Ikura Kushida

Ikura Kushida (櫛田 育良, Kushida Ikura; born October 29, 2007) is a Japanese figure skater. With ice dance partner, Koshiro Shimada, she is the 2025–26 Japanese national silver medalist.

As a singles skater, she is the 2022 JGP Czech Republic bronze medalist, the 2023–24 Japan Junior silver medalist, and the 2024–25 Japan Junior bronze medalist.^[1]

Kushida was born on 29 October, 2007 in Aichi, Japan. Apart from figure skating, she also enjoys creative dancing.^[2][1][3]

She is currently a student at Chukyo University Senior High School.^[4]

Kushida began skating in 2012 at the age of four.^[2][5] She initially trained at the Howa Sports Land Skating Club in Aichi, where she was coached by Hiroshi Nagakubo, Yoriko Naruse, Miho Kawaume, and Yuko Hongo.^[6][7] In 2020, Kushida relocated to Uji, Kyoto to train at the Kinoshita Academy under coaches Mie Hamada, Satsuki Muramoto, and Hiroaki Sato.^[8][9][3]

At the 2020 Japanese National Novice Championships, Kushida finished fourth in the novice A category. The following season, she would finish twelfth at the 2020–21 Japan Junior Championships.^[1][10][9]

Throughout 2021, Kushida tried pairs skating with fellow Kinoshita Academy skater, Sumitada Moriguchi, but the pair split after less than a year together with Kushida electing to focus on singles skating.^[11] She would go on to compete at the 2021–22 Japan Junior Championships, finishing eighth.^[1][10]

Kushida made her international debut on the Junior Grand Prix at the 2022 JGP Czech Republic, where she won the bronze medal.^[12] She went on to compete at the 2022–23 Japan Junior Championships, finishing fourth, and was selected to compete at the 2022–23 Japan Senior Championships due to this top eight finish. She would place eighth at those championships.^[13][1]

Kushida finished her season by winning a silver medal at the 2023 International Challenge Cup on the junior level.^[12]

Competing on the Junior Grand Prix, Kushida started the season by competing at the 2023 JGP Japan and the 2023 JGP Armenia, finishing fourth at both events.^[12]

Kushida went on to compete at the 2023–24 Japan Junior Championships, unexpectedly winning the short program ahead of overwhelming favourite, Mao Shimada.^[14] She would place third in the free skate and won the silver medal overall behind Shimada.^[9][1] With this result, Kushida was selected to represent Japan at the 2024 World Junior Championships.^[15] She was also selected to compete at the 2023–24 Japan Senior Championships due to her top eight finish at the junior championships.^[16] At those championships, Kushida finished twenty-fifth in the short program and did not advance to the free skate segment of the competition.^[1] Following the event, Kushida said that while disappointed, she hoped to be able to use this experience to motivate her at future events.^[17]

At the 2024 World Junior Championships in Taipei, Kushida finished third in the short program, winning a bronze small medal for the segment. She said that she had felt "more nervous than usual" beforehand, given that it was her ISU championship debut. Kushida struggled in the free skate, falling twice, coming eleventh there and dropping to fifth overall.^[18]

Kushida started the season in late August, finishing fifth at 2024 JGP Latvia. Almost three months later, she would win the bronze medal at the 2024–25 Japan Junior Championships. This result ensured her qualification to compete at the senior championships, where she finished in fourteenth place.^[19][10]

In May, it was announced that Kushida had teamed up with fellow singles skater, Koshiro Shimada, with the intention of competing in the ice dance discipline. Kushida also shared that she intended to continue competing in the women's singles discipline simultaneously.^[20][21] It was subsequently announced that the pair would be coached by Cathy Reed at the Kinoshita Academy in Kyoto.^[22]

Kushida began the season by competing in the women's singles discipline on the 2025–26 ISU Junior Grand Prix series, finishing fifth at 2025 JGP United Arab Emirates.^[10]

In late October, Kushida/Shimada debuted as a team at the 2025 Western Sectional Championships, the qualifying competition for the Japanese National Championships. They won the event, almost sixteen points ahead of the second placed team, Sasaki/Ikeda.^[23] The following month, Kushida competed in the singles discipline at the 2025–26 Japan Junior Championships, where she finished in seventh place.^[10] With this result, Kushida was invited to compete at the senior national championships.^[24]

At the beginning of December Kushida/Shimada competed at their first international competition, the 2025 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb, where they placed thirteenth, narrowly missing the required technical minimum for the 2026 Winter Olympics and Four Continents Championships by 1.56 points.^[25][26] Kushida stated: "The result is disappointing, but I feel we managed to pull the performance together fairly well. I think it was good that we completed both the Rhythm Dance and Free Dance without major mistakes."^[27]

A couple weeks later, Kushida/Shimada won the silver medal at the 2025–26 Japan Championships behind Yoshida/Morita.^[23][28][29] Kushida also went on to finish twentieth in the women's singles event.^[10]

• Ikura Kushida at the International Skating Union
• Ikura Kushida at the Japan Skating Federation
• Ikura Kushida at Skating Scores
• Ikura Kushida on Instagram