Wikipedia

Tomoki Hiwatashi

Tomoki Richard Hiwatashi (born January 20, 2000) is an American figure skater. He is the 2018 CS Inge Solar Memorial – Alpen Trophy bronze medalist and a two-time U.S. national medalist.

Tomoki Hiwatashi
Hiwatashi at the 2019 World Junior Championships
Native name樋渡知樹
Born (2000-01-20) January 20, 2000 (age 24)
Englewood, New Jersey
HometownColorado Springs, Colorado
Height1.60 m (5 ft 3 in)
Figure skating career
Country United States
DisciplineMen's singles
CoachMie Hamada
Hiroaki Sato
Satsuki Muramoto
Noriyuki Kanzaki
Skating clubDuPage Figure Skating Club, Buffalo Grove
Began skating2005
Medal record
U.S. Championships
Bronze medal – third place 2020 Greensboro Singles
World Junior Championships
Gold medal – first place 2019 Zagreb Singles
Bronze medal – third place 2016 Debrecen Singles

He is also the 2019 World Junior champion, the 2016 World Junior bronze medalist, a five-time medalist on the ISU Junior Grand Prix series, and the 2016 U.S. junior national champion.

Personal life

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Hiwatashi was born on January 20, 2000, in Englewood, New Jersey.[1] His mother, Satomi, and father, Satoshi Hiwatashi,[2] are both from Kobe, Japan.[3] He was raised with two sisters.[2] For much of his early life, he lived in the Chicago suburb Hoffman Estates. From 2018 to 2023, he trained and resided in Colorado Springs, Colorado before moving to Osaka, Japan to train.[1][4]

Career

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Early career

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Hiwatashi began skating at age five after a rink opened near his house.[2] He competed on the juvenile level during the 2008–2009 season, placing fourth at the Upper Great Lakes Regional Championships. Continuing as a juvenile in 2009–2010, he won the bronze medal at the Upper Great Lakes Regionals before finishing sixth at the 2010 U.S. Championships. During the 2010–2011 season, he won the juvenile gold medal at both the Upper Great Lakes Regionals and the 2011 U.S. Championships.

In 2011–2012, Hiwatashi moved up to the intermediate level, winning the gold medal at the Upper Great Lakes Regionals and the 2012 U.S. Championships. He advanced to the novice level in 2012–13, winning the gold medal at the Upper Great Lakes Regionals, the Midwestern Sectionals, and the 2013 U.S. Championships.

Coached by Alexandre Fadeev in Wilmette, Illinois,[5] Hiwatashi was scheduled to make his ISU Junior Grand Prix (JGP) debut in Mexico in early September 2013 but sustained a medial malleolus fracture in his left foot during an official practice at the competition.[citation needed] As a result, he missed the rest of the 2013–2014 season.

2014–2015 season

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Hiwatashi competed on the junior level during the 2014–2015 season. He won the bronze medal at the Midwestern Sectionals and placed fifth at the 2015 U.S. Championships. He ended his season with the junior gold medal at the International Challenge Cup.

2015–2016 season: World Junior bronze

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In 2015–2016, Hiwatashi debuted on the JGP series, placing fifth in Colorado Springs, Colorado before winning the bronze medal in Zagreb, Croatia. He won the junior silver medal at the Midwestern Sectionals, finishing second to Alexei Krasnozhon, and went on to become the junior national champion, outscoring Kevin Shum by 14.78 points for gold at the 2016 U.S. Championships. Later that month, he was selected to replace the injured Nathan Chen at the 2016 World Junior Championships in Debrecen, Hungary.[6]

In March at the World Junior Championships, he placed sixth in the short program and third in the free skate to win the bronze medal behind Daniel Samohin of Israel and Nicolas Nadeau of Canada. He was coached by Alexander Ouriashev in Glen Ellyn, Illinois.[7]

