Wakaba Higuchi

Wakaba Higuchi was born on January 2, 2001, in Tokyo, Japan, and began her figure skating journey at the age of three, training under Koji Okajima since she was five. Her early career saw her achieve success at the novice level, winning titles at the Gardena Spring Trophy, International Challenge Cup, and Asian Trophy in the early 2010s. In the 2014–2015 season, Higuchi made her international junior debut, earning a silver medal at the JGP in Ostrava and a gold medal in Dresden, which qualified her for the Junior Grand Prix Final where she won bronze. She continued her junior success, securing her first Japanese national junior title in 2014 and a bronze medal at her senior national debut at the Japan Championships.

Higuchi’s ascent continued with a second consecutive World Junior bronze medal in 2016. Her senior international debut in the 2016–2017 season included a gold medal at the CS Lombardia Trophy and a bronze at the 2016 Trophée de France. A significant achievement came in the 2017–2018 season when she earned a silver medal at the World Championships in Milan and qualified for her first senior Grand Prix Final. Despite an injury-affected 2018–2019 season, Higuchi made a comeback, eventually winning a silver medal at the 2019–2020 Japan Championships and notably attempting her first triple Axel in competition at the 2020 Four Continents Championships.

The 2021–2022 season marked a career highlight with her participation in the Beijing Winter Olympics, where she earned a silver medal in the team event and placed fourth in the women’s singles event, becoming the fourth woman to land a triple Axel at the Olympic Games. Following an injury-induced break in the 2022–2023 season, Higuchi returned to competitive skating in 2023–2024. In the 2024–2025 season, she achieved her first Grand Prix gold medal at Skate America and qualified for the Grand Prix Final, finishing fourth. Higuchi announced her plan to retire from competitive skating at the end of the 2025–2026 season.