Women
JPN
Sumire Kikuchi
JPN- Date of birth15 Jan 1996
- Height1600 CM
- ProfessionAthlete, Office Worker
- HometownYamanashi
- Place of birthN/A
- Start skating Club She began speed skating with short track at age eight in Japan. Fuji Kyuko: Japan
- HobbiesWatching animated films, reading manga. (Athlete, 13 Feb 2023)
- LanguagesJapanese
- Other nameSu (Athlete, 15 Nov 2023)
- CoachAyaka Kikuchi [sister], JPN; Eiji Kohara, JPN; Masatoshi Ito, JPN
- ChoreographerN/A
- Former CoachN/A
- Practice low seasonN/A
- Practice high seasonN/A
- General Interest
- Sport Specific Information
In 2014 she received the Nagano Prefecture Sports Honorary Award in Japan. (mainichi.jp, 26 Mar 2014)
She was a flag bearer for Japan at the 2012 Winter Youth Olympic Games in Innsbruck, Austria. (minamiaiki.jp, 23 May 2012)
She received the Best New Athlete Award at the 2011 ABN Sports Grand Awards in Japan. (abn-tv.co.jp, 31 May 2014)
She was a flag bearer for Japan at the 2012 Winter Youth Olympic Games in Innsbruck, Austria. (minamiaiki.jp, 23 May 2012)
She received the Best New Athlete Award at the 2011 ABN Sports Grand Awards in Japan. (abn-tv.co.jp, 31 May 2014)
"Keep growing, keep progressing." (Athlete, 04 Nov 2018)
To compete in both speed skating and short track at the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milan-Cortina. (hochi.news, 23 Oct 2022)
RETURN TO SPEED SKATING
She combined short track and speed skating at youth and junior international level, but began focusing on short track after finishing high school. In 2019 she took up speed skating again after joining the Fuji Kyuko club in Japan, which has both short track and speed skating teams. She focused on short track in the 2021/22 season, and also competed in the sport at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing. However, she returned to speed skating after the 2022 Games with the aim of competing in both sports at the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milan-Cortina. (hochi.news, 23 Oct 2022, 25 Sep 2021; number.bunshun.jp, 18 Jan 2020)
She combined short track and speed skating at youth and junior international level, but began focusing on short track after finishing high school. In 2019 she took up speed skating again after joining the Fuji Kyuko club in Japan, which has both short track and speed skating teams. She focused on short track in the 2021/22 season, and also competed in the sport at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing. However, she returned to speed skating after the 2022 Games with the aim of competing in both sports at the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milan-Cortina. (hochi.news, 23 Oct 2022, 25 Sep 2021; number.bunshun.jp, 18 Jan 2020)
She has represented Japan in both short track and speed skating. She competed in short track at the Olympic Winter Games in 2018 and 2022, and made her speed skating World Cup debut in 2022. (SportsDeskOnline, 14 Feb 2023; fujitv.co.jp, 06 Aug 2020)
Her older sister encouraged her to try the sport.
Ayaka Kikuchi [sister], JPN; Eiji Kohara, JPN; Masatoshi Ito, JPN
