Naoki Rossi Explained

Naoki Rossi
Country: Switzerland
Birth Date:20 January 2007
Birth Place:Zollikerberg, Switzerland
Hometown:Zumikon, Switzerland
Coach:Chafik Besseghier
Formercoach:Uwe Kagelmann
Nicole Bettega
Eva Martinek
Lorenzo Magri
Angelina Turenko
Alisa Mikonsaari
Alexei Pospelov
Viviane Egger-Käser
Choreographer:Stéphane Lambiel
Formerchoreographer:Drew Meekins
Benoît Richaud
Barbara Riboldi
Skating Club:Club des Patineurs de Champéry
Former Skating Club:Eislaufclub Zürcher Oberland ELZO
Currenttraininglocations:Feldkirch, Vorarlberg, Austria
Champéry, Switzerland
Japan
United States
Formertraininglocations:Egna, Italy
Combined Total:220.68
Combined Date:2023 Junior Worlds
Sp Score:79.46
Sp Date:2023 Junior Worlds
Fs Score:141.22
Fs Date:2023 Junior Worlds
Show-Medals:yes

Naoki Rossi (born 20 January 2007) is a Swiss figure skater. He is the 2023 World Junior silver medalist and 2023 JGP Hungary silver medalist.

Personal life

Rossi was born in Zollikerberg, Switzerland. Born to a Japanese mother and Italian-Swiss father, he speaks Japanese, German, English, French, and Italian. Formerly an avid violinist, he started playing the violin before becoming interested in skating, but stopped after moving to Italy.

He is a distant relative of Crown Princess Kiko through his mother, Rieko, who is a second cousin of the princess. Additionally, Rossi's great-great grandfather was Shirō Ikegami, who served as mayor of Osaka from 1913 to 1927, founded Tennōji Zoo in 1915, and opened Japan's first public daycare center in 1919.

In addition to teaching piano, Rossi's mother also teaches ballet with one of her former students being World champion Swiss figure skater, Stéphane Lambiel.

Rossi has cited Yuzuru Hanyu as his biggest figure skating inspiration.

Career

Early years

When Rossi was five years old, his mother brought him to a nearby ice rink to channel his energy, and he soon decided to continue skating. He competed in the advanced novice category during the 2018–19 and 2019–20 seasons.

In the 2020–21 season, at the age of thirteen, he relocated from Switzerland to Italy, deciding to train at the Young Goose Academy in Egna. His first junior international event was the NRW Trophy in November 2020.

2021–22 season

Rossi's ISU Junior Grand Prix (JGP) debut came in September 2021; he placed eighth in Košice, Slovakia, and then fourth in Gdańsk, Poland. He subsequently appeared at a number of other minor international events, and won the Swiss national junior title for the first time.

Ranked twelfth in the short progran and seventh in the free skate, Rossi finished ninth overall at the 2022 World Junior Championships in Tallinn, Estonia.

2022–23 season

Again given two Junior Grand Prix assignments, Rossi finished eighth at the 2022 JGP Poland and fourth at the 2022 JGP Italy. He then made his international senior debut on the Challenger circuit, coming seventh at both the 2022 CS Ice Challenge and the 2022 CS Warsaw Cup.

In the new year, Rossi competed at the European Youth Olympic Winter Festival and won the bronze medal. He then won another bronze medal at the senior level at the Tallink Hotels Cup. Assigned to finish his season at the 2023 World Junior Championships in Calgary, Rossi finished third in the short program with a new personal best score of 79.46, winning a bronze small medal. He was third in the free skate as well, but finished second overall and won the silver medal. This was the first Junior World medal for a Swiss skater since Sarah Meier's bronze medal in 2000, the first for a Swiss man since Richard Furrer also won bronze in 1977, and the highest colour of medal for any Swiss skater ever at the championships. Rossi said he was "actually speechless. I never expected to be on the podium."

Following the season, Rossi made a coaching change from Eva Martinek, Lorenzo Magri, Angelina Turenko, and Alisa Mikonsaari to Uwe Kagelmann and Nicole Bettega. He ultimately changed his training base from Egna, Italy to Feldkirch, Vorarlberg, Austria.

2023–24 season

After a disappointing fifth-place finish at the 2023 JGP Austria, Rossi achieved a better result at his second Junior Grand Prix assignment, the 2023 JGP Hungary. Third in the short program, he moved up to second place after the free skate to win the silver medal.

Rossi would miss the rest of the season due to illness.

2024–25 season

In September 2024, it was announced that Rossi had switched coaches from Uwe Kagelmann and Nicole Bettega to Chafik Besseghier.