2016–2017 season

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Hiwatashi started his season at 2016 JGP Saint-Gervais, where he placed sixth. He competed at the 2016 CS Warsaw Cup, placing ninth, and finished fifteenth at the 2017 U.S. Championships on the senior level. During the season, he was coached by Kori Ade in Monument, Colorado.[8]

2017–2018 season: Two Junior Grand Prix bronze

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Hiwatashi won two bronze medals on the 2017 JGP circuit at 2017 JGP Riga and 2017 JGP Egna. At the 2018 U.S. Championships, he placed fifteenth in the short program, seventh in the free skate, and twelfth overall. He finished seventh at the 2018 World Junior Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria. By the end of the season, he was training under Christine Krall and Damon Allen in Colorado.[9]

2018–2019 season: World Junior champion & two Junior Grand Prix silver

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In September 2018, Hiwatashi won the silver medal at the 2018 JGP Canada, behind Petr Gumennik. He won another silver medal at his second event, the 2018 JGP Slovenia. These results qualified Hiwatashi to the 2018–19 Junior Grand Prix Final in Vancouver, Canada. He next competed on the senior level at the 2018 CS Alpen Trophy, where he won the bronze medal. Concluding the fall season at the Junior Grand Prix Final, he placed sixth overall after struggling in both programs.

At the 2019 U.S. Championships, Hiwatashi won the Pewter medal.[10]

Due to US national champion Nathan Chen's schedule conflicting with the 2019 Four Continents Championships, Hiwatashi made his senior ISU Championship debut after being named to the Four Continents team with Vincent Zhou and Jason Brown. He set a new personal best score and placed eighth.[11]

In his final event of the season, Hiwatashi competed at the 2019 World Junior Championships alongside countrymen Alexei Krasnozhon and Camden Pulkinen. He placed second in the short program, briefly holding the junior world record until it was reclaimed minutes later by Pulkinen.[12] In the free skate, he placed second behind Russian competitor Roman Savosin after cleanly landing a quadruple toe loop-triple toe loop combination but popping a second planned quadruple toe loop to a double toe loop. However, his strong placement in the short program combined with his performance in the free skate allowed him to claim victory overall, and he became the World Junior Champion, ahead of Savosin and bronze medalist Daniel Grassl of Italy.[13]

2019–2020 season

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Hiwatashi began his first full senior season with a fifth-place finish at the 2019 CS U.S. Classic. Making this debut on the senior Grand Prix at the 2019 Internationaux de France, Hiwatashi placed tenth in the short program after multiple jump errors but rose to fifth place overall in the free skate.[14]

Competing at the 2020 U.S. Championships, Hiwatashi placed fifth in the short program with a clean skate.[15] Third in the free skate, he won the bronze medal, standing on the senior national podium for the second time.[16] Despite placing third, he was not chosen for one of America's three berths at the 2020 World Championships, the third spot going to reigning World bronze medalist Vincent Zhou, who finished slightly under three points behind Hiwatashi in fourth. Hiwatashi was instead assigned to compete at the 2020 Four Continents Championships in Seoul.[17] He placed ninth at Four Continents.[18]

2020–2021 season

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With the coronavirus pandemic raging, Hiwatashi was assigned to compete at the 2020 Skate America, the ISU having made Grand Prix assignments based primarily on geography.[19] Hiwatashi placed fourth at the event, despite a fall and a singled jump in the free skate.[20][21]

Competing at the 2021 U.S. Championships, also held in Las Vegas, Hiwatashi placed seventh.[22]

2021–2022 season

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Hiwatashi began his season at the 2021 CS Lombardia Trophy, where he placed fifth.[23] He was eleventh to start the Grand Prix at 2021 Skate Canada International.[24] At his second event, the 2021 NHK Trophy, he placed ninth. After the free skate, Hiwatashi said he "wanted to focus on doing my three quads, and I was able to do that."[25]

