Naoki Rossi
Naoki Rossi during the Opening Ceremony at the 2020 Winter Youth Olympics
Born (2007-01-20) 20 January 2007
Zollikerberg, Switzerland
HometownZumikon, Switzerland
Height1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)
Figure skating career
CountrySwitzerland Switzerland
CoachUwe Kagelmann, Nicole Bettega
Skating clubClub des Patineurs de Champéry
Medal record
Figure skating: Men's singles
Representing   Switzerland
World Junior Championships
Silver medal – second place2023 CalgaryMen's singles
European Youth Olympic Winter Festival
Bronze medal – third place2023 Friuli-Venezia GiuliaMen's singles

Naoki Rossi (born 20 January 2007) is a Swiss figure skater. He is the 2023 World Junior silver medalist.

Personal life

Rossi was born in Zollikerberg, Switzerland.[1] Born to a Japanese mother and Italian-Swiss father, he speaks Japanese, German, English, French, and Italian.[2] Formerly an avid violinist, he started playing the violin before becoming interested in skating, but stopped after moving to Italy.[2]

He is a distant relative of Crown Princess Kiko through his mother, Rieko, who is a second cousin of the princess. Additionally, Rossi's great-great grandfather was Shirō Ikegami, who served as mayor of Osaka from 1913 to 1927, founded Tennōji Zoo in 1915, and opened Japan's first public daycare center in 1919.[3]

In addition to teaching piano, Rossi's mother also teaches ballet with one of her former students being World champion Swiss figure skater, Stéphane Lambiel.[3]

Rossi has cited Yuzuru Hanyu as his biggest figure skating inspiration.[3]

Career

Early years

When Rossi was five years old, his mother brought him to a nearby ice rink to channel his energy, and he soon decided to continue skating.[2][3] He competed in the advanced novice category during the 2018–19 and 2019–20 seasons.

In the 2020–21 season, at the age of thirteen, he relocated from Switzerland to Italy, deciding to train at the Young Goose Academy in Egna.[2] His first junior international event was the NRW Trophy in November 2020.[4]

2021–22 season

Rossi's ISU Junior Grand Prix (JGP) debut came in September 2021; he placed eighth in Košice, Slovakia, and then fourth in Gdańsk, Poland. He subsequently appeared at a number of other minor international events, and won the Swiss national junior title for the first time.[5]

Ranked twelfth in the short progran and seventh in the free skate, Rossi finished ninth overall at the 2022 World Junior Championships in Tallinn, Estonia.[5]

2022–23 season

Again given two Junior Grand Prix assignments, Rossi finished eighth at the 2022 JGP Poland and fourth at the 2022 JGP Italy. He then made his international senior debut on the Challenger circuit, coming seventh at both the 2022 CS Ice Challenge and the 2022 CS Warsaw Cup.[5]

In the new year, Rossi competed at the European Youth Olympic Winter Festival and won the bronze medal. He then won another bronze medal at the senior level at the Tallink Hotels Cup.[5] Assigned to finish his season at the 2023 World Junior Championships in Calgary, Rossi finished third in the short program with a new personal best score of 79.46, winning a bronze small medal.[6] He was third in the free skate as well, but finished second overall and won the silver medal. This was the first Junior World medal for a Swiss skater since Sarah Meier's bronze medal in 2000, the first for a Swiss man since Richard Furrer also won bronze in 1977, and the highest colour of medal for any Swiss skater ever at the championships. Rossi said he was "actually speechless. I never expected to be on the podium."[7]

Following the season, Rossi made a coaching change from Eva Martinek, Lorenzo Magri, Angelina Turenko, and Alisa Mikonsaari to Uwe Kagelmann and Nicole Bettega. He ultimately changed his training base from Egna, Italy to Feldkirch, Vorarlberg, Austria.[8]

2023–24 season

After a disappointing fifth-place finish at the 2023 JGP Austria, Rossi achieved a better result at his second Junior Grand Prix assignment, the 2023 JGP Hungary. Third in the short program, he moved up to second place after the free skate to win the silver medal.[9]

Programs

Season Short program Free skating Exhibition gala
2023–2024
[8]
  • Bitter and Sweet
  • Road Signs Variation Exit Run 44
  • Road Signs Variation One Way
    by Ezio Bosso
    choreo. by Stéphane Lambiel
2022–2023
[1]
  • El Flamenco
  • Red Violin
    by Ikuko Kawai
    choreo. by Stéphane Lambiel
  • Born from Ashes
  • True Love's Last Kiss
  • Yearning Hearts
    by Eternal Eclipse
    choreo. by Drew Meekins
2021–2022
[10]
  • Rain, In Your Black Eyes
    by Ezio Bosso
    choreo. by Benoît Richaud, Barbara Riboldi
  • You Raise Me Up
    by Rolf Løvland
    performed by The O'Neill Brothers, Harrison Craig, Touch of Glass
    choreo. by Benoît Richaud, Barbara Riboldi
2020–2021
[11]