Programs

SeasonShort programFree skatingExhibition gala
2024–2025
  • Bitter and Sweet
  • Road Signs Variation Exit Run 44
  • Road Signs Variation One Way
  • Concerto for Viola d'amore in D Minor, RV 394: Il. Largo
  • The Belt of Faith
2023–2024
2022–2023
  • El Flamenco
  • Red Violin
  • Born from Ashes
  • True Love's Last Kiss
  • Yearning Hearts
2021–2022
  • Rain, In Your Black Eyes
  • You Raise Me Up
2020–2021
  • Main Title Theme
  • Wrench and Numbers
  • Movement IV

Competitive highlights

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

International
Event20–2121–2222–2323–24
align=left 7th
align=left 7th WD
align=left Swiss Open WD
align=left Tallink Hotels Cup bgcolor=cc9966 3rd
International: Junior
align=left 9th bgcolor=silver 2nd
align=left 5th
align=left bgcolor=silver 2nd
align=left 4th
align=left 4th 8th
align=left 8th
align=left bgcolor=cc9966 3rd
align=left bgcolor=silver 2nd
align=left 2nd bgcolor=silver 2nd
align=left bgcolor=gold 1st
align=left bgcolor=gold 1st
align=left 6th
National
Switzerland1st J

Detailed results

Junior results

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Naoki Rossi".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2025, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.

2023–24 season
DateEventLevelSPFSTotal
September 20–23, 20232023 JGP HungaryJunioralign=center 3
67.10		align=center 2
137.69		align=center bgcolor=silver 2
204.79
August 30–September 2, 20232023 JGP AustriaJunioralign=center 9
61.78		align=center 4
136.82		align=center 5
198.60
2022–23 season
DateEventLevelSPFSTotal
Feb. 27 – Mar. 5, 20232023 World Junior ChampionshipsJunioralign=center bgcolor=cc9966 3
79.46		align=center bgcolor=cc9966 3
141.22		align=center bgcolor=silver 2
220.68
February 16–19, 20232023 Tallink Hotels CupSenioralign=center 4
73.90		align=center 2
145.55		align=center bgcolor=cc9966 3
219.45
January 25–27, 20232023 European Youth Olympic FestivalJunioralign=center 2
68.88		align=center 4
116.63		align=center bgcolor=cc9966 3
185.51
November 17–20, 20222022 CS Warsaw CupSenioralign=center 6
75.46		align=center 8
132.88		align=center 7
208.34
November 9–13, 20222022 CS Ice ChallengeSenioralign=center 6
69.02		align=center 11
128.57		align=center 7
197.59
October 12–15, 20222022 JGP ItalyJunioralign=center 4
71.71		align=center 6
126.92		align=center 4
198.63
Sept. 28 – Oct. 1, 20222022 JGP Poland IJunioralign=center 6
66.50		align=center 8
121.35 		align=center 8
187.85
2021–22 season
DateEventLevelSPFSTotal
April 13–17, 20222022 World Junior ChampionshipsJunioralign=center 12
67.61		align=center 7
139.04		align=center 9
206.65
April 4–7, 20222022 Egna Spring TrophyJunioralign=center 2
68.44		align=center 2
143.02		align=center bgcolor=silver 2
211.46
February 24–27, 20222022 International Challenge CupJunioralign=center 2
70.55 		align=center 1
139.81		align=center bgcolor=silver 2
210.36
February 5–6, 20222022 Merano CupJunioralign=center 1
69.56		align=center 1
134.81		align=center bgcolor=gold 1
204.37
January 22–23, 20222021–22 Swiss Junior ChampionshipsJunioralign=center 1
69.93		align=center 1
139.00		align=center bgcolor=gold 1
208.93
November 10–14, 20212021 Ice ChallengeJunioralign=center 2
62.53 		align=center 1
118.29		align=center bgcolor=gold 1
180.82
Sept. 29 – Oct. 2, 20212021 JGP PolandJunioralign=center 7
65.51		align=center 12
105.60		align=center 8
171.11
September 1–4, 20212021 JGP SlovakiaJunioralign=center 7
55.82		align=center 4
122.83		align=center 6
178.65
2020–21 season
DateEventLevelSPFSTotal
April 29 – May 2, 20212021 Egna Spring TrophyJunioralign=center 3
62.62		align=center 1
116.45		align=center bgcolor=silver 2
179.07
November 26–29, 20202020 NRW TrophyJunioralign=center 3
54.62 		align=center 8
83.22		align=center 6
137.84