Kana Muramoto


Kana Muramoto is a Japanese ice dancer. With Chris Reed, she is the 2018 Four Continents bronze medalist, the 2017 Asian Winter Games silver medalist, and a three-time Japanese national champion. They competed in the final segment at five ISU Championships and the 2018 Winter Olympics.

Personal life

Kana Muramoto was born on March 3, 1993, in Akashi, Hyōgo, Japan. She is the younger sister of former figure skater Satsuki Muramoto. In 2011, she graduated from Canadian Academy, an international school in Kobe, Japan.

Career

Early career

Muramoto began learning to skate in 1998. Through the 2013–2014 season, she competed in ladies' singles, coached by Mie Hamada and Yamato Tamura. She won the silver medal at the 2011 Triglav Trophy and bronze at the 2011 Crystal Skate of Romania.
In the 2014–2015 season, Muramoto began appearing in ice dancing with Hiroichi Noguchi. The two placed fourth at the 2014 Tallinn Trophy and took the bronze medal at the Japan Championships.

2015–2016 season: Debut of Muramoto/Reed

On June 17, 2015, Muramoto and Chris Reed announced that they would compete together, coached by Marina Zueva, Oleg Epstein, and Massimo Scali in Canton, Michigan.
Making their international debut, Muramoto/Reed placed 7th at the 2015 NHK Trophy in November. The following month, they won the Japanese national title. In January 2016, the duo took silver at the Toruń Cup in Poland. They placed 7th at the 2016 Four Continents Championships in February in Taipei, Taiwan. In March, they placed 16th in the short dance, 14th in the free dance, and 15th overall at the 2016 World Championships in Boston, Massachusetts.

2016–2017 season

Muramoto/Reed won silver at the 2016 CS U.S. Classic in September, and placed 8th at the 2016 Skate America in October. They withdrew from their November Grand Prix event, the 2016 NHK Trophy. After winning their second national title, the duo took bronze at the 2017 Toruń Cup.
In February, Muramoto/Reed placed 9th at the 2017 Four Continents Championships in Gangneung, South Korea, and won silver at the 2017 Asian Winter Games in Sapporo, Japan. In March, they placed 23rd in the short dance at the 2017 World Championships in Helsinki, Finland. As a result, they did not advance to the final segment and missed qualifying for the Olympics.

2017–2018 season: Pyeongchang Olympics

Muramoto/Reed began their season in September, taking bronze at the 2017 CS U.S. Classic. At the end of the month, they competed at the 2017 Nebelhorn Trophy, the final qualifying opportunity for the Olympics. The two won the silver medaland secured an Olympic spot for Japan. In November, they appeared at a pair of Grand Prix events, finishing 9th at the 2018 NHK Trophy and 7th at the 2017 Skate America. They then won their third national title, outscoring the silver medalists by nearly 17 points.
In January, Muramoto/Reed won the bronze medal at the 2018 Four Continents Championships in Taipei, Taiwan. In February, they competed at the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea. They placed 15th in the short dance, 13th in the free dance, and 15th overall. The following month, they finished 11th at the 2018 World Championships in Milan, Italy.

2018–2019 season: End of Muramoto/Reed

Muramoto/Reed were assigned to the 2018 NHK Trophy and 2018 Rostelecom Cup. However, on August 9, 2018, Japanese news media reported that they had ended their partnership, and that Muramoto planned to search for a new partner.

2020–2021 season

In September of 2019, it was announced that Muramoto had formed a new partnership with former Japanese singles skater Daisuke Takahashi, with plans to debut in the fall of 2020.

Programs

With Reed

With Noguchi

Ladies' singles

Competitive highlights

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

Ice dance with Reed

Ice dance with Noguchi

Ladies' singles