Takahito Mura

Takahito Mura (無良 崇人, Mura Takahito, born February 11, 1991) is a Japanese former competitive figure skater. He is the 2014 Four Continents champion, 2014 Skate Canada International champion, and 2012 Trophée Éric Bompard champion. Nationally, he is a five-time Japan Championships bronze medalist and 2007 Japan Junior champion.^[2]

Takahito Mura
Japanese name
Kanji	無良崇人
Kana	むら たかひと

Takahito Mura
Mura at the 2014–15 Grand Prix Final
Born	(1991-02-11) February 11, 1991 (age 33) Matsudo, Chiba, Japan
Hometown	Nagoya
Height	1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)
Figure skating career
Country	Japan
Coach	Takashi Mura, Chie Mura
Skating club	Hirota SC
Began skating	1994
Retired	March 16, 2018[1]
Medal record Representing  Japan Figure skating: Men's singles Four Continents Championships 2014 Taipei Men's singles World Team Trophy 2013 Tokyo Team 2015 Tokyo Team Asian Winter Games 2011 Astana-Almaty Men's singles

Personal life

Takahito Mura was born in Matsudo, Chiba, Japan.^[3] His father, Takashi, competed internationally in both singles and pairs, and his mother also competed in figure skating.^[4] In 2013, he married his wife and had a daughter, Kanna.^[5][6]

Career

Mura placed fifth at the 2006 World Junior Championships. He won two medals on the Junior Grand Prix circuit in 2006 and qualified for the Junior Grand Prix Final, where he placed just off the podium. He made his senior international debut at the 2008 Finlandia Trophy, which he won.

Mura won his first senior Grand Prix medal, gold, at the 2012 Trophée Éric Bompard. In the 2013-14 season, he was assigned to the 2013 Skate Canada and 2013 NHK Trophy.^[7] He placed tenth and sixth at his events. Mura finished sixth at the Japanese Nationals and was assigned to the 2014 Four Continents Championships where he won the gold.

In the 2014–15 season, Mura took silver at an ISU Challenger Series event, the Lombardia Trophy, before winning gold at his first GP assignment of the season, the 2014 Skate Canada International. His next assignment was the 2014 NHK Trophy, where he placed third overall, qualifying for the 2014–15 Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final, in Barcelona, Spain.

At the Grand Prix Final, Mura finished last in the short program and fourth in the free skate, ending fifth overall. He competed in the 2014–15 Japan Figure Skating Championships, where he finished 5th. When Tatsuki Machida retired from figure skating, Mura was named as his replacement to represent Japan at the 2015 World Figure Skating Championships, along with Yuzuru Hanyu and Takahiko Kozuka. He was also selected to represent Japan at the 2015 Four Continents Figure Skating Championships, where he finished seventh. At the World Championships, Mura finished in 16th place.

Programs

Season	Short program	Free skating	Exhibition
2017–18 [8][9][10][11]	Farrucas - Zapateado (Flamenco) Too Close by Alex Clare choreo. by Massimo Scali	The Phantom of the Opera (different music cut from the 2014-15 season) by Andrew Lloyd Webber choreo. by Charlie White	Farrucas - Zapateado (Flamenco)[12] Evermore from Beauty and the Beast by Alan Menken performed by Josh Groban
2016–17 [3]	Zapateado (flamenco)	Piano Concerto No. 2 by Sergei Rachmaninov	The Lady Is a Tramp by Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga
2015–16 [13][14][15][16]	Dark Eyes choreo. by Charlie White	O (from Cirque du Soleil) by Benoît Jutras choreo. by Jeffrey Buttle	Feeling Good performed by Michael Bublé
2014–15 [6][17]	Carmen by Georges Bizet Violin Concerto by Felix Mendelssohn	The Phantom of the Opera by Andrew Lloyd Webber	Love Never Dies by Andrew Lloyd Webber Feeling Good performed by Michael Bublé
2013–14 [18]	Minnie the Moocher by Cab Calloway Jumpin' Jack by Big Bad Voodoo Daddy	Shōgun by Maurice Jarre Spartacus by Joseph LoDuca	Love Never Dies by Andrew Lloyd Webber
2012–13 [19]	Malagueña by Ernesto Lecuona	Shōgun by Maurice Jarre	Talking to the Moon by Bruno Mars
2011–12 [20]	Red Violin (Concierto de Aranjuez) by Ikuko Kawai	Primavera Porteña by Ástor Piazzolla	Neutron Star Collision by Muse
2010–11 [21]	La califfa by Ennio Morricone	Slow Dancing in the Big City
2009–10 [22]	Fur Elise by Ludwig van Beethoven performed by Josh Vietti	Gettysburg by Randy Edelman
2008–09 [23]	The Feeling Begins by Peter Gabriel	Kojiki by Kitaro
2007–08 [24][25]	Art on Ice by Edvin Marton	Violin Concerto by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Emperor Concerto by Ludwig van Beethoven	Mas Que Nada by Sérgio Mendes
2006–07 [26]	Art on Ice by Edvin Marton	KA by René Dupéré
2005–06 [27]	Sabre Dance by Aram Khachaturian	Violin Concerto