Competitive highlights

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

International[5]
Event 18–19 19–20 20–21 21–22 22–23 23–24
CS Ice Challenge7th
CS Warsaw Cup7thWD
Swiss OpenWD
Tallink Hotels Cup3rd
International: Junior[5]
Junior Worlds9th2nd
JGP Austria5th
JGP Hungary2nd
JGP Italy4th
JGP Poland4th8th
JGP Slovakia8th
EYOF3rd
Challenge Cup2nd
Egna Trophy2nd2nd
Ice Challenge1st
Merano Ice Trophy1st
NRW Trophy6th
International: Advanced novice[4]
Bavarian Open2nd
Challenge Cup2nd3rd
GP Bratislava1st
Printemps2nd
National[4]
Switzerland1st N1st N1st J
Levels: N = Novice U16; J = Junior

Detailed results

Junior results

2023–24 season
Date Event Level SP FS Total
September 20–23, 2023 2023 JGP Hungary Junior 3
67.10		 2
137.69		 2
204.79
Aug. 30 – Sept. 2, 2023 2023 JGP Austria Junior 9
61.78		 4
136.82		 5
198.60
2022–23 season
Date Event Level SP FS Total
Feb. 27 – Mar. 5, 2023 2023 World Junior Championships Junior 3
79.46		 3
141.22		 2
220.68
February 16–19, 2023 2023 Tallink Hotels Cup Senior 4
73.90		 2
145.55		 3
219.45
January 25–27, 2023 2023 European Youth Olympic Festival Junior 2
68.88		 4
116.63		 3
185.51
November 17–20, 2022 2022 CS Warsaw Cup Senior 6
75.46		 8
132.88		 7
208.34
November 9–13, 2022 2022 CS Ice Challenge Senior 6
69.02		 11
128.57		 7
197.59
October 12–15, 2022 2022 JGP Italy Junior 4
71.71		 6
126.92		 4
198.63
Sept. 28 – Oct. 1, 2022 2022 JGP Poland I Junior 6
66.50		 8
121.35		 8
187.85
2021–22 season
Date Event Level SP FS Total
April 13–17, 2022 2022 World Junior Championships Junior 12
67.61		 7
139.04		 9
206.65
April 4–7, 2022 2022 Egna Spring Trophy Junior 2
68.44		 2
143.02		 2
211.46
February 24–27, 2022 2022 International Challenge Cup Junior 2
70.55		 1
139.81		 2
210.36
February 5–6, 2022 2022 Merano Cup Junior 1
69.56		 1
134.81		 1
204.37
January 22–23, 2022 2021–22 Swiss Junior Championships Junior 1
69.93		 1
139.00		 1
208.93
November 10–14, 2021 2021 Ice Challenge Junior 2
62.53		 1
118.29		 1
180.82
Sept. 29 – Oct. 2, 2021 2021 JGP Poland Junior 7
65.51		 12
105.60		 8
171.11
September 1–4, 2021 2021 JGP Slovakia Junior 7
55.82		 4
122.83		 6
178.65
2020–21 season
Date Event Level SP FS Total
April 29 – May 2, 2021 2021 Egna Spring Trophy Junior 3
62.62		 1
116.45		 2
179.07
November 26–29, 2020 2020 NRW Trophy Junior 3
54.62		 8
83.22		 6
137.84

References

  1. 1 2 "Naoki ROSSI: 2022/2023". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 12 October 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Dombrowski, Judith (13 April 2022). "A young and ambitious talent from Switzerland: meet Naoki Rossi". absoluteskating.com.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Gallagher, Jack. "[ICE TIME] Talented Skater Naoki Rossi Inspired by Visit to His Ancestral Homeland". SportsLook. SportsLook. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
  4. 1 2 3 "Naoki ROSSI". rinkresults.com.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Competition Results: Naoki ROSSI". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 13 October 2022.
  6. ↑ "Kao Miura (JPN) wins Men's Short Program at ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships". International Skating Union. 3 March 2023.
  7. ↑ "Kao Miura (JPN) crushes competition for Junior World title". International Skating Union. 5 March 2023.
  8. 1 2 "Naoki ROSSI: 2023/2024". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 24 September 2023.
  9. ↑ "Six Skaters celebrate their spots for ISU Junior Grand Prix Final after competing in Budapest (HUN)". International Skating Union. 25 September 2023. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
  10. ↑ "Naoki ROSSI: 2021/2022". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 22 June 2022.
  11. ↑ "Naoki ROSSI: 2020/2021". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 23 March 2021.
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