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born December 18, 1987 is a retired Japanese figure skater. She is the 2007 and 2011 World champion, 2011 Four Continents champion, 2004 World Junior champion, and a three-time (2003, 2004 & 2010) Japanese national champion.
Ando is the first female skater to complete a quadruple jump successfully in competition. She accomplished this at the 2002–03 Junior Grand Prix Final in The Hague, Netherlands.
Ando gave birth to a daughter, Himawari ("sunflower" in Japanese), in April 2013.
Making her junior international debut, Ando won both of her 2001–02 ISU Junior Grand Prix (JGP) assignments and qualified for the JGP Final, where she also won gold. Nationally, she became the Japanese junior champion and senior bronze medalist. She concluded her season with bronze at the 2002 World Junior Championships.
Ando won both of her 2002–03 JGP assignments. At the JGP Final, she became the first female skater to land a quad jump of any kind in a competition, performing a quadruple Salchow jump on her way to the bronze medal. She remained the only woman ever to perform this feat until January 2018, when junior skater Alexandra Trusova ratified the same jump in competition. That season she defended her national Junior crown and took silver at the World Junior Championships.
Ando was prominent in 2003–04, winning all her junior competitions including the Junior Grand Prix Final, her third consecutive national junior title, and the Junior Worlds. She also won the Japan Championships (senior) and placed 4th at her first senior World Championships.
Ando was named to the Japanese Olympic team in accordance with the criteria that were to include two seasons into consideration. At the Olympics, she placed 15th, after falling three times in her free skate, once on her quad attempt. She was not placed on the team to the World Championships the following month.
At the Japanese Nationals, Ando dislocated her shoulder while performing a spin in her free skate but skated on to place second overall behind Mao Asada.
At the 2007 Worlds, Ando placed second in both the short program and the free skate, and scored a total of 195.09 points to win the World Championship by less than one point over Asada.Hines (2011), p. 24 Ando set new personal bests in both the short program and the free skate, and a new personal best total score. She was named one of Vogue Japan's "Women of the Year for 2007" and received six other awards including the "most valuable mention" from the Japanese Olympic Committee.
In the following February, Ando competed for the first time at Four Continents, where she attempted a 4S but popped it to a double. She won the bronze medal. At Worlds, Ando was 8th after the short program and was forced to withdraw during her free skate due to a leg muscle strain she had been suffering since that morning.
At the Japan Championships, she was in 3rd place after the short program. During the free skate warm-up, she collided with Fumie Suguri, and injured her knee. She placed third and earned one of Japan's three spots at the 2009 World Championships. Before the event, the Japanese skating federation wanted her to leave Morozov. There, she won the bronze medal with a total of 190.38 after placing fourth in the short program and second in the free program.
Ando represented Japan in a team competition, 2009 ISU World Team Trophy, in Tokyo, Japan, where she placed 3rd at the short program, 6th at the free skate and 5th overall. Team Japan was placed 3rd, winning the bronze medal.
At this GP Final in Tokyo, Ando placed first in the short program, 0.56 points ahead of second-place finisher Yuna Kim, and second in the free skate. She was awarded the silver medal behind Kim but ahead of the bronze medalist Akiko Suzuki. With this result, she earned a spot in Japan's Olympic team despite placing fourth at the Japanese Championships.
In February 2010, Ando competed at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. In the short program, she executed a 3Lz-3L combination but the 3L was downgraded. She earned levels 3 and 4 on spins. Ranked fourth in the short program and sixth in the free skate, she finished fifth overall. Although she originally intended to miss the 2010–11 season, she changed her mind following the Olympics.
At the 2010 World Championships, she finished fourth overall after placing eleventh in the short – having fallen on her opening 3Lz – and third in the free.
At Cup of China, Ando attempted a 3Lz-3Lo combination in the short program, but the loop was deemed underrotated by the technical panel, and she placed third in this segment. She won the free skate segment with a clean performance and won the event overall, ahead of silver medalist Akiko Suzuki and bronze medalist Alena Leonova.
