Takeshi Honda
# Takeshi Honda

Takeshi Honda (本田 武史, Honda Takeshi, born 23 March 1981) is a former Japanese competitive figure skater. He is a two-time World bronze medalist (2002, 2003), two-time Four Continents champion (1999, 2003), and six-time Japanese national champion.

## Personal life

Takeshi Honda was born on 23 March 1981 in Kōriyama, Fukushima, Japan. He plays the piano.

## Career

Honda began short track speed skating at the age of six with his brother and switched to figure skating at nine. At 12, when he entered junior high school, he moved to Sendai to train with Hiroshi Nagakubo. Although he started the training somewhat late, he caught up very quickly and was, at 14, the youngest senior national champion in Japan ever.

In December 1997, Honda left Japan to train with Galina Zmievskaya at the International Skating Center in Simsbury, Connecticut. He represented Japan at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, where he finished 15th. Following the 1998 Skate Canada International, Honda moved to Barrie, Ontario, Canada to work with Doug Leigh. He became the first Four Continents champion in history when he won the inaugural event in 1999.

In 2002, Honda won the bronze medal at the 2002 World Championships and finished in 4th place at the Winter Olympics. He was the first male skater from Japan to medal at the World Championships since Minoru Sano took the bronze in 1977. Honda withdrew from the 2005 World Championships after injuring his ankle in a fall during the qualifying segment.

Honda ended his competitive career and turned to show skating in March 2006. He is also a TV commentator. He resides in Takatsuki city, Osaka to coach Daisuke Takahashi (as a technical coach) and Kansai University Skating club. He also coached Mai Asada.

## Programs

| Season | Short program | Free skating | Exhibition |
| - | - | - | - |
| 2005–06 | Romeo and Juliet by Nino Rota | Tosca by Giacomo Puccini | The Dirty Boogie by Brian Setzer |
| 2004–05 | Piano Concerto No. 1 by Frédéric Chopin | Warsaw Concerto by Richard Addinsell Red Ribbon by Kodo (taiko group) | The Dirty Boogie by Brian Setzer |
| 2003–04 | Romeo and Juliet by Nino Rota | Warsaw Concerto by Richard Addinsell | Wherever You Will Go by The Calling |
| 2002–03 | Leyenda by Vanessa-Mae | Riverdance by Bill Whelan The Mummy by Jerry Goldsmith | Moulin Rouge! by Steve Sharples Wherever You Will Go by The Calling |
| 2001–02 | Don Quixote by Ludwig Minkus Sing Sing Sing by Louis Prima | Concierto de Aranjuez by Joaquín Rodrigo Rhapsodia Cubana by Ernesto Lecuona | Bonzo's Montreux by Led Zeppelin |
| 2000–01 | Don Quixote by Ludwig Minkus | Concierto de Aranjuez by Joaquín Rodrigo | Mambo Mambo by Lou Bega |
| 1999–2000 | Violin Concerto by Felix Mendelssohn | Rising Sun by Kitarō | I Could Not Ask For More by Edwin McCain |
| 1998–99 | Two-Minute Warning by Ernie Albert Doop-Doop by Doop | The Man in the Iron Mask by Nick Glennie-Smith | Heaven and Earth by Kitarō I Believe I Can Fly by R. Kelly |
| 1997–98 | Original song | El Cid by Miklós Rózsa | I Believe I Can Fly by R. Kelly |
| 1996–97 | Tico Tico | Swing Kids | |

## Results

GP: Champions Series/Grand Prix

International :

| Event | 94–95 | 95–96 | 96–97 | 97–98 | 98–99 | 99–00 | 00–01 | 01–02 | 02–03 | 03–04 | 04–05 | 05–06 |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Olympics | | | | 15th | | | | 4th | | | | |
| Worlds | | 13th | 10th | 11th | 6th | 10th | 5th | 3rd | 3rd | | WD | |
| Four Continents | | | | | 1st | 5th | 2nd | 2nd | 1st | WD | | |
| GP Final | | | | | | | | 5th | | | | |
| GP Lalique | | | | | | | | | 3rd | | | |
| GP NHK Trophy | | 4th | 9th | 6th | 2nd | 6th | 4th | 1st | 2nd | | 7th | 9th |
| GP Skate America | | | 6th | 7th | | | | 2nd | | 2nd | | |
| GP Skate Canada | | | 9th | | 5th | 3rd | 5th | | 1st | 3rd | 7th | 4th |
| GP Sparkassen | | | | | | | | 5th | | | | |
| Nebelhorn Trophy | | 1st | | | | | | | | | | |
| Asian Games | | | | | | | | | 1st | | | |
| International: Junior |||||||||||||
| Junior Worlds | | 2nd | | | | | | | | | | |
| National |||||||||||||
| Japan Champ. | | 1st | 1st | | | 1st | 1st | | 1st | | 1st | 5th |
| Japan Junior | 5th | 1st | | | | | | | | | | |
| WD: Withdrew |||||||||||||
