| Naoki Rossi | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
_187.jpg) Naoki Rossi during the Opening Ceremony at the2020 Winter Youth Olympics | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | (2007-01-20)20 January 2007 (age 18) Zollikerberg, Switzerland | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Hometown | Zumikon, Switzerland | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Figure skating career | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Country |  Switzerland | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Coach | Chafik Besseghier | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Skating club | Club des Patineurs de Champéry | ||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Naoki Rossi (born 20 January 2007) is a Swissfigure skater. He is the2023 World Junior silver medalist and2023 JGP Hungary silver medalist.
Rossi was born inZollikerberg, Switzerland.[1] Born to a Japanese mother and Italian-Swiss father, he speaks Japanese, German, English, French, and Italian.[2] Formerly an avid violinist, he started playing the violin before becoming interested in skating, but stopped after moving to Italy.[2]
He is a distant relative ofCrown Princess Kiko through his mother, Rieko, who is a second cousin of the princess. Additionally, Rossi's great-great grandfather was Shirō Ikegami, who served as mayor ofOsaka from 1913 to 1927, foundedTennōji Zoo in 1915, and opened Japan's first publicdaycare center in 1919.[3]
In addition to teaching piano, Rossi's mother also teaches ballet with one of her former students beingWorld champion Swiss figure skater,Stéphane Lambiel.[3]
Rossi has citedYuzuru Hanyu as his biggest figure skating inspiration.[3]
When Rossi was five years old, his mother brought him to a nearby ice rink to channel his energy, and he soon decided to continue skating.[2][3] He competed in the advanced novice category during the 2018–19 and 2019–20 seasons.
In the 2020–21 season, at the age of thirteen, he relocated from Switzerland to Italy, deciding to train at the Young Goose Academy inEgna.[2] His first junior international event was theNRW Trophy in November 2020.[4]
Rossi'sISU Junior Grand Prix (JGP) debut came in September 2021; he placed eighth inKošice, Slovakia, and then fourth inGdańsk, Poland. He subsequently appeared at a number of other minor international events, and won theSwiss national junior title for the first time.[5]
Ranked twelfth in the short progran and seventh in the free skate, Rossi finished ninth overall at the2022 World Junior Championships inTallinn, Estonia.[5]
Again given twoJunior Grand Prix assignments, Rossi finished eighth at the2022 JGP Poland and fourth at the2022 JGP Italy. He then made his international senior debut on theChallenger circuit, coming seventh at both the2022 CS Ice Challenge and the2022 CS Warsaw Cup.[5]
In the new year, Rossi competed at theEuropean Youth Olympic Winter Festival and won the bronze medal. He then won another bronze medal at the senior level at the Tallink Hotels Cup.[5] Assigned to finish his season at the2023 World Junior Championships in Calgary, Rossi finished third in the short program with a new personal best score of 79.46, winning a bronze small medal.[6] He was third in the free skate as well, but finished second overall and won the silver medal. This was the first Junior World medal for a Swiss skater sinceSarah Meier's bronze medal in2000, the first for a Swiss man sinceRichard Furrer also won bronze in1977, and the highest colour of medal for any Swiss skater ever at the championships. Rossi said he was "actually speechless. I never expected to be on the podium."[7]