Ando competed with a back injury at Rostelecom Cup after a collision with Abzal Rakimgaliev, from Kazakhstan, earlier in the week in practice. An underrotated 3F in the short program left her in 5th place after the short program but she placed first in the long program, winning the gold medal ahead of silver medalist Suzuki and bronze medalist Ashley Wagner.
With two gold medals in the Grand Prix circuit, Ando qualified for the Grand Prix Final in Beijing, where she performed her renewed short program that was completed only a week prior. Mistakes on two jumps left her in 5th place following the short program. She ranked first in the free skate but it was not enough to make up the gap from the short program, and she stayed 5th overall.
On December 26, Ando won her third Japanese National title over silver medalist Mao Asada and bronze medalist Kanako Murakami, and these three were nominated into the Japanese team for the World Championships, which at the time were scheduled to be held in Tokyo in March 2011. At the Four Continents Championships in February, Ando placed first in both the short program and free skating segments to win the competition overall. Her total score of 201.34 was a season's and personal best.
Ando won the gold medal at the World Championships in Moscow, Russia, beating silver medalist Yuna Kim by 1.29 points and bronze medalist Carolina Kostner by 11.11 points.
Career
Early career
Ando began skating in 1996 at the age of eight. Her first coach was Rina Horie. Yuko Monna, whose students at that time included Mao Asada and Mai Asada, soon began teaching Ando. Beginning in the 2000–01 season, she was coached by Nobuo Satō, and her program already featured a 3Lz-3Lo.
2004–05 season
The 2004–05 season was her first full season as a senior skater. She won two medals in the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating series and qualified for the Grand Prix Final, where she placed fourth. She won her second national senior title and placed sixth at 2005 Worlds.
2005–06 season
Ando relocated to the United States to train with Carol Heiss Jenkins in preparation for the 2005–06 season which included the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino. The season began well, when she won the silver medal at the 2005 Cup of Russia, but she finished 4th at the 2005 NHK Trophy and narrowly qualified for the Grand Prix Final, where she placed 4th. At Japanese Nationals, she placed 6th.
2006–07 season
Ando changed coaches again for the 2006–07 season. Training with her new coach, Nikolai Morozov, Ando won gold at the 2006 Skate America and silver at the 2006 Trophée Eric Bompard. She qualified for the Grand Prix Final, where she placed 5th. It was later revealed that Ando, along with the rest of the Japanese team, competed in Saint Petersburg while suffering stomach flu.
2007–08 season
Ando's 2007–08 season began with a silver medal at the 2007 Skate America but placed fourth at the 2007 NHK Trophy, where she fell three times in her free skate. She did not qualify for the Grand Prix Final. At the Japan Championships, she won the free skate to place second overall, again behind Asada.
2008–09 season
In the 2008–09 Grand Prix season, Ando placed third after Yuna Kim and Yukari Nakano at Skate America and placed second, behind Kim, again, at the Cup of China. At the Grand Prix Final, Ando stayed on her foot after an attempted 4S in her free skate program, the first time in competition since 2004, though the rotations were not considered enough and the jump was downgraded. Despite her last place finish, Ando stated that she was very happy with her performance, and that she would continue to work on her 4S.Hines (2011), pp. 23-24
2009–10 season
The Japan Skating Federation set, as one of its criteria for choosing the skaters to send to the 2010 Winter Olympics, the highest Japanese medal finisher at the Grand Prix Final. With this in mind, Ando competed at Rostelecom Cup; she placed third in the short program and won the free skate to win the competition overall. At the NHK Trophy, she placed second in both segments and first overall. The two wins qualified Ando for the Grand Prix Final.
2010–11 season
Ando was assigned to Cup of China and the Rostelecom Cup for the 2010–11 Grand Prix season. In August, shortly before the beginning of the season, she changed her training base while abroad from Hackensack, New Jersey, USA, to Daugavpils, Latvia. She was originally said to have intended to move to Russia, but this plan had to be changed due to the smog and heat wave in Moscow.
