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Miki was born on December 18, 1987 in Aichi,
Japan, in the Aichi Prefecture. As a girl, she tried her hand at many athletic
and artistic activities such as swimming, ballet, piano and calligraphy.
Miki started to skate at the age of nine. Her
first triple jump, a Salchow, came two years later. She is the only female
skater to have landed a quadruple jump, also a Salchow, in competition. Her
first quad was performed at the 2002 ISU Junior Grand Prix Final in the
Netherlands when she was barely 15 years old. Miki has also landed the elusive
triple Axel in practice and is working on the quad loop and toe loop.
 Among Miki’s competitive highlights are winning
her two Japanese National Ladies Senior titles in
2004 and 2005 (defeating such
tough homegrown competitors as
Shizuka
Arakawa,
Fumie Suguri,
Yoshie Onda and
Yukina Ota along the way), her Bronze
(2002), Silver (2003) and Gold (2004)
medals at the World Junior Figure Skating
Championship, Gold medal at the 2004 Junior Grand Prix Final, and her fourth
place finish at the Senior Worlds in 2004, weeks after winning the World Junior
title.
This past season saw Miki
2004-05 saw Miki successfully debut
full-time in senior international competition, during which she won bronze and
silver at two senior Grand Prix events, finished fourth at the prestigious Grand
Prix Final in Beijing, and finished sixth at the World Championships in Moscow,
skating in the final flight of skaters.
 In 2005-06, Miki
left Japan and her coaches Nabuo and Kumiko Sato, the parents and
former coaches of Yuka, for Cleveland and 1960 Olympic champion
Carol Heiss-Jenkins. Under Carol's tutelage, Miki rediscovered
her love for skating. Despite winning a silver medal at Cup of
Russia and being named to Japan's Olympic team, she was disappointed
with her 15th place result in Turin, and returned to Japan and a former coach, Yuko Monna,
for the 2006-07 season. We wish Miki all the best as she
prepares for a bold comeback in the upcoming year, which will
culminate in the World Championships in Tokyo.
Miki’s skating idols include 1994 World Champion
Yuka Sato, as well as her teammate, competitor and close friend Shizuka Arakawa.
Miki found Shizuka’s performance at the 1998 Nagano Olympics particularly
inspiring.
Miki is a charming young lady on and off of the
ice. While she can be quiet and shy around strangers, she warms up quickly.
She has been known to laugh and joke around with her friend Shizuka while on
the road. Her English is very good and she gives enthusiastic interviews.
Miki’s favorite comic strip character is Snoopy, and she can be seen clutching
Snoopy toys after her programs.
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