Akiko Suzuki

Akiko Suzuki (鈴木 明子) (born March 28, 1985) is a Japanese former competitive figure skater.

Suzuki was born on March 28, 1985, in Toyohashi, Aichi Prefecture.

She began working with coach Hiroshi Nagakubo in the early 2000s.

Suzuki won the bronze medal at the 2001–02 Junior Grand Prix Final.

After a successful junior career, she was hampered by her struggles with anorexia nervosa which began at age 18 when she left home for university.

Her weight having fallen to 32 kg, she was unable to jump and missed the entire 2003–2004 season.

It took her a year to gain back the weight she had lost.

Suzuki returned to competitive skating in the 2004–2005 season after being inspired by Shizuka Arakawa's victory at the 2004 World Championships.

She had a breakthrough in 2007–2008, winning several events, and achieving her highest finish at Japanese nationals since 2002.

She consequently received her first senior Grand Prix assignment in 2008–2009, and won the silver medal at the 2008 NHK Trophy.

That same season, she also won the 2008 Finlandia Trophy and finished 8th at the 2009 Four Continents Championships.

Suzuki appeared at two Grand Prix events, winning the 2009 Cup of China and finishing 5th at the 2009 Skate Canada International.

She qualified to the 2009–10 Grand Prix Final, where she won the bronze medal.

She was awarded a place on the Japanese Olympic team after she placed second at the 2009–10 Japan Championships.

She placed eighth at the 2010 and 2014 Winter Olympics.

She was also assigned to compete at the 2010 Four Continents Championships, where she won the silver medal.

At the Olympics, she finished 8th, and was later 11th at the 2010 World Championships – her first senior Worlds.

Suzuki opened her season with gold at the 2010 Finlandia Trophy.

She received silver at both of her Grand Prix events, the 2010 Cup of Russia and the 2010 Cup of China.

She qualified for her second consecutive Grand Prix Final, this time finishing fourth.

A fourth-place finish at the national championships left her off the Worlds team, but she was selected to go to the 2011 Four Continents Championships, where she finished 7th.

Competing again on the Grand Prix series, Suzuki won the silver medal at the 2011 Skate Canada International and the gold medal at the 2011 NHK Trophy.

Her placements qualified her for the 2011 Grand Prix Final where she won the silver medal.

She won the silver behind Mao Asada at the 2011–12 Japan Championships.

She is the 2012 World Championships bronze medalist, a three-time Grand Prix Final medalist (2011 silver, 2009 & 2012 bronze), a two-time Four Continents silver medalist (2010, 2013), the 2007 Winter Universiade champion, and the 2013 Japanese national champion.

At the 2012 World Championships, Suzuki won the bronze medal, becoming the oldest ladies' single skater to medal at the event since Maria Butyrskaya.

At the 2012 ISU World Team Trophy, she won the ladies' event, defeating World champion Carolina Kostner.

Team Japan also won the event overall.

Suzuki received the same Grand Prix assignments as the previous season.

She won the silver medal at the 2012 Skate Canada International and the 2012 NHK Trophy, qualifying her for the 2012–13 Grand Prix Final.

At the final, she placed third in the short program.

She fell twice in the free skating, finishing third overall.

In December 2012, Suzuki said that the 2013–14 season would be her last.

She finished fourth at the 2012–13 Japan Championships behind Satoko Miyahara.

Suzuki won the silver medal at the 2013 Four Continents Championships, as part of a Japanese sweep of the ladies' event with teammates Mao Asada and Kanako Murakami taking the gold and bronze medal respectively.

She placed twelfth at the 2013 World Championships.

She became engaged to a former classmate in June 2016 and married him on February 1, 2017.

They divorced in 2018.

Suzuki trained in Nagoya, Japan.

At the same time, she worked for Toho Real Estate, which has its own skating rink.