Following the season, Rossi made a coaching change from Eva Martinek, Lorenzo Magri,Angelina Turenko, andAlisa Mikonsaari toUwe Kagelmann and Nicole Bettega. He ultimately changed his training base fromEgna, Italy toFeldkirch, Vorarlberg, Austria.[8]
After a disappointing fifth-place finish at the2023 JGP Austria, Rossi achieved a better result at his secondJunior Grand Prix assignment, the2023 JGP Hungary. Third in the short program, he moved up to second place after the free skate to win the silver medal.[9]
Rossi would miss the rest of the season due to illness.[10]
In September 2024, it was announced that Rossi had switched coaches fromUwe Kagelmann and Nicole Bettega toChafik Besseghier.[11]
| Season | Short program | Free skating | Exhibition gala |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024–2025 [11] |
|
| |
| 2023–2024 [8] | |||
| 2022–2023 [1] |
|
|
|
| 2021–2022 [12] |
|
| |
| 2020–2021 [13] |
|
GP:Grand Prix; CS:Challenger Series; JGP:Junior Grand Prix
| International[5] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Event | 20–21 | 21–22 | 22–23 | 23–24 |
| CSIce Challenge | 7th | |||
| CSWarsaw Cup | 7th | WD | ||
| Swiss Open | WD | |||
| Tallink Hotels Cup | 3rd | |||
| International: Junior[5] | ||||
| Junior Worlds | 9th | 2nd | ||
| JGPAustria | 5th | |||
| JGPHungary | 2nd | |||
| JGPItaly | 4th | |||
| JGPPoland | 4th | 8th | ||
| JGPSlovakia | 8th | |||
| EYOF | 3rd | |||
| Challenge Cup | 2nd | |||
| Egna Trophy | 2nd | 2nd | ||
| Ice Challenge | 1st | |||
| Merano Ice Trophy | 1st | |||
| NRW Trophy | 6th | |||
| National[4] | ||||
| Switzerland | 1st J | |||
| 2023–24 season | |||||
| Date | Event | Level | SP | FS | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 20–23, 2023 | 2023 JGP Hungary | Junior | 3 67.10 | 2 137.69 | 2 204.79 |
| August 30–September 2, 2023 | 2023 JGP Austria | Junior | 9 61.78 | 4 136.82 | 5 198.60 |
| 2022–23 season | |||||
| Date | Event | Level | SP | FS | Total |
| Feb. 27 – Mar. 5, 2023 | 2023 World Junior Championships | Junior | 3 79.46 | 3 141.22 | 2 220.68 |
| February 16–19, 2023 | 2023 Tallink Hotels Cup | Senior | 4 73.90 | 2 145.55 | 3 219.45 |
| January 25–27, 2023 | 2023 European Youth Olympic Festival | Junior | 2 68.88 | 4 116.63 | 3 185.51 |
| November 17–20, 2022 | 2022 CS Warsaw Cup | Senior | 6 75.46 | 8 132.88 | 7 208.34 |
| November 9–13, 2022 | 2022 CS Ice Challenge | Senior | 6 69.02 | 11 128.57 | 7 197.59 |
| October 12–15, 2022 | 2022 JGP Italy | Junior | 4 71.71 | 6 126.92 | 4 198.63 |
| Sept. 28 – Oct. 1, 2022 | 2022 JGP Poland I | Junior | 6 66.50 | 8 121.35 | 8 187.85 |
| 2021–22 season | |||||
| Date | Event | Level | SP | FS | Total |
| April 13–17, 2022 | 2022 World Junior Championships | Junior | 12 67.61 | 7 139.04 | 9 206.65 |
| April 4–7, 2022 | 2022 Egna Spring Trophy | Junior | 2 68.44 | 2 143.02 | 2 211.46 |
| February 24–27, 2022 | 2022 International Challenge Cup | Junior | 2 70.55 | 1 139.81 | 2 210.36 |
| February 5–6, 2022 | 2022 Merano Cup | Junior | 1 69.56 | 1 134.81 | 1 204.37 |
| January 22–23, 2022 | 2021–22 Swiss Junior Championships | Junior | 1 69.93 | 1 139.00 | 1 208.93 |
| November 10–14, 2021 | 2021 Ice Challenge | Junior | 2 62.53 | 1 118.29 | 1 180.82 |
| Sept. 29 – Oct. 2, 2021 | 2021 JGP Poland | Junior | 7 65.51 | 12 105.60 | 8 171.11 |
| September 1–4, 2021 | 2021 JGP Slovakia | Junior | 7 55.82 | 4 122.83 | 6 178.65 |
| 2020–21 season | |||||
| Date | Event | Level | SP | FS | Total |
| April 29 – May 2, 2021 | 2021 Egna Spring Trophy | Junior | 3 62.62 | 1 116.45 | 2 179.07 |
| November 26–29, 2020 | 2020 NRW Trophy | Junior | 3 54.62 | 8 83.22 | 6 137.84 |