2011–12 season
In June, it was reported that Ando would sit out the 2011–12 Grand Prix series. She later decided not to compete all season, and in ISU events she appeared only once as an invited skater in the exhibition of the World Team Trophy. Instead, Ando participated in numerous shows worldwide, and among them, a benefit event for the victims of the earthquake and tsunami of March 11, 2011, called "Reborn Garden", was planned, co-choreographed and co-produced by Ando herself. The characteristic choreography by Ando and Tsurutani is to a non-stop sequence of various music assembled into one story scene, similar to a ballet program.
2012–13 season
Ando was assigned to the 2012 Cup of China and 2012 Trophee Eric Bompard. In May, Ando said she was uncertain if she was ready to return to competition but she had to sign a commitment. In October, she withdrew from both events because she was unable to find a permanent coach. At the end of the same month, Ando learned she was pregnant. She gave birth in April 2013 to a baby girl and resumed training a month later.
2013–14 season
After two years away from competition and five months after giving birth, Ando appeared at the 2013 Nebelhorn Trophy and won the silver medal behind Russian senior debutant Elena Radionova. Following her seventh-place finish at the 2014 Nationals, Ando announced her retirement from competitive skating and said that she intended to pursue a coaching career. Former world champ Ando says sayonara her way
Post-competitive
Ando has worked for Japanese television and begun coaching. She was also a main cast member at the annual touring ice show Fantasy on Ice, having participated in all editions from 2010 to 2019. In 2013, she performed in a live music collaboration with singer Ai to the song "To mama", after giving birth to her daughter Himawari.
Away from figure skating
She joined SASUKE 39 at 28 December 2021. She failed Stage 1 at Dragon Glider.
Programs
Post–2014
Pre–2014
Competitive highlights
GP: Grand Prix; JGP: Junior Grand Prix
2nd 2nd 2nd 7th WD: Withdrew
T: Team result; P: Personal result. Medals awarded for team result only. 3rd
Detailed results
Small medals for short program and free skating awarded only at ISU Championships.
December 20–23, 2013 2013–14 Japan Championships 5
64.879
106.257
171.12December 5–8, 2013 2013 Golden Spin of Zagreb 2
62.812
114.012
176.82November 19–24, 2013 2013 Ice Challenge 1
56.782
94.122
150.90September 26–28, 2013 2013 Nebelhorn Trophy 2
59.794
103.072
162.86October 1, 2011 2011 Japan Open – 6
88.113T April 25 – May 1, 2011 2011 World Championships 2
65.581
130.211
195.79February 15–20, 2011 2011 Four Continents Championships 1
66.581
134.761
201.34December 24–26, 2010 2010–11 Japan Championships 2
64.761
137.581
202.34December 8–12, 2010 2010–11 Grand Prix Final 5
50.451
122.705
173.15November 19–21, 2010 2010 Rostelecom Cup 5
54.001
120.471
174.47November 5–7, 2010 2010 Cup of China 3
56.111
116.101
172.21October 2, 2010 2010 Japan Open – 2
115.021T March 22–28, 2010 2010 World Championships 11
55.783
122.044
177.82February 14–27, 2010 2010 Winter Olympic Games 4
64.766
124.105
188.86December 25–27, 2009 2009–10 Japan Championships 3
68.684
116.764
185.44December 2–6, 2009 2009–10 Grand Prix Final 1
66.202
119.742
185.94November 2–5, 2009 2009 NHK Trophy 2
56.222
106.331
162.55October 22–25, 2009 2009 Rostelecom Cup 3
57.181
114.751
171.93April 15–19, 2009 2009 ISU World Team Trophy 3
62.086
105.443T/5P
