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Sumitada Moriguchi

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Sumitada Moriguchi
Nagaoka and Moriguchi at the 2025 World Championships
Personal information
Native name
森口 澄士
Born (2001-12-29) December 29, 2001 (age 23)
Kyoto, Japan
Home townKyoto
Height1.74 m (5 ft 9 in)
Figure skating career
CountryJapan Japan
DisciplinePair skating (since 2022)
Men's singles (2012–23)
PartnerYuna Nagaoka (since 2023)
Haruna Murakami (2022–23)
Ikura Kushida (2021)
CoachDmitri Savin
Fedor Klimov
Sofia Evdokimova
Mie Hamada
Cathy Reed
Satsuki Muramoto
Hiroaki Sato
Skating clubKinoshita Academy
Began skating2010
Japan Championships
Gold medal – first place 2022–23 Osaka Pairs
Gold medal – first place 2023–24 Nagano Pairs
Silver medal – second place 2024–25 Osaka Pairs

Sumitada Moriguchi (森口 澄士, Moriguchi Sumitada; born December 29, 2001) is a Japanese pair skater. With partner Yuna Nagaoka, he is the 2025 Asian Winter Games bronze medalist, the 2023–24 Japan national champion and the 2024–25 Japan national silver medalist.[1]

With former partner Haruna Murakami, he is the 2022 JGP Poland I bronze medalist and the 2022–23 Japan national champion on both the senior and junior levels.[2]

Personal life

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Moriguchi was born on 29 December 2001 in Kyoto, Japan.[3]

He studied Faculty of Commerce at Doshisha University before graduating in March 2024.[4][5]

Career

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Early career

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Moriguchi began figure skating in 2010 after being inspired by watching Daisuke Takahashi win the bronze medal at the 2010 Winter Olympics. His first coach was Yoko Ishii.[4][6]

He competed at the 2016–17, 2018–19, and the 2019–20 Japan Junior Championships, respectively finishing twenty-ninth, twentieth, and nineteenth at those events. Following the latter season, Moriguchi began training under Mie Hamada.[7][8]

He would go on to compete at the 2020–21, placing twelfth. In the spring of 2021, Moriguchi decided to try pairs skating after Hamada suggested that he give the discipline a try due to his long limbs and naturally strong back. He initially teamed up with Ikura Kushida, however, their partnership ended in the fall of that year before they got the chance to compete together.[4][9][7] He went on to place thirteenth at the 2021–22 Japan Championships in the men's singles event.[10][8]

Partnership with Murakami

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2022–23 season

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At the suggestion of Mie Hamada, Moriguchi decided to team up with fellow Hamada student Haruna Murakami. Coached by Hamada, Narumi Takahashi, Bruno Marcotte, and Brian Shales, the pair debuted on the 2022–23 Junior Grand Prix.[11][3] The finished fourth at the 2022 JGP Czech Republic and third at the 2022 JGP Poland I. They then went on to compete at the 2022–23 Japan Junior Championships, winning the gold medal.[3]

Although initially listed as alternates to compete at the 2022–23 Junior Grand Prix Final in Turin, Italy, they were ultimately called up to compete due to the withdrawal of Canadian pair team, Ava Kemp / Yonathan Elizarov.[12] At the Final, Murakami/Moriguchi placed fifth in the short program and third in the free skate, finishing in fourth place overall.

They went on to compete at the 2022–23 Japan Championships, which they won, after Riku Miura / Ryuichi Kihara were forced to withdraw due to flight delays.[13][3] Moriguchi also competed in the men's singles event at Nationals and finished seventh, his highest result to date.

Selected to compete at the 2023 World Junior Championships in Calgary, Alberta, Murakami/Moriguchi finished fourth after placing sixth in the short program and fourth in the free skate.[3]

Moriguchi went on to compete at the 2023 Triglav Trophy, where he won the silver medal behind Nozomu Yoshioka.

