Sonoko Nakano

Sonoko Nakano
Nakano at the 2017 Four Continents Championships
Personal information
Native name
中野園子
Born (1952-10-16) October 16, 1952
Kobe, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan

Sonoko Nakano (中野園子, Nakano Sonoko; born October 16, 1952) is a Japanese figure skating coach.

Nakano is best known for coaching Kaori Sakamoto, a four-time Olympic medalist and three-time World champion, and Mai Mihara, a two-time Four Continents and the 2022–23 Grand Prix Final champion, for their entire careers.[1]

Personal life

Nakano was born on October 16, 1952 in Kobe, Hyōgo Prefecture. She is a graduate of Nihon University.[2]

Coaching career

Nakano coaches alongside Mitsuko Graham, Masahiro Kawagoe, and Sei Kawahara for the Kobe Figure Skating Club.[3] Following the 1995 Kobe earthquake, Nakano cycled to check on the safety students.[4]

Nakano's team originally trained in rinks in Port Island, Kobe, Himeji, and Osaka as the original rink in Kobe was only open from autumn through spring, up until a full-year facility was built in Nishinomiya in 2013.[4] As of June 2025, the team trains out of the Sysmex Kobe Ice Campus, a new full-year facility in Kobe.[5]

Nakano is a vice chairman of the Japan Figure Skating Instructor Association.[6] She occasionally choreographs for her skaters.[7]

Nakano inspired her student Kaori Sakamoto to want to become a coach.[8] After Sakamoto won the silver medal at the 2026 Winter Olympics, Nakano told her: "You won silver, Kaori. That means it’s now your turn to try to raise a gold medallist."[9] She remarked that following their coach-student relationship ending with Sakamoto's retirement: "This time, I need to teach her how to teach technique, not technique. That's the only thing that will change."[10]

Her current students include:

Her former students include:

References

  1. ^ a b c "坂本花織、三原舞依と切磋琢磨　いつもそばに「最大のライバル」" [Kaori Sakamoto and Mai Mihara compete with each other, their "biggest rival" always by their side]. Kochi Shimbun (in Japanese). February 19, 2026.
  2. ^ "中野 園子" [Sonoko NAKANO]. Japanese Olympic Committee (in Japanese).
  3. ^ S-PARK (February 25, 2022). "「私の宝物は中野先生、グレアム先生、川原先生」坂本花織が3人のコーチとつかんだ12年ぶり快挙" ["My treasures are Professor Nakano, Professor Graham, and Professor Kawahara" - Kaori Sakamoto and her three coaches achieve this feat for the first time in 12 years]. Fuji News Network (in Japanese).
  4. ^ a b "あなたはどの舞台で？オリンピアンも滑走した兵庫のスケートリンク" [Where will you be? Hyogo's skating rink where Olympians have skated]. Kobe Shimbun (in Japanese). February 9, 2018.
  5. ^ "【フィギュア】来季引退の坂本花織、コーチ転向予定「団体も個人も、銀以上を」26年五輪が集大成" [[Figure skating] Kaori Sakamoto, who will retire next season, plans to become a coach. "I want to win silver or better in both the team and individual events." The 2026 Olympics will be her culmination.]. Nikkan Sports (in Japanese). June 21, 2025.
  6. ^ "Officers" (PDF). Japan Figure Skating Instructor Association. June 8, 2025.
  7. ^ "Kaori SAKAMOTO: 2014/2015". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on May 21, 2015.
  8. ^ Fukui, Shiho (March 23, 2022). "「今までにないくらい熱いハグ」　坂本花織が中野園子コーチを慕う理由" ["The warmest hug I've ever had": Why Kaori Sakamoto admires her coach Sonoko Nakano]. AERA Digital (in Japanese).
  9. ^ Kano, Shintaro (February 19, 2026). "Winter Olympics 2026: Japan's teary Sakamoto Kaori reflects on silver-medal skate, looks to "raise a gold medallist" as coach". International Olympic Committee.
  10. ^ "４歳から厳しく優しく　坂本花織選手育てた中野園子コーチ―フィギュア〔ミラノ・コルティナ五輪〕" [Coach Sonoko Nakano, who nurtured figure skater Kaori Sakamoto with strictness and kindness from the age of four (Milan-Cortina Olympics)]. Jiji Press (in Japanese). February 20, 2026.
  11. ^ a b Sawada, Aki (December 17, 2024). "岡山理科大学の三宅咲綺、やっと見つけた自分らしいスケート　全日本で納得いく演技を" [Okayama University of Science's Saki Miyake finally finds her own style of skating, delivering a satisfying performance at the All Japan Championships]. 4years (in Japanese).
  12. ^ "フィギュア・上薗恋奈、「自分に強く、自分を強くをテーマに」　坂本花織、三原舞依らと同じ神戸クラブの所属に" [Figure skater Uezono Rena, "Strong on myself, strong on myself" - Joins the same Kobe club as Sakamoto Kaori, Mihara Mai and others]. Chunichi Shimbun (in Japanese). July 1, 2025.
  13. ^ "2013中部フィギュア 注目のジュニアたちが登場" [2013 Chubu Figure Skating Championships: Notable Juniors Appear]. Nagoya Broadcasting Network (in Japanese). September 22, 2013.
  14. ^ Gallagher, Jack (April 20, 2022). "[ICE TIME] Perseverance Pays Off for Tatsuya Tsuboi With Bronze at World Juniors". Japan Forward.
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