Misato Komatsubara

Komatsubara/Koleto at the2019 Four Continents
Personal information
Native name	小松原 美里
Born	(1992-07-28)July 28, 1992 (age 33) Tokyo, Japan
Height	1.60 m (5 ft 3 in)
Figure skating career
Country	Japan  Italy (2014–2016)
Partner	Tim Koleto (2016–24) Andrea Fabbri (2014–2016) Kaoru Tsuji (2011–2013) Kokoro Mizutani (2009–2011)
Coach	Marie-France Dubreuil Patrice Lauzon Romain Haguenauer Rie Arikawa Cathy Reed
Skating club	Montreal International School of Skating
Began skating	2001
Retired	2024
HighestWS	28th (ice dance,2021)
Event Olympic Games 0 1 0 Japan Championships 5 2 1 Italian Championships 0 0 2 World Team Trophy 0 1 1 Medal list representing Japan Olympic Games 2022 Beijing Team Japan Championships 2018–19 Osaka Ice dance 2019–20 Tokyo Ice dance 2020–21 Nagano Ice dance 2023–24 Nagano Ice dance 2021–22 Saitama Ice dance 2017–18 Tokyo Ice dance 2022–23 Osaka Ice dance 2016–17 Osaka Ice dance World Team Trophy 2019 Fukuoka Team 2021 Tokyo Team Medal list representing Italy Italian Championships 2015 Turin Ice dance 2016 Turin Ice dance

Misato Komatsubara (小松原 美里,Komatsubara Misato; born July 28, 1992) is a retired Japaneseice dancer. She represented her home country in partnership with her husbandTim Koleto, with whom she is the2020 NHK Trophy champion and a five-timeJapanese national champion (2018-21, 2023). Together, they also earned a silver medal from theteam event at the2022 Winter Olympics.^[a]

She previously represented Italy withAndrea Fabbri, with whom she won five international medals, including silver at the2015 CS Ice Challenge.

Komatsubara was born on July 28, 1992, in Tokyo.^[1] She speaks Japanese, English, and Italian.^[2] She is vegan.^[3]

Komatsubara andTim Koleto began a relationship after partnering on-ice in 2016, and they married in January 2017 inOkayama, Japan.^[4][5] Koleto adopted Komatsubara's surname upon his becoming a Japanese citizen in 2020, feeling that "to be Japanese but ask my wife to change to a foreign surname I thought was quite strange."^[6]

Komatsubara began learning to skate in 2001.^[7] She competed for Japan with Kokoro Mizutani in the 2009–10 and 2010–11 seasons. In 2010, the two received a pair ofJunior Grand Prix assignments. They were coached byNozomi Watanabe inYokohama, Japan.^[8]

During the next two seasons, Komatsubara skated with Kaoru Tsuji. Their partnership ended in 2013. After a pause, she decided to continue skating and resumed training underRie Arikawa inOkayama.^[9]

Komatsubara teamed up with Italy'sAndrea Fabbri. The two were coached byBarbara Fusar-Poli in Milan from December 2013.^[10] They represented Italy on the senior level. Their international debut came in October 2014 at theOndrej Nepela Trophy, aChallenger Series (CS) event where they finished 6th. After winning bronze medals at theSanta Claus Cup andItalian Championships, they were sent to the2015 European Championships inStockholm, where they placed 23rd. The two ended their season with gold at theBavarian Open.

In 2015–16, Komatsubara/Fabbri took bronze at theLombardia Trophy and then appeared at twoChallenger Series events, winning silver at the2015 Ice Challenge. After obtaining another silver medal, at the2015 Santa Claus Cup, they repeated as national bronze medalists and went on to compete at the2016 European Championships inBratislava, where they finished 21st. They were coached by Fusar-Poli andStefano Caruso inMilan, Italy.^[9][7]

Komatsubara and Fabbri ended their partnership in April 2016.^[11]

Komatsubara teamed up withTimothy Koleto following a tryout in Milan in April 2016.^[4] They decided to train together in Milan underBarbara Fusar-Poli.^[10] They received the bronze medal at the2016–17 Japan Championships in December 2016.^[12]

