is a Japanese

figure skater Figure skating is a sport in which individuals, pairs, or groups perform on figure skates on ice. It was the first winter sport to be included in the Olympic Games, with its introduction occurring at the 1908 Olympics in London. The Olympic d ...

. He is the 2014 NHK Trophy champion, 2011 Ondrej Nepela Memorial champion, and 2009 Japan Junior bronze medalist. Earlier in his career, he represented the United States, winning a bronze medal on the

ISU Junior Grand Prix The ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating (titled the ISU Junior Series in the 1997–98 season) is a series of international figure skating competition, junior-level competitions organized by the International Skating Union. Medals are awarded ...

series and the 2006 U.S. junior national pewter medal. In 2011, Murakami became the first to land the quad salchow jump in the men's category at the Japan Championships. Murakami has appeared in variety of TV show's in Japan collaborating with Yoshiki Hayashi from

X Japan is a Japanese Rock music, rock band from Chiba Prefecture, Chiba, formed in 1982 by drummer and pianist Yoshiki (musician), Yoshiki and lead vocalist Toshi (musician), Toshi. Starting as a predominantly power metal, power/speed metal band with ...

and

Kenta Maeda is a Japanese professional baseball pitcher in the Chicago Cubs organization. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Minnesota Twins, and Detroit Tigers, and in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) fo ...

from

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...

Personal life

Daisuke "Dice" Murakami was born on January 15, 1991, in Kanagawa, Japan. His family moved to the United States in 2000 after winning a green-card lottery to become US residents.

Career

For the United States

Murakami began skating at age ten, soon after moving to the U.S. He began competing on the juvenile level in 2001. Representing the U.S., Murakami made his international debut in April 2004 at the Triglav Trophy, where he won the novice men's title. He received his first

(JGP) assignments in autumn 2004. In the 2006–07 season, he won the bronze medal at his JGP event in Mexico.

For Japan

Murakami made no international appearances during the 2007–08 season due to his switch to Japan. He was released at the start of the following season but could not compete at his first JGP assignment, in Mexico, due to a paperwork problem. He placed fourth at his next JGP event, in South Africa. Making his senior international debut, Murakami placed 7th at the 2009 Finlandia Trophy and 9th at his first Grand Prix event, the 2009 NHK Trophy. In 2010, he parted ways with his coach, Nikolai Morozov, and relocated to

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

to work with Frank Carroll. He won the bronze medal at the 2011 Winter Universiade in

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

. The following season, Murakami won gold at the 2011 Ondrej Nepela Memorial and 2011 Merano Cup. He finished sixth at the 2011 Skate America and 2011–12 Japanese Nationals. Murakami began the 2012–13 season by winning the silver medal at 2012 Ondrej Nepela Memorial. He dislocated his right shoulder during competition at the 2012 NHK Trophy, forcing him to withdraw from the event. He also withdrew from the 2012–13 Japanese Nationals due to his recovery, but came back to finish the season with a bronze medal at the 2012 Triglav Trophy. In the 2013–14 season, Murakami won both the Tokyo Regionals and the Eastern Sectionals. He then won the silver medal at 2013 Merano Cup. He came in tenth at the 2013–14 Japanese Nationals and finished the season with a gold medal at the Coupe du Printemps in

Luxembourg Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France on the south. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembour ...

. On August 12, 2014, it was announced that Murakami had been selected as a host pick at the 2014 NHK Trophy. In September, he placed third in the 2014 U.S. International Classic at Salt Lake City, Utah. In November, he won the men's single event at the NHK Trophy, beating three skaters who qualified for the Grand Prix Final. At the 2015 Four Continents Championships in Seoul, Korea, he set personal best scores in all segments; he placed third in the free skate and fourth overall. In the 2014–15 season, Murakami won the bronze medal at Grand Prix Skate Canada. He then was awarded the bronze medal at the 2015 Trophee Eric Bompard after placing third in the short program. The second day of competition was cancelled due to the November 2015 Paris attacks. Murakami qualified for the Grand Prix Final where he finished 6th. He was named as an alternate for the Japanese Olympic team

Programs

Competitive highlights

''GP: Grand Prix; CS: Challenger Series; JGP: Junior Grand Prix''

Results for Japan

Results for the United States

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Murakami, Daisuke American male single skaters Sportspeople from Greater Los Angeles Japanese male single skaters 1991 births Living people Sportspeople from Kanagawa Prefecture Winter World University Games medalists in figure skating FISU World University Games bronze medalists for Japan Competitors at the 2011 Winter Universiade 21st-century American sportsmen