Waseda Student Mone Chiba Wins Silver Medal at World Figure Skating Championships
Thu, Apr 2, 2026-
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Chiba performing in the women’s free skate at the World Figure Skating Championships (Photo: Kyodo News)
At the World Figure Skating Championships held in Prague, Czech Republic on March 28, Mone Chiba (School of Human Sciences’ Online Degree Program), a member of Waseda University’s figure skating club, competed in the women’s free skate and won the silver medal with a superb performance that significantly surpassed her personal best.
Chiba striking her final pose in the women’s short program at the World Figure Skating Championships (Photo: Kyodo News)
Chiba, who was in second place after the short program with 78.45 points, scored 150.02 points in the free skate to music from the movie “Romeo and Juliet.” With nearly flawless jumps and brilliant spins, she surpassed her personal best by more than 10 points in total for the short and free programs, scoring 228.47 points and moving up one place from third place last year to second place this year.
Chiba (left) holding up her silver medal on the podium, alongside Kaori Sakamoto (center), who won the gold medal and retired after this competition (Photo: Kyodo News)
Chiba: “ The frustration of being just one step away from a medal at the Olympics became my greatest motivation.”
At the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, Chiba delivered a performance that earned her a then-personal best score of 217.88 points, but she missed out on the bronze medal by just 1.28 points. Standing on the podium as a silver medalist, Chiba shed copious tears and said, “I was able to successfully turn the tears of frustration I shed at the Olympics into tears of joy at the World Championships. The frustration of being just one step away from a medal at the Olympics became my greatest motivation. I believe that both good and bad memories will be useful in the future, so I want to work hard to become even stronger from now on.”(*) With these words, she ended the season with a smile.
(*)Translated from the original Japanese
A Congratulatory Message from Waseda University President Aiji Tanaka
I extend my heartfelt congratulations to Mone Chiba, a member of our University’s skating club and a student in the online degree course of the School of Human Sciences, for winning a silver medal at the World Figure Skating Championships held in Prague, Czech Republic.
At the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, she delivered a personal best performance, coming within a hair’s breadth of a medal and ultimately securing a respectable fourth place. Despite shedding tears of disappointment, she quickly looked ahead, saying, “I have no regrets about my performance, so I want to work hard towards the World Championships,” demonstrating the indomitable spirit characteristic of Waseda University students.
When traveling abroad for competitions, she makes time to study during breaks between competitions and practices, and while waiting at the airport. She also communicates with other members of the skating club through online meetings. As she enters her third year at university this spring, we look forward to seeing her giver her all in both her studies and her sport.
Waseda University President Aiji Tanaka
Chiba celebrates by embracing Sakamoto (Photo: Kyodo News)