Following the season, it was announced that Murakami/Moriguchi had parted ways due to Moriguchi no longer being age eligible to compete on the junior level and Murakami being age ineligible to compete on the senior level for another three years.[14]

Partnership with Nagaoka

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2023–2024 season

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In April 2023, pairs coach, Bruno Marcotte suggested that Moriguchi try pair skating with Yuna Nagaoka after noticing her potential as a pairs skater during a training camp that was organized by the Japan Skating Federation. Following a successful tryout, the pair decided to team up with their long-term goal being to compete at the 2026 Winter Olympics. They were officially announced as a pair team in May 2022. It was also announced that Nagaoka/Moriguchi would primarily train at the Kinoshita Academy, where they would work with coaches Mie Hamada, Cathy Reed, Satsuki Muramoto, and Hiroaki Sato, while also making frequent trips to Oakville, Ontario, Canada to work with pair skating coaches Bruno Marcotte and Brian Shales at the Oakville Skating Club.[7][15][16][17][18]

They debuted as a pair at the Japan Eastern Sectionals, which they won. Elected as a host pick, Nagaoka/Moriguchi made their Grand Prix debut at the 2023 NHK Trophy. They scored 45.36 for their short program, 90.03 for their free, and 135.39 overall, placing eighth. They went on to win gold at the 2023–24 Japanese National Championships.[19]

They were named to the 2024 World team on the condition that they could obtain their technical minimums at the 2024 Bavarian Open or the 2024 International Challenge Cup.[20][21] At these events, Nagaoka/Moriguchi finished fourth and sixth respectively. Although the pair scored the scored the minimum technical element score needed for the free skate, they failed to score the minimum technical element score for the short program. As a result, they were unable to compete at the 2024 World Championships.[22][1]

2024–2025 season

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Nagaoka/Moriguchi began their season by competing at the 2024 CS John Nicks International Pairs Competition, where they finished eighth.[1] Going on to compete on the 2024–25 Grand Prix series, Nagaoka/Moriguchi scored personal bests in all competition segments at the 2024 NHK Trophy and finish in seventh place overall.[19] The team would also surpass the minimum technical element score, making them eligible to compete at the World Championships.[23] Initially only assigned one Grand Prix event, Nagaoka/Moriguchi's names were assigned to the 2024 Finlandia Trophy days before the event following the withdrawal of Australian pair team Golubeva/Giotopoulos Moore.[24][25] At the event, the pair place eighth of the eight pair teams in the short program but would score a personal best free skate by almost eight points, finishing third in that competition segment and moving up to sixth place overall.[19][26]

In late December, the pair won the silver medal at the 2024–25 Japan Championships behind Miura/Kihara.[27][28] They were subsequently named to the Four Continents and World teams.[29][30]

Selected to compete at the 2025 Asian Winter Games in Harbin, China, Nagaoka/Moriguchi won the bronze medal behind Geynish/Chigirev and Ryom/Han.[31]

At the 2025 Four Continents Championships in Seoul, South Korea, Nagaoka/Moriguchi finished in seventh place following a ninth-place short program and a sixth-place free skate. Going on to compete at the 2025 World Championships in Boston, Massachusetts, United States the following month, Nagaoka/Moriguchi placed twenty-second in the short program and did not advance to the free skate segment.[19] Following this disappointing result, Nagaoka considered quitting the sport but decided to continue following the encouragement of Moriguchi.[32]

Feeling the need for a change and hoping to improve their consistency, Nagaoka/Moriguchi decided to make a coaching change from Bruno Marcotte and Brian Shales to Dmitri Savin, Fedor Klimov, and Sofia Evdokimova.[33][32]

2025–2026 season

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Nagaoka/Moriguchi kicked off their season by winning the bronze medal at the 2025 CS Kinoshita Group Cup. A couple weeks following that event, they competed at the ISU Skate to Milano, the final qualifying event for the 2026 Winter Olympics. There, they managed to capture the bronze medal thus securing a second Olympic berth for Japanese pair skating.[34][19]

The following month, Nagaoka/Moriguchi placed fourth at 2025 NHK Trophy, earning new personal bests in the short program, free skate, and total scores in the process.[35] Two weeks later, Nagaoka/Moriguchi finished fourth at 2025 Finlandia Trophy. "We are very glad that the technical score and the PCS were both over 60," Moriguchi said after the free skate. "We know that there is room to improve on the throw jumps and also on the levels."[36]

Programs

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Pair skating with Yuna Nagaoka

