Daisuke Takahashi: “I’ve never really thought of myself as someone who ‘delivers results.’ Even winning Japan’s first-ever Olympic medal in men’s skating, I think luck was on my side for that.”
Interview with Daisuke Takahashi: Reflections on His Career and Life After Retirement.
original source: news.yahoo.co.jp dd. May 21st 2025
An article posed on Yahoo / GOETHE compiles key highlights from Daisuke Takahashi’s interviews published in February and March 2024. Here’s a translation.
Takahashi first retired at age 28, then returned to skating at age 32 switching to ice dance, and then officially bid farewell to competitive skating at 37 in May 2023.
“When I retired the first time, I had no goals and didn’t know what to do next. I felt stuck, unable to move forward, and I didn’t understand what retirement really meant. It was simply terrifying.
When I retired the second time, it was different. Before making that decision, I already had a clear direction for the next stage of my life. I felt like I was moving onto a new chapter. Having experienced retirement once, I knew it was okay to take a break if I was exhausted and that things would continue to move forward even after retiring.
I think stepping away when you’ve pushed yourself to the breaking point is sometimes necessary. Viewing things from the outside allows you to reassess whether you truly want to keep going,” Takahashi said.
“I’ve never really thought of myself as someone who ‘delivers results.’ Compared to Yuzuru (Hanyu) or Shoma (Uno), they’re consistently excellent every single time, aren’t they? I’ve never been able to perform at a consistently high level like that. Sometimes my performances were a complete disaster, and with competitions, you never know what’ll happen. Even winning Japan’s first-ever Olympic medal (Vancouver 2010, bronze), I think luck was on my side for that.”
Takahashi continues, sharing how important the support around him was during his career.
“In my case, I had an amazing environment around me. Great people supported me. They built a system where I could fully focus on my skating without worrying about other things, which allowed me to concentrate on competing. That said, it can backfire sometimes. Because I relied on that support, I ended up getting a bit too comfortable (laughs). If I didn’t have anyone helping me, I’d have had no choice but to do everything on my own, and maybe I’d have become even stronger than I am now because of it,” admitted Daisuke.
In 2024, Daisuke Takahashi embarked on two major ice shows. One was the brand-new ice show “Kassouya” (The Skating Shop), and the other is Hyoen 2024 (Glide and Elegance.)
“Kassouya” is the first ice show I’ve ever fully produced myself. For choreography, I brought in someone who isn’t a skating choreographer, hoping to add a fresh perspective by exploring how unconventional choreography could be expressed through skating. This is also the first time we’ve invited skaters who have never performed in ice shows before, so honestly, I have no idea how it will turn out (laughs). But my main goal is to create an atmosphere that’s very different from typical ice shows, and that’s where I’m putting most of my energy.”
The innovations in “Kassouya” don’t stop at choreography. Takahashi personally attended regional competitions to scout skaters with compelling performances, regardless of their results. Even ticket pricing and production methods challenge the norms of traditional ice shows, as he aimed to expand the fanbase and make skating more accessible.
“Ice shows often tend to have high ticket prices due to venue costs, such as freezing the rink and inviting well-known skaters. But with Kassouya, we tried to keep ticket prices as low as possible. Kyushu, where the show is being held, isn’t a place with many skating competitions or shows, so I think there are a lot of people there who have never seen live skating.
For those who aren’t familiar with ice shows, a two-hour performance might feel too long. So, we shortened the runtime to about an hour and 15 minutes and increased the number of performances to make it easier for people to attend casually.”
Throughout his career, Daisuke Takahashi did all he could as a skater to support his sport. When skating rinks in Kurashiki and Osaka faced closure, he joined signature campaigns to save them. After the Great East Japan Earthquake, despite preparing for the World Championships, he quickly took action and organized a charity exhibition to support recovery efforts — not as a top figure skater, but simply as a person who wanted to help. Now, following his second retirement, he’s once again working to expand the possibilities within figure skating.
“Figure skating, like many sports, mainly gets media coverage when athletes win competitions. But we’re at a transitional point where information sources are shifting from TV and newspapers to platforms like social media.
That’s why I think it’s important to try new approaches — like what I’m aiming for with Kassouya —to attract people who might not normally be interested in skating. My hope is to create shows that make people think, ‘Hey, I might check this out.’ Beyond fans of specific skaters, I want to grow a broader audience of people who find figure skating itself fascinating.”
Traditionally, most people encounter figure skating through televised broadcasts. However, even performances that leave a strong impression on TV may fail to achieve high scores, highlighting the inherent complexity of judged sports.
“I feel like the current rules are too detailed. Skaters now often have to perform certain elements specifically to score points. It’s like, ‘You have to do this move to get these points,’ or ‘If you don’t follow this jump with that step, you won’t score.’ From the audience’s perspective, it can feel like everyone is doing the same thing.”
Takahashi also admits that his lifestyle and approach to maintaining his body have changed significantly compared to his competitive days due to irregular practice schedules and the demands of his current routines.
“First, I’m very thorough with my skincare. Keeping a clean, fresh appearance is important (laughs). As for food, I used to eat whatever I wanted, but now I manage my diet carefully. When an ice show is approaching or I’m focusing on building muscle, I make sure to eat properly. But when I don’t have much time to exercise, I stick to just one meal a day — it works well for my body. I’m very intent on eliminating stress from my life. I love fried food and alcohol, and I don’t want to give those up. So when I do eat, I make it count and indulge as much as I like!
When it comes to fitness, I can’t spend as much time on ice training as I did during my competitive career, so I’ve incorporated more strength training into my routine. I work with a personal trainer about two to three times a week. They create training plans tailored to the kind of performance I aim for, so I leave everything in their hands. Also, although I’ve been too busy to do it lately, I’d like to take dance lessons as well.”
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