Making their international debut for Japan, Komatsubara/Koleto placed 8th at theCS Lombardia Trophy in September 2017. They finished tenth at their only Grand Prix assignment, the2017 NHK Trophy. The two won the silver medal in December at the2017–18 Japan Championships. In late January, they placed tenth at the2018 Four Continents Championships. In early February, they placed fourth at the 2018Toruń Cup.^[12]

In March 2018, Komatsubara/Koleto announced that they had moved toMontreal,Quebec, Canada, to train underMarie-France Dubreuil,Patrice Lauzon, andRomain Haguenauer.^[13] They won bronze at both of theirISU Challenger Series events, the2018 CS Asian Open Trophy and2018 CS US International Classic. They then competed at two Grand Prix assignments, placing eighth at the2018 NHK Trophy and eighth at the2018 Rostelecom Cup.^[12]

Following the Rostelecom Cup, the team moved to train in Japan (coached byRie Arikawa) in order for Koleto to meet a residency requirement for a future citizenship application.^[2] They won their first ice dance title at the2018-19 Japan Championships in December 2018. They placed ninth at the2019 Four Continents Championships after placing ninth in both segments. Komatsubara/Koleto represented Japan at their firstWorld Championships, held inSaitama, where they placed twenty-first in the rhythm dance, missing the free dance by one ordinal.^[12]

To conclude the season, they participated in the2019 World Team Trophy as part of Team Japan, which won the silver medal, though Komatsubara/Koleto placed sixth of sixth competitors in each of their segments. Komatsubara served as the Japanese team captain.^[14]

Initially scheduled to begin the season at the2019 CS Autumn Classic International, Komatsubara/Koleto withdrew early in the preseason as a result of Komatsubara having sustained multiple concussions that necessitated time away from training.^[15] They later made their season debut at a differentChallenger, the2019 CS Asian Open, where they finished ninth.^[16] On theGrand Prix, they were tenth out of ten teams at the2019 Cup of China and then withdrew from the2019 NHK Trophy.

Returning to competition at the2019–20 Japan Championships, they won their second consecutive national title.^[17][18] Komatsubara/Koleto finished eleventh at the2020 Four Continents Championships. They were also assigned to compete at theWorld Championships inMontreal, but these were cancelled as a result of thecoronavirus pandemic.^[19]

With the pandemic continuing to affect international travel, the ISU opted to base theGrand Prix primarily on geographic location, and Komatsubara/Koleto were assigned to compete at the2020 NHK Trophy in a field consisting of only three Japanese dance teams, including the newly debuted pairing of former national championKana Muramoto and former Olympic medalist singles skaterDaisuke Takahashi. The event occurred a week after Koleto successfully obtained Japanese citizenship, making the team eligible to represent Japan at theWinter Olympics, and he said it was "great to share this moment with the Japanese audience." They placed first in the rhythm dance by over six points.^[20] Winning the free dance as well, they took the title, the first Japanese dance team to win the NHK Trophy in its history.^[21]

Competing at the2020–21 Japan Championships, Komatsubara/Koleto placed first in the rhythm dance, four points ahead of Muramoto/Takahashi.^[22] They won the free dance by almost twenty points, with both the silver and bronze medalists making serious errors, and took their third consecutive national title. They were named as Japan's representatives to the2021 World Championships inStockholm.^[23] They placed nineteenth, making the free dance for the first time.^[24] Komatsubara/Koleto's result qualified a berth for a Japanese dance team at the2022 Winter Olympics.^[25]

Komatsubara/Koleto finished the season at the2021 World Team Trophy, where they placed fifth in both of their segments of the competition, and Team Japan won the bronze medal.^[26][27][28]

In preparing their programs for the Olympic season, Komatsubara and Koleto briefly contemplated a Japanese theme for their rhythm dance but opted against it because Koleto felt "it could be difficult for me as a Caucasian man to skate to a Japanese style. How can I respectfully portray my country that I care so much about in a way that doesn’t feel like a Halloween costume, in a way that doesn’t feel like a joke." Instead, they chose a free dance toJohn Williams' score forMemoirs of a Geisha, as Komatsubara felt "there were pieces of our story, pieces of our road, all inside of this music in this movie."^[6]

