 2013 2013–14 Japan Junior Championships Junior 19
42.37		 6
100.44		 8
142.81
8–11 August 2013 2013 Asian Trophy Novice 3
31.73		 1
72.57		 1
104.30
2012–13 season
Date Event Level SP FS Total
6–9 March 2013 2013 Challenge Cup Novice 1
41.30		 1
75.13		 1
116.43
17–18 November 2012 2012–13 Japan Junior Championships Junior 6
51.20		 9
91.88		 7
143.08
7–12 August 2012 2012 Asian Trophy Novice 1
43.06		 2
64.49		 2
107.55
2011–12 season
Date Event Level SP FS Total
13–15 April 2012 2012 Gardena Spring Trophy Novice 1
45.56		 1
63.51		 1
109.07

References

  1. 1 2 "Wakaba HIGUCHI: 2016/2017". International Skating Union.
  2. 1 2 Flade, Tatjana (April 11, 2015). "Higuchi shows promise for Japanese ladies". Golden Skate.
  3. ↑ Xiong, Wei. "Miyahara outshines Asada to remain champion". Ice Network. Ice Network. Retrieved 8 January 2016.
  4. ↑ "Wakaba HIGUCHI: 2015/2016". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on May 28, 2016.
  5. ↑ Prince Ice World 2015 (Television production) (in Japanese). Japan: BS Japan. 17 May 2015.
  6. ↑ Dreams on Ice 2015 (Television production) (in Japanese). Japan: Fuji TV. 22 June 2015.
  7. ↑ "Wakaba HIGUCHI: 2014/2015". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on May 21, 2015.
  8. 1 2 3 "Competition Results: Wakaba HIGUCHI". International Skating Union.
  9. ↑ "樋口 新葉/HIGUCHI Wakaba". Japan Skating Federation. Archived from the original on October 3, 2014.

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