Scheduled to compete at the 2022 U.S. Championships in hopes of qualifying for the American Olympic team, Hiwatashi was forced to withdraw due to a positive COVID test.[26] Despite this, he was named to the American team for the 2022 Four Continents Championships in Tallinn, where he was eighth.[27]

2022–2023 season

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Hiwatashi performing a Biellmann spin during his free skate at the 2022 MK John Wilson Trophy

After winning the silver medal at the Skating Club of Boston's Cranberry Cup, Hiwatashi competed twice on the Grand Prix, finishing ninth at the 2022 MK John Wilson Trophy and then twelfth at the 2022 NHK Trophy.[28]

Struggling with a back injury at the 2023 U.S. Championships, Hiwatashi finished a disappointing tenth-place.[28] Following the season, he moved to Kyoto, Japan to train under Mie Hamada, Hiroaki Sato, and Satsuki Muramoto at the Kinoshita Academy.[4][29]

2023–2024 season

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At the 2023 CS Budapest Trophy, Hiwatashi placed third, winning his second ISU Challenger Series Medal.[28] At the 2023 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb, Hiwatashi placed eight in the short program after falling on his opening quad toe loop.[30] In the free skate, Hiwatashi placed eight again, finishing eighth overall.[28]

In advance of the 2024 U.S. Championships, Hiwatashi was preemptively named to the American team for the 2024 Four Continents Championships, which were to occur in Shanghai the week after the national championships.[31] He finished eighth at the national championships, and then went on to place eleventh at the Four Continents Championships.[32][28]

2024–2025 season

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Hiwatashi started the season with an eleventh-place finish at the 2024 Cranberry Cup International. Assigned to compete at the 2024 NHK Trophy, Hiwatashi finished in eighth place.[28]

Skating technique

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Unlike most skaters, Hiwatashi jumps and spins clockwise. He also can perform the Biellmann spin, an element rarely performed by men due to the flexibility it requires.[33]

Programs

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Tomoki Hiwatashi at 2015 Skate Milwaukee
Season Short program Free skating Exhibition
2012–13
[2]
2013–15
[2][5]
2015–16
[7]
2016–17
[8]
2017–18
[9]
2018–19
[1]
2019–20
[34]
2020–21
[35]
2021–22
[36]
2022–23
[37]
2023–24
[29]
2024–25
[38][39]

Competitive highlights

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Competition placements at senior level [40]
Season 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25
Four Continents Championships 8th 9th 8th 11th
U.S. Championships 15th 12th 4th 3rd 7th 10th 8th TBD
GP France 5th
GP NHK Trophy 10th 9th 12th 8th
GP Skate America 4th
GP Skate Canada 11th
GP Wilson Trophy 9th
CS Alpen Trophy 3rd
CS Budapest Trophy 3rd
CS Cranberry Cup 7th 2nd 11th
CS Golden Spin of Zagreb 9th TBD
CS Lombardia Trophy 5th
CS U.S. Classic 5th
CS Warsaw Cup 9th
Competition placements at junior level [40]
Season 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19
World Junior Championships 3rd 7th 1st
Junior Grand Prix Final 6th
U.S. Championships 5th 1st
JGP Canada 2nd
JGP Croatia 3rd
JGP France 6th
JGP Italy 3rd
JGP Latvia 3rd
JGP Slovenia 2nd
JGP United States 5th
Challenge Cup 1st

Detailed results

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ISU personal best scores in the +5/-5 GOE System [40]
Segment Type Score Event
Total TSS 240.78 2020 Four Continents Championships
Short program TSS 88.09 2020 Four Continents Championships
TES 49.77 2020 Four Continents Championships
PCS 38.56 2019 Internationaux de France
Free skating TSS 159.84 2019 Four Continents Championships
TES 85.17 2019 Internationaux de France
PCS 78.48 2019 Four Continents Championships
ISU personal best scores in the +3/-3 GOE System [40]
Segment Type Score Event
Total TSS 222.52 2016 World Junior Championships
Short program TSS 74.97 2016 World Junior Championships
TES 41.75 2016 World Junior Championships
PCS 33.22 2016 World Junior Championships
Free skating TSS 147.55 2016 World Junior Championships
TES 75.27 2016 World Junior Championships
PCS 72.28 2016 World Junior Championships
  • Small medals for the short program and free skating are only awarded at ISU Championships.
  • At national events in the United States, pewter medals are awarded for fourth place.

