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Keiji TanakaJapanese singles skater.
Date of Birth: 22.11.1994
Country:  Japan |
Content:
Biography of Keiji Tanaka
Keiji Tanaka is a Japanese figure skater who specializes in singles skating. He was born in 1994 in Kurasiki, Honshu Island. Despite starting figure skating at the age of seven, Tanaka quickly rose through the ranks and competed in the Junior Championships of Japan after just five years. In 2010, he made his debut at the national championship in Japan, finishing in eighth place.
In 2011, Tanaka had a less successful performance at the national championship, placing ninth. However, due to various reasons, he was sent to the Junior World Championships in Kannyn, South Korea. There, he won a silver medal and also secured first place in the free program. The following season, Tanaka competed in the Junior Grand Prix, eventually qualifying for the final in Quebec, Canada. Unfortunately, his performance there was not successful, and he finished last. He also finished last at the Junior Final in Sochi in 2012, but prior to that, he won bronze and silver at the Junior Championships of Japan and was preparing for the Junior World Championships in Milan. However, he was unable to compete due to an injury.
In the Olympic season, Tanaka successfully competed in the Junior Grand Prix, winning both starts and securing his place in the final, which was held in his home country. His performance in the final was outstanding, just falling short of the podium, but winning the short program. His scores for the program remained a record for a long time. A few weeks later, he became the Junior Champion of Japan. The Japanese Federation, due to the proximity of the Olympics and the Four Continents Championship, decided to send a second team to the continental championship, in which Tanaka participated. In the fall, he competed in adult competitions in Nice, where he achieved third place.
Adult Period:
His debut in Taipei was not successful, as he finished in the bottom half of the competition. This may have disappointed him, as he had a subpar performance at his last Junior World Championships in Bulgaria, finishing only in seventh place. In the post-Olympic season, Tanaka participated in one stage of the adult Grand Prix in China.
The following year, he started the season early. In August, he won a silver medal at the Asian Cup in Thailand. He also won a silver medal in the United States. Later, Tanaka competed in one stage of the Grand Prix in Japan. In Nagano, he fought hard and finished in the top five, improving his scores in the free program and overall. At the national championship, he finished in fourth place and became a reserve in the national team. Due to the injury of Japanese leader Yuzuru Hanyu, Tanaka replaced him in Taiwan for the continental championship. In Taipei, he fought hard and achieved sixth place, improving his result in the short program. In the new pre-Olympic season, Tanaka won the Asian Cup in Manila. However, he had an unsuccessful performance in the United States, finishing in tenth place. In early February 2017, he participated in the Winter Universiade in Almaty, where he confidently won a silver medal. A week later, Tanaka competed in Cannes in the continental championship, finishing in the middle of the standings. In late March, he participated in the World Championships in Helsinki, where he finished in the end of the second ten.
In early August, Tanaka began a new season by winning the Asian Trophy in Hong Kong, just like the previous year. Two months later, he participated in the Memorial Ondrej Nepela in Bratislava, finishing in the top ten. Less than a week before the start, he withdrew from the Moscow stage of the Grand Prix. However, two weeks later, he competed in the Chinese stage of the Grand Prix in Beijing, finishing in the middle of the standings.