Komatsubara/Koleto made their season debut at the2021 Skate America, where they placed sixth.^[12] At their second event on theGrand Prix, the2021 NHK Trophy, they finished in seventh place, 7.30 points behind domestic rivalsMuramoto/Takahashi. Koleto said afterwards, "there were a lot of things that didn’t go as we wanted them," but expressed satisfaction at having achieved new personal bests. He said their goal was to score over 180 points at the national championships.^[29]

The2021–22 Japan Championships, the final national qualification event for the2022 Winter Olympics, pitted Komatsubara/Koleto against Muramoto/Takahashi for the second time that season. They won the rhythm dance, and finished second in the free dance to win the title overall, and were subsequently named to theJapanese Olympic team.^[30]

Komatsubara/Koleto began the2022 Winter Olympics as the Japanese entries in the rhythm dance segment of theOlympic team event. They placed seventh in the segment, securing four points for Team Japan.^[31] They finished fifth of the five dance teams in the free segment, taking six points for Japan. The Japanese team ultimately won the bronze medal, making the podium for the first time in the history of the team event.^[32] In thedance event, Komatsubara/Koleto finished twenty-second in the rhythm dance.^[33]

After placing seventh at the2022 CS U.S. Classic, Komatsubara/Koleto were seventh as well at the2022 Skate Canada International. They finished ninth at the2022 NHK Trophy.^[12]

Komatsubara/Koleto won the silver medal at the2022–23 Japan Championships, finishing behind Muramoto/Takahashi. Komatsubara said "We are disappointed about the result, but we had a lot of fun."^[34]

At the2023 Four Continents Championships, Komatsubara/Koleto finished sixth in the rhythm dance and seventh overall, remaining ahead of their domestic rivals in both segments.^[35] They then finished fourth at theInternational Challenge Cup.^[36]

Komatsubara/Koleto made their season debut at the2023 NHK Trophy, placing ninth of nine teams in their lone international assignment of the fall.^[37] They next competed at the2023–24 Japan Championships, which proved to be a tight contest between them and two other newer senior teams. They finished second in the rhythm dance behindTanaka/Nishiyama, and second in the free dance behindYoshida/Morita, but finished first overall, 1.96 points clear of Tanaka/Nishiyama. Remarking on the quality of the competition, Koleto said "I was emotional to see three Japanese ice dance teams fight for Japan."^[38]

With the close result at the national championships, theJapan Skating Federation opted to postpone assigning Japan's lone berth at the2024 World Championships pending the results of all three teams at the2024 Four Continents Championships. Traveling toShanghai to compete, Komatsubara/Koleto finished eighth overall, outscoring their domestic rivals, and setting new personal bests. They finished sixth in the rhythm dance, achieving their goal of breaking the 70-point threshold in that segment.^[39]

Komatsubara/Koleto came twentieth in the rhythm dance at the World Championships, and were the final team to qualify for the free dance. They rose to eighteenth overall after that segment.^[40]

In April 2024, Misato Komatsubara announced that she had retired from competitive skating, citing injuries as the main reason, but wished continue skating in shows with Koleto, while Koleto was still considering his options.^[41][42]

During the2024 Paris Olympics, a medal ceremony was held for Komatsubara/Koleto and their teammates from the2022 Olympic Figure Skating Team Event, where they were awarded their Olympic silver medals.^[43] During the gala exhibition at the2024 NHK Trophy, all members of the 2022 Olympic Team Event, including Komatsubara/Koleto, were invited to center stage, wearing their Olympic costumes and Olympic medals, in celebration of their achievement.^[44]

GP:Grand Prix; CS:Challenger Series; JGP:Junior Grand Prix

• Misato Komatsubara / Timothy Koleto at theInternational Skating Union
• Misato Komatsubara / Andrea Fabbri at theInternational Skating Union
• Misato Komatsubara atOlympedia
• Misato Komatsubara atOlympics.com
• Misato Komatsubara onInstagram

• 1992 births
• Japanese female ice dancers
• Living people
• Figure skaters from Tokyo
• Figure skaters at the 2022 Winter Olympics
• Olympic figure skaters for Japan
• Olympic silver medalists for Japan
• Medalists at the 2022 Winter Olympics
• Olympic medalists in figure skating
• 21st-century Japanese sportswomen

• CS1 Japanese-language sources (ja)
• CS1 Italian-language sources (it)
• CS1: unfit URL
• Articles with short description
• Short description matches Wikidata
• Articles containing Japanese-language text