Senior level

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Hiwatashi at the 2019 Internationaux de France
Results in the 2016–17 season [40]
Date Event SP FS Total
P Score P Score P Score
Nov 17–20, 2016   2016 CS Warsaw Cup 8 63.54 8 118.58 9 182.12
Jan 14–22, 2017   2017 U.S. Championships 13 71.79 18 124.30 15 196.09
Results in the 2017–18 season [40]
Date Event SP FS Total
P Score P Score P Score
Dec 29, 2017 – Jan 8, 2018   2018 U.S. Championships 15 63.48 7 154.05 12 217.53
Results in the 2018–19 season [40]
Date Event SP FS Total
P Score P Score P Score
Nov 11–18, 2018   2018 CS Alpen Trophy 3 77.22 7 121.99 3 199.21
Jan 19–27, 2019   2019 U.S. Championships 4 84.05 4 169.23 4 253.28
Feb 7–10, 2019   2019 Four Continents Championships 9 76.95 7 159.84 8 236.79
Results in the 2019–20 season [40]
Date Event SP FS Total
P Score P Score P Score
Sep 17–22, 2019   2019 CS U.S. International Classic 4 76.96 5 137.96 5 214.82
Nov 1–3, 2019   2019 Internationaux de France 10 68.70 4 158.73 5 227.43
Nov 22–24, 2019   2019 NHK Trophy 11 64.54 9 142.76 10 207.30
Jan 20–26, 2020   2020 U.S. Championships 5 94.21 3 183.87 3 278.08
Feb 4–9, 2020   2020 Four Continents Championships 8 88.09 9 152.69 9 240.78
Results in the 2020–21 season [40]
Date Event SP FS Total
P Score P Score P Score
Oct 23–24, 2020   2020 Skate America 4 87.17 4 158.13 4 245.30
Jan 11–21, 2021   2021 U.S. Championships 9 75.51 6 154.63 7 230.14
Results in the 2021–22 season [40]
Date Event SP FS Total
P Score P Score P Score
Aug 11–15, 2021   2021 Cranberry Cup International 7 71.44 6 133.73 7 205.17
Sep 10–12, 2021   2021 CS Lombardia Trophy 9 66.69 4 146.42 5 213.11
Oct 29–31, 2021   2021 Skate Canada International 11 72.92 7 148.85 11 221.77
Nov 12–14, 2021   2021 NHK Trophy 9 72.36 9 144.72 9 217.08
Jan 18–23, 2022   2022 Four Continents Championships 7 77.51 10 144.86 8 222.37
Results in the 2022–23 season [40]
Date Event SP FS Total
P Score P Score P Score
Aug 9–14, 2022   2022 Cranberry Cup International 4 69.10 2 137.20 2 206.30
Nov 11–13, 2022   2022 MK John Wilson Trophy 8 66.68 9 122.05 9 188.73
Nov 18–20, 2022   2022 NHK Trophy 12 57.18 12 127.87 12 185.05
Jan 23–29, 2023   2023 U.S. Championships 3 85.43 14 132.19 10 217.62
Results in the 2023–24 season [40]
Date Event SP FS Total
P Score P Score P Score
Oct 13–15, 2023   2023 CS Budapest Trophy 7 69.16 3 154.63 3 223.79
Dec 6–9, 2023   2023 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb 8 63.22 8 128.50 9 191.72
Jan 22–28, 2024   2024 U.S. Championships 6 81.31 9 149.49 8 230.80
Jan 30 – Feb 4, 2024   2024 Four Continents Championships 10 75.39 11 142.35 11 217.74
Results in the 2024–25 season [40]
Date Event SP FS Total
P Score P Score P Score
Aug 8–11, 2024   2024 CS Cranberry Cup 2 84.40 11 106.16 11 190.56
Nov 8–10, 2024   2024 NHK Trophy 11 74.59 7 151.79 8 226.38