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Season Short program Free skating Exhibition
2025–2026
[37][38]
  • Tree of Life Suite
    • V. Figlia del Cielo
    • I. Sonanze
    • II. Fiamme
    • VI. Wild Side
      by Roberto Cacciapaglia
      choreo. by Cathy Reed
2024–2025
[39]
2023–2024
[18]

Pair skating with Haruna Murakami

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Season Short program Free skating
2022–2023
[3]

Singles skating

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Season Short program Free skating
2022–2023
[8] 		Jekyll & Hyde:
2021–2022
[6][8]
2020–2021
[8]

Competitive highlights

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Pair skating with Yuna Nagaoka

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Competition placements at senior level [19]
Season 2023–24 2024–25 2025–26
World Championships 22nd
Four Continents Championships 7th
Japan Championships 1st 2nd TBD
GP Finland 6th 4th
GP NHK Trophy 8th 7th 4th
CS John Nicks Pairs Challenge 8th
CS Kinoshita Group Cup 3rd
Asian Winter Games 3rd
Bavarian Open 4th
Challenge Cup 6th
Skate to Milano 3rd

Pair skating with Haruna Murakami

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International: Junior[2]
Event 22–23
Junior Worlds 4th
JGP Final 4th
JGP Czech Republic 4th
JGP Poland 3rd
National
Japan 1st
Japan Junior 1st

Men's singles

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International[10]
Event 16–17 17–18 18–19 19–20 20–21 21–22 22–23
Triglav Trophy 2nd
National[40]
Japan 12th 13th 7th
Japan Junior 29th 20th 19th

Detailed results

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ISU personal best scores in the +5/-5 GOE System [19][41]
Segment Type Score Event
Total TSS 202.11 2025 NHK Trophy
Short program TSS 71.52 2025 NHK Trophy
TES 39.94 2025 NHK Trophy
PCS 31.58 2025 NHK Trophy
Free skating TSS 130.59 2025 NHK Trophy
TES 66.22 2025 NHK Trophy
PCS 64.37 2025 NHK Trophy

Pair skating

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With Nagaoka

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Results in the 2023–24 season [19]
Date Event SP FS Total
P Score P Score P Score
Nov 24–26, 2023 Japan 2023 NHK Trophy 8 45.36 8 90.03 8 135.39
Dec 20–24, 2023 Japan 2023–24 Japan Championships 1 56.07 1 117.57 1 173.64
Jan 30–Feb 4, 2024 Germany 2024 Bavarian Open 5 48.90 4 100.35 4 149.25
Feb 22–25, 2024 Netherlands 2024 Challenge Cup 6 51.98 4 106.46 6 158.44
Results in the 2024–25 season [19]
Date Event SP FS Total
P Score P Score P Score
Sep 3–4, 2024 United States 2024 CS John Nicks Pairs 8 55.92 8 102.98 8 158.90
Nov 8–10, 2024 Japan 2024 NHK Trophy 5 60.32 7 112.15 7 172.47
Nov 15–17, 2024 Finland 2024 Finlandia Trophy 8 51.75 3 120.05 6 171.80
Dec 19–22, 2024 Japan 2024–25 Japan Championships 2 61.82 2 114.86 2 176.68
Feb 11–13, 2025 China 2025 Asian Winter Games 2 58.49 3 109.86 3 168.35
Feb 19–23, 2025 South Korea 2025 Four Continents Championships 9 57.29 6 117.47 7 174.76
Mar 25–30, 2025 United States 2025 World Championships 22 51.10 - - 22 51.10
Results in the 2025–26 season [19]
Date Event SP FS Total
P Score P Score P Score
Sep 5–7, 2025 Japan 2025 CS Kinoshita Group Cup 3 66.27 3 126.50 3 192.77
Sep 18–21, 2025 China 2025 ISU Skate to Milano 4 62.68 3 115.98 3 178.66
Nov 7–9, 2025 Japan 2025 NHK Trophy 4 71.52 3 130.59 4 202.11
Nov 21–23, 2025 Finland 2025 Finlandia Trophy 5 67.53 4 125.59 4 193.12

With Murakami

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Current personal best scores are highlighted in bold.