Competitive highlights

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

International[28]
Event	00–01	01–02	02–03	03–04	04–05	05–06	06–07	07–08	08–09	09–10	10–11	11–12	12–13	13–14	14–15	15–16	16–17	17–18
Worlds									15th				8th		16th
Four Continents												5th	8th	1st	7th	5th		12th
GP Final															5th
GP Bompard													1st				5th
GP NHK Trophy									5th		6th			6th	3rd	3rd
GP Skate America																10th		7th
GP Skate Canada													8th	10th	1st		8th	12th
CS Lombardia															2nd
CS U.S. Classic																	2nd	7th
Asian Games											2nd						4th
Challenge Cup														1st
Finlandia Trophy									1st			1st
Merano Cup											1st
Nepela Trophy														2nd		WD
NRW Trophy												4th
Printemps																3rd	2nd
Triglav Trophy										1st
International: Junior[28]
Junior Worlds						5th	8th	19th
JGP Final							4th
JGP Germany								3rd
JGP Hungary							2nd
JGP Poland						8th
JGP Romania								3rd
JGP Slovakia						5th
JGP Taiwan							3rd
International: Novice[28]
Skate Helena				1st
Mladost Trophy				1st	2nd
National[29]
Japan Champ.						8th	8th	5th	3rd	10th	5th	5th	3rd	6th	5th	3rd	3rd	3rd
Japan Junior			18th	13th	12th	2nd	2nd	1st
Japan Novice	3rd B	1st B	1st A	1st A
Team events
World Team Trophy													3rd T 5th P		3rd T 4th P
TBD = Assigned; WD = Withdrew T = Team result; P = Personal result. Medals awarded for team result only.

References

1. "無良崇人が現役引退 思い出の大会は昨年の全日本選手権「思い描いたスケートができた」". Sports Nippon. March 16, 2018.
2. "2008 全日本フィギュアスケート選手権 - フジテレビ". Archived from the original on 2009-02-02. Retrieved 2008-12-27.
3. "Takahito MURA: 2016/2017". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on July 1, 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
4. Flade, Tatjana (March 11, 2012). "Mura gains consistency". Golden Skate. Retrieved March 11, 2012.
5. フィギュア無良が結婚 ３月の世界選手権代表 (in Japanese). Sportsnavi. April 24, 2013. Archived from the original on April 28, 2013.
6. Flade, Tatjana (December 21, 2014). "Takahito Mura skates for his family". Golden Skate.
7. "Entries Men 2013/14 - All 6 Events". ISU.
8. 後藤, 太輔 (July 6, 2017). "フィギュア無良、岡山から目指す世界 父として家事も". Asahi Shimbun.
9. フィギュアスケートTV！ (Television production) (in Japanese). Japan: BS Fuji. July 22, 2017.
10. "Takahito MURA: 2017/2018". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on October 17, 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
11. "Takahito MURA: 2017/2018". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on April 24, 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
12. THE Legends - Medal Winners Gala 2018 (Television production). TBS 1. March 30, 2018.
13. Russell, Susan D. (April 22, 2015). "News Briefs From Around The Globe". International Figure Skating. Archived from the original on May 20, 2015.
14. Xiong, Wei (June 12, 2015). "Japanese stars debut programs at 'Dreams on Ice'". IceNetwork.com.
15. Xiong, Wei (August 7, 2015). "Skating's biggest stars heat up Asada's 'THE ICE'". IceNetwork.com.
16. "Takahito MURA: 2015/2016". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on May 27, 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
17. "Takahito MURA: 2014/2015". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on May 23, 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
18. "Takahito MURA: 2012/2013". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on May 28, 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
19. "Takahito MURA: 2012/2013". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on June 20, 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
20. "Takahito MURA: 2011/2012". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on April 19, 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
21. "Takahito MURA: 2010/2011". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on August 16, 2011.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
22. "Takahito MURA: 2009/2010". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on May 8, 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
23. "Takahito MURA: 2008/2009". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on July 11, 2009.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
24. "Takahito MURA: 2007/2008". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on May 29, 2008.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
25. "Takahito MURA: 2007/2008". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on December 14, 2007.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
26. "Takahito MURA: 2006/2007". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on April 17, 2007.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
27. "Takahito MURA: 2005/2006". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on May 16, 2006.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
28. "Competition Results: Takahito MURA". International Skating Union.
29. "無良 崇人/MURA Takahito" (in Japanese). Japan Skating Federation. Archived from the original on November 2, 2014.

External links

Media related to Takahito Mura at Wikimedia Commons

• Takahito Mura at the International Skating Union