Sumitada Moriguchi

Sumitada Moriguchi
Murakami/Moriguchi at the 2022–23 Junior Grand Prix Final
Native name	森口 澄士
Born	(2001-12-29) December 29, 2001 (age 22) Kyoto, Japan
Hometown	Kyoto
Height	1.74 m (5 ft 9 in)
Figure skating career
Country	Japan
Discipline	Pair skating (since 2022) Men's singles (2012–23)
Partner	Yuna Nagaoka (since 2023) Haruna Murakami (2022–23) Ikura Kushida (2021)
Coach	Bruno Marcotte Brian Shales Mie Hamada Cathy Reed Satsuki Muramoto Hiroaki Sato
Skating club	Kinoshita Academy
Began skating	2010
Japan Championships 2022–23 Osaka Pairs 2023–24 Nagano 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 2023–24 Japan national champion.^[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]

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

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

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]

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]

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]

Nagaoka/Moriguchi began their season by competing at the 2024 CS John Nicks International Pairs Competition, where they finished eighth.^[1]

Current personal best scores are highlighted in bold.

Current personal best scores are highlighted in bold.

• Yuna Nagaoka / Sumitada Moriguchi at the International Skating Union
• MORIGUCHI Sumitada at Japan Skating Federation
• Sumitada Moriguchi on Instagram
• Yuna Nagaoka / Sumitada Moriguchi at SkatingScores.com
• Haruna Murakami / Sumitada Moriguchi at the International Skating Union
• Haruna Murakami / Sumitada Moriguchi at SkatingScores.com
• Sumitada Moriguchi at the International Skating Union
• Sumitada Moriguchi at SkatingScores.com