167.52March 23–29, 2009 2009 World Championships 4
64.122
126.263
190.38December 25–27, 2008 2008–09 Japan Championships 3
65.024
109.073
174.09December 10–14, 2008 2008–09 Grand Prix Final 5
55.445
102.816
158.25November 5–9, 2008 2008 Cup of China 2
59.302
111.582
170.88October 23–26, 2008 2008 Skate America 2
57.803
110.623
168.42March 17–23, 2008 2008 World Championships 8
59.21WD – February 11–17, 2008 2008 Four Continents Championships 2
60.073
117.593
177.66December 26–28, 2007 2007–08 Japan Championships 2
68.681
135.502
204.18November 29 – December 2, 2007 2007 NHK Trophy 2
60.527
85.294
145.81October 25–28, 2007 2007 Skate America 2
56.581
105.312
161.89April 29, 2007 2007 Japan Open – 1
112.651T March 19–25, 2007 2007 World Championships 2
67.982
127.111
195.09December 27–29, 2006 2006–07 Japan Championships 2
69.503
116.152
185.65December 14–17, 2006 2006–07 Grand Prix Final 2
67.526
89.805
157.32November 17–19, 2006 2006 Trophée Eric Bompard 2
65.022
109.422
174.44October 26–29, 2006 2006 Skate America 2
66.741
125.851
192.59March 14, 2006 2006 Japan Open – 4
104.561T February 10–26, 2006 2006 Winter Olympics 8
56.0016
84.2015
140.20December 23–25, 2005 2005–06 Japan Championships 6
60.246
113.126
173.36December 16–18, 2005 2005–06 Grand Prix Final 3
56.704
100.604
157.30December 1–3, 2005 2005 NHK Trophy 4
54.564
99.784
154.34November 24–27, 2005 2005 Cup of Russia 2
60.762
111.542
172.30March 14–20, 2005 2005 World Championships 2
27.667
59.307
106.186
193.14December 24–26, 2004 2004–05 Japan Championships – 3
63.231
109.241
172.47December 16–19, 2004 2004–05 Grand Prix Final – 5
51.063
100.044
151.10November 11–14, 2004 2004 Cup of China – 4
49.764
100.564
150.32November 4–7, 2004 2004 NHK Trophy – 3
50.901
119.462
170.36October 21–24, 2004 2004 Skate America – 1
53.646
89.003
142.64March 22–28, 2004 2004 World Championships Senior 2 3 4 4 March 1–6, 2004 2004 World Junior Championships Junior 1 1 1 1 December 25–26, 2003 2003–04 Japan Championships Senior – 2 1 1 December 12–14, 2003 2003–04 JGP Final Junior – 2 1 1 November 22–23, 2003 2003–04 Japan Junior Championships Junior – 1 1 1 October 16–19, 2003 2003 JGP Mexico Junior – 1 1 1 September 25–26, 2003 2003 JGP Japan Junior – 1 1 1 Feb. 24 – March 2, 2003 2003 World Junior Championships Junior 3 3 2 2 December 20–22, 2002 2002–03 Japan Championships Senior – 2 6 5 December 12–15, 2002 2002–03 JGP Final Junior – 5 2 3 November 23–24, 2002 2002–03 Japan Junior Championships Junior – 1 1 1 October 17–20, 2002 2002 JGP China Junior – 2 1 1 September 26–29, 2002 2002 JGP Canada Junior – 3 1 1 March 4–10, 2002 2002 World Junior Championships Junior 1 4 3 3 December 21–23, 2001 2001–02 Japan Championships Senior – 3 3 3 December 13–16, 2001 2001–02 JGP Final Junior – 2 1 1 November 23–24, 2001 2001–02 Japan Junior Championships Junior – 1 1 1 November 1–4, 2001 2001 JGP Sweden Junior – 1 1 1 September 27–30, 2001 2001 JGP Czech Republic Junior – 3 1 1
External links
Categories: Miki-ando.com Official Website, 1987 Births, Figure Skaters At The 2006 Winter Olympics, Japanese Female Single Skaters, Living People, Olympic Figure Skaters For Japan, Figure Skaters From Nagoya, Figure Skaters At The 2010 Winter Olympics, World Figure Skating Championships Medalists, Four Continents Figure Skating Championships Medalists, World Junior Figure Skating Championships Medalists, Fantasy On Ice Main Cast Members, 21st-century Japanese Sportswomen
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