2022–23 season
Date Event Level SP FS Total
February 27–March 5, 2023 2023 World Junior Championships Junior 6
55.69 		4
99.02 		4
154.71
December 21–25, 2022 2022–23 Japan Championships Senior 1
54.21 		1
107.86 		1
162.07
December 8–11, 2022 2022–23 JGP Final Junior 5
46.80 		3
102.23 		4
149.03
November 25–27, 2022 2022–23 Japan Junior Championships Junior 1
52.72 		1
96.36 		1
149.08
September 28–October 1, 2022 2022 JGP Poland I Junior 4
47.94 		2
92.41 		3
140.35
August 31–September 3, 2022 2022 JGP Czech Republic Junior 5
42.34 		3
87.50 		4
129.84

Singles skating

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Senior results

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2022–23 season
Date Event SP FS Total
April 13–16, 2023 2023 Triglav Trophy 2
79.47 		2
153.32 		2
232.79
December 21–25, 2022 2022–23 Japan Championships 10
76.31 		5
165.32 		7
241.63
2021–22 season
Date Event SP FS Total
December 22–26, 2021 2021–22 Japan Championships 13
76.14 		16
125.16 		13
201.30
2020–21 season
Date Event SP FS Total
December 23–27, 2020 2020–21 Japan Championships 17
66.18 		12
129.92 		12
196.10

Junior results

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2019–20 season
Date Event SP FS Total
November 15–27, 2019 2019–20 Japan Junior Championships 19
47.50 		19
97.58 		19
145.08
2018–19 season
November 23–25, 2018 2018–19 Japan Junior Championships 24
47.05 		18
91.62 		20
138.67
2016–17 season
Date Event SP FS Total
November 23–25, 2016 2016–17 Japan Junior Championships 29
37.57 		– 29
37.57

