(''née'' Ozawa) is a Japanese figure skater who is now a coach. She won the 1983

Japan Figure Skating Championships The Japan or All-Japan Figure Skating Championships ( ja, 全日本フィギュアスケート選手権) are a figure skating national championship held annually to determine the national champions of Japan. Skaters compete in the disciplines of ...

and 1986 Winter Asian Games,

1985 Winter Universiade The 1985 Winter Universiade, the XII Winter Universiade, took place in Belluno, Italy. Medal table 1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Intern ...

Early career

Osada showed much promise as a young skater in her mid-teen years. Osada participated in her first international competition as an alternate for another skater, Megumi Aotani, at 1980 Enia Challenge Cup in the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

at the age of 15. There, she landed three triples, a Salchow, a

toe loop The toe loop jump is the simplest jump in the sport of figure skating. It was invented in the 1920s by American professional figure skater Bruce Mapes. The toe loop is accomplished with a forward approach on the inside edge of the blade; the ska ...

, and a

loop Loop or LOOP may refer to: Brands and enterprises * Loop (mobile), a Bulgarian virtual network operator and co-founder of Loop Live * Loop, clothing, a company founded by Carlos Vasquez in the 1990s and worn by Digable Planets * Loop Mobile, an ...

in her free skate, which equaled or exceeded the difficulty of the top male skaters back then. Although her poor standings in compulsories caused her to place 6th overall, she received the special

Rookie A rookie is a person new to an occupation, profession, or hobby. In sports, a ''rookie'' is a professional athlete in their first season (or year). In contrast with a veteran who has experience and expertise, a rookie is usually inexperienced ...

Award alongside

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

's 14-year-old

Grzegorz Filipowski Grzegorz Filipowski (Polish pronunciation: ; born 28 July 1966) is a former Polish competitive figure skater. He is the 1985 European bronze medalist, the 1989 European silver medalist and the 1989 World bronze medalist. Filipowski competed ...

. Then, in October 1982, Osada placed a close 2nd behind

Midori Ito is a Japanese former figure skater. She is the 1989 World champion and the 1992 Olympic silver medalist. She is the first woman to land a triple-triple jump combination and a triple Axel in competition. At the 1988 Calgary Olympics, she bec ...

at All Japan Free Championships in Kobe, which was followed by a surprise 4th-place finish at the

NHK Trophy The NHK Trophy is an international, senior-level figure skating competition held as part of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating series. Organized by the Japanese Skating Federation, it began in 1979 and was added to the Grand Prix series in 19 ...

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...

, where she placed behind

Katarina Witt Katarina Witt (, ; born 3 December 1965) is a German former figure skater. A two-time Olympic champion, Witt is regarded as one of the greatest ladies' singles figure skaters of all time. Her Laureus profile states "she is remembered most for ...

Rosalynn Sumners Rosalynn Diane Sumners (born April 20, 1964) is an American former competitive figure skater. She was the World Junior champion in 1980, the U.S. National champion in 1982, 1983 and 1984, World champion in 1983, and won a silver medal at the ...

, and

Tiffany Chin Audrey Tiffany Chin (born October 3, 1967) is an American figure skating coach and former competitor. She is a two-time World bronze medalist (1985–1986), a two-time Skate America champion (1983, 1986), and the 1985 U.S. national champion. P ...

while finishing ahead of world medalists such as

Claudia Leistner Claudia Pfrengle (née Leistner, born 15 April 1965) is a German former figure skater. She is a two-time World silver medalist and the 1989 European champion. Career Leistner was a roller skater before taking up ice skating. In the 1981–82 ...

and

Elizabeth Manley Elizabeth Ann Manley, CM (born August 7, 1965) is a Canadian former competitive figure skater. She is the 1988 Olympic silver medallist, the 1988 World silver medalist and a three-time Canadian national champion. Early life and training Manle ...

. After winning the All Japan Figure Skating Championships in January 1983, Osada was sent to the

World Championships A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...

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in March 1983. There, she made a series of errors in compulsories, in which she placed a disappointing 24th. In her short program, she missed the triple loop jump in her combination, which only allowed her to pull up to 21st after this segment of the competition. Due to the new rule instituted in the 1982–1983 season (which, incidentally, was abolished after that season), Osada was unable to skate her free program in "Group A," or the main competition consisting of those who placed 15th or above after short program. Instead, she was placed in "Group B" and won the free skate, which resulted in the 3rd-place finish in "Group B"--or 18th overall. Osada's placement there was noted in ISU's decision not to continue this dual-grouping policy, because her scores in free skating would have placed her 7th in "Group A" in that segment, which would have placed her significantly higher overall. However, she was never given the opportunity to place above 16th in free skate, due to her placement in "Group B." By contrast, many strong compulsory figure skaters who were poor free skaters ended up placing high in the end, because they were guaranteed at least a 15th-place finish in free skating, as long as they placed in the top 15 after short program.

Later career

Given the way Osada skated in the 1982–1983 season, many expected her to continue to progress in the world ranks. However, she placed poorly in compulsories at 1983–1984 All Japan Championships, where she finished 4th, costing her the opportunity to compete at the Sarajevo Olympics in 1984. Around this time, Osada experienced a growth spurt, which made her triple jumps less consistent and less dynamic. Although she won a couple of bronze medals at

, she was never able to regain her national title, nor was she able to make the Japanese world or Olympics team. By 1986, she was no longer training seriously, as she shifted her focus to her studies at

Hosei University is a private university based in Tokyo, Japan. The university originated in a school of law, Tōkyō Hōgakusha (, i.e. Tokyo association of law), established in 1880, and the following year renamed Tōkyō Hōgakkō (, i.e. Tokyo school of law ...

. She retired quietly after the 1989 season.

Competitive highlights

References

Citizen-plaza
{{DEFAULTSORT:Osada, Juri Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Japanese female single skaters Asian Games medalists in figure skating Figure skaters at the 1986 Asian Winter Games Asian Games gold medalists for Japan Medalists at the 1986 Asian Winter Games Universiade medalists in figure skating FISU World University Games gold medalists for Japan Competitors at the 1985 Winter Universiade