Kyoko Ina

Kyoko Ina

Ina & Zimmerman in 2001.
Personal Information
Country represented:	United States
Date of birth:	October 11, 1972 (1972-10-11) (age 37)
Height:	152 cm
Partner:	John Zimmerman
Former partner:	Jason Dungjen
Former coach:	Tamara Moskvina, Igor Moskvin, Peter Burrows
Former choreographer:	Alexander Zhulin, Artur Dmitriev
Skating club:	SC of New York
Retired:	2002

Kyoko Ina (伊奈 恭子, Ina Kyoko^?, born October 11, 1972) is a Japanese-American figure skater. With partner John Zimmerman, she is a three-time (2000-2002) U.S. national champion and 2002 Olympian. With partner Jason Dungjen, she was a two-time (1997 & 1998) U.S. Champion and a 1994 & 1998 Olympian.

Life and career

Ina was born in Tokyo, Japan, but raised in New York. She started skating at the age of 4, at the rink at Rockefeller Center. Ina skated singles and pairs for Japan in the Junior ranks, but eventually decided to compete solely for the United States.

Her first American partnership was with Jason Dungjen from 1991 to 1998, under the coaching of Peter Burrows and Marylynn Gelderman in Monsey, New York. They excelled as a pair and placed 4th in the 1998 Winter Olympics. Their partnership ended following that season.

She teamed up with John Zimmerman then formed a skating partnership, and they trained under Tamara Moskvina and Igor Moskvin in Hackensack, New Jersey. They are able to capitalize on their height difference and perform various difficult lifts.

They won 3 U.S. Championships and competed at the 2002 Winter Olympics. They won the bronze medal at the 2002 World Figure Skating Championships.

Ina had not yet turned professional when, on July 18, 2002, the USADA chose to perform an out-of-competition doping test on her. The agent came to her home for an unscheduled test at 10:30 at night. Ina stated that she could not produce the urine sample because she had already prepared to go to sleep.^[1] Ina was led to believe by the agent that the test could be rescheduled for the following day,^[2] but she was later charged with refusing to take a doping test. She was suspended by the USADA because of this and faced fines. Despite what had been reported, Ina never faced suspension from the International Skating Union because the refused test was a national out of competition test.^[3] Ina's case was further complicated because it was not clear at the time if she had or had not officially retired from competition at the time of the attempted test.^[4] Ina eventually filed a case with the Court of Arbitration for Sport, but later withdrew it. In the end, Ina accepted a two-year sanction from the USADA.^[5]

Ina and Zimmerman skated with the Stars on Ice tour for many years.

Competitive history

Pairs career

(with John Zimmerman)

(with Jason Dungjen)

Singles career

For the United States

• J = Junior level

For Japan

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Kyoko Ina

• Kyoko Ina at the International Skating Union
• Official Site