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Yuna NAGAOKA / Sumitada MORIGUCHI: Competition Results". International Skating Union. International Skating Union. Retrieved 6 September 2024.
  2. ^ a b "Haruna MURAKAMI / Sumitada MORIGUCHI: Competition Results". International Skating Union. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d e f "Haruna MURAKAMI / Sumitada MORIGUCHI: 2022/2023". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on September 30, 2022.
  4. ^ a b c 浅野, 有美. "フィギュア界の「二刀流」　同志社大学・森口澄士、シングルとペアで全日本出場狙う". 4 Years. 4 Years. Archived from the original on 12 April 2024. Retrieved 31 July 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  5. ^ Moriguchi, Sumitada. "I graduated from Doshisha University!". Instagram. Instagram. Retrieved 6 September 2024.
  6. ^ a b "Sumitada MORIGUCHI: 2021/2022". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on November 29, 2022.
  7. ^ a b c "長岡柚奈選手＆森口澄士選手「（長岡選手は）恐怖心を乗り越えられそうな選手だと思った」 フィギュアスケーターのオアシス♪ KENJIの部屋". J Sports. J Sports. Retrieved 6 September 2024.
  8. ^ a b c d e "森口 澄士 Sumitada Moriguchi". Fuji TV. Fuji TV. Retrieved 5 April 2023.
  9. ^ "フィギュア森口澄士、櫛田育良とのペア解消「今季はシングルだけに」". Nikkan Sports. Nikkan Sports. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
  10. ^ a b "Sumitada MORIGUCHI: Competition Results". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on July 31, 2023.
  11. ^ 浅野, 有美. "「りくりゅう」に続け！　同志社大学・森口澄士、いつかペアボーイとして世界へ". 4 Years. 4 Years. Archived from the original on 2 October 2023. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
  12. ^ "Entries". International Skating Union. International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 1 December 2022. Retrieved 31 July 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  13. ^ "Miura/Kihara Withdrawal". Twitter. Twitter. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
  14. ^ "【フィギュア】ペア"はるすみ"解散「再結成はおそらくない」アイスダンス"きだもり"も". Nikkan Sports. Nikkan Sports. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
  15. ^ "【フィギュア】「"ゆなすみ"でいきましょう！」長岡柚奈、森口澄士組がペア新結成の経緯明かす". Nikkan Sports. Nikkan Sports. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
  16. ^ "【フィギュア】注目の新ペア誕生　長岡柚奈と森口澄士「２人で成長していけるように」". Nikkan Sports. Nikkan Sports. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
  17. ^ "長岡柚奈選手＆森口澄士選手「夢であるオリンピックで金メダルを獲ることを追い続ける」 フィギュアスケーターのオアシス♪ KENJIの部屋". J Sports. J Sports. Retrieved 6 September 2024.
  18. ^ a b "Yuna NAGAOKA / Sumitada MORIGUCHI: 2023/2024". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on August 22, 2024.
  19. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "JPN-Yuna Nagaoka/Sumitada Moriguchi". Skating Scores.
  20. ^ @skatejapanews (December 24, 2023). "Junior Worlds Assignments✨" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  21. ^ @skatejapanews (January 18, 2024). "Pairs entries for Bavarian Open 2023" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  22. ^ 仁志, 倉沢. "ペア「ゆなすみ」インタビュー「来年は一緒に世界選手権出ようねって」". Manichi. Manichi. Retrieved 6 September 2024.
  23. ^ "【フィギュアNHK杯】『ゆなすみ』ペア、世界選手権ミニマムスコア突破　長岡柚奈「自信にもつながる」". Chunichi. Chunichi. Retrieved 11 November 2024.
  24. ^ @AnythingGOE (November 7, 2024). "🇦🇺 Anastasia Golubeva / Hektor Giotopoulos Moore have withdrawn from Finlandia Trophy due to Golubeva suffering with poor health after falling ill with COVID" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  25. ^ "Update: Yuna NAGAOKA/Sumitada MORIGUCHI will be competing at GP Finland 2024 next week". X. Skate Japan News. Retrieved 11 November 2024.
  26. ^ "2024 GP Finlandia Trophy - Pair Final Results". Skating Scores. Skating Scores. Retrieved 18 November 2024.
  27. ^ "2025 Japanese Nationals - Pairs Final Results". Skating Scores. Skating Scores. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
  28. ^ Di Sanzio, Chloé (December 23, 2024). "Miura and Kihara reclaim national title in Osaka". Golden Skate.
  29. ^ "🇯🇵 Japan's assignments for #4ContsFigure". X. Anything GOEs. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
  30. ^ "🇯🇵 Japan's assignments for #WorldFigure". X. Anything GOEs. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
  31. ^ "2025 9th Asian Winter Games - Pairs Results". Skating Scores. Skating Scores. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
  32. ^ a b "五輪ペア個人2枠獲得の立役者、長岡柚奈・森口澄士組が3連覇!新結成の籠谷歩未・本田ルーカス剛史組はデビュー戦2位【東日本選手権・ペア】". Yahoo! Japan. Yahoo! Japan. Retrieved 10 November 2025.
  33. ^ "Yuna NAGAOKA / Sumitada MORIGUCHI". Instagram. Archived from the original on 31 July 2025. Retrieved 31 July 2025.
  34. ^ Barrington, Talia. "Skate to Milano qualifier seals final Olympic figure skating quotas". NBC Olympics. NBC Olympics. Retrieved 5 October 2025.
  35. ^ Slater, Paula (November 8, 2025). "Italian Pair Conti and Macii triumph at NHK Trophy". Golden Skate.
  36. ^ Slater, Paula (November 22, 2025). "Germany's Hase and Volodin capture fourth Grand Prix gold in Helsinki". Golden Skate.
  37. ^ "Yuna NAGAOKA / Sumitada MORIGUCHI: 2025/2026". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on August 10, 2025. Retrieved September 6, 2024.
  38. ^ "木下スケートアカデミー フィギュアスケート選手". World Figure Skating. World Figure Skating. Retrieved 19 June 2025.
  39. ^ "Yuna NAGAOKA / Sumitada MORIGUCHI: 2024/2025". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on September 25, 2024. Retrieved September 6, 2024.
  40. ^ "Sumitada Moriguchi". Skating Scores. Skating Scores. Retrieved 10 October 2024.
  41. ^ "Couple Records Yuna NAGAOKA / Sumitada MORIGUCHI (JPN)". International Skating Union. Retrieved 2025-02-21.
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