Junior level

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Results in the 2014–15 season [40]
Date Event SP FS Total
P Score P Score P Score
Jan 18–25, 2015   2024 U.S. Championships (Junior) 5 61.20 5 125.67 5 186.87
Feb 19–22, 2015   2015 International Challenge Cup 1 62.89 1 110.46 1 173.35
Results in the 2015–16 season [40]
Date Event SP FS Total
P Score P Score P Score
Sep 2–5, 2015   2015 JGP United States 6 59.84 5 125.82 5 185.66
Oct 7–11, 2015   2015 JGP Croatia 4 66.02 3 131.60 3 197.62
Jan 15–24, 2016   2016 U.S. Championships (Junior) 1 65.90 1 136.83 1 202.73
Mar 14–20, 2016   2016 World Junior Championships 6 74.97 3 147.55 3 222.52
Results in the 2016–17 season [40]
Date Event SP FS Total
P Score P Score P Score
Aug 24–28, 2016   2016 JGP France 6 57.90 4 123.04 6 180.94
Results in the 2017–18 season [40]
Date Event SP FS Total
P Score P Score P Score
Sep 6–9, 2017   2017 JGP Latvia 5 61.35 3 128.54 3 189.89
Oct 11–14, 2017   2017 JGP Italy 3 73.28 4 133.00 3 206.28
Mar 5–11, 2018   2018 World Junior Championships 11 67.85 7 138.83 7 206.68
Results in the 2018–19 season [40]
Date Event SP FS Total
P Score P Score P Score
Sep 12–15, 2018   2018 JGP Canada 1 76.81 2 136.43 2 213.24
Oct 3–6, 2018   2018 JGP Slovenia 3 74.17 3 140.99 2 215.16
Dec 6–9, 2018   2018–19 Junior Grand Prix Final 6 62.48 5 128.32 6 190.80
Mar 4–10, 2019   2019 World Junior Championships 2 81.50 2 148.82 1 230.32

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Tomoki Hiwatashi: 2018/2019". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on December 21, 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  2. ^ a b c d e "Tomoki Hiwatashi". U.S. Figure Skating.
    "Earlier versions: 2015–2018". IceNetwork.com. Archived from the original on July 1, 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  3. ^ Gallagher, Jack (January 26, 2016). "Hiwatashi continues to build on outstanding record". The Japan Times.
  4. ^ a b Gallagher, Jack. "[ICE TIME] For Tomoki Hiwatashi, Move to Japan to Train with Mie Hamada Paying Dividends". Japan Forward. Retrieved January 15, 2024.
  5. ^ a b "Tomoki Hiwatashi: 2013/2014". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on December 20, 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  6. ^ "Chen Undergoes Left Hip Surgery". U.S. Figure Skating. January 28, 2016.
  7. ^ a b "Tomoki Hiwatashi: 2015/2016". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on May 28, 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  8. ^ a b "Tomoki Hiwatashi: 2016/2017". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on May 20, 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  9. ^ a b "Tomoki Hiwatashi: 2017/2018". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on May 29, 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  10. ^ Mammoser, Scott. "Chen dominates U.S. men to win third national title". Golden Skate. Retrieved January 27, 2019.
  11. ^ Slater, Paula (February 10, 2019). "Revived, Uno rallies to capture first Four Continents title". Golden Skate.
  12. ^ Slater, Paula (March 6, 2019). "Camden in true form at Junior Worlds". Golden Skate.
  13. ^ Slater, Paula (March 8, 2019). "Hiwatashi captures Men's title at Junior Worlds". Golden Skate.
  14. ^ Slater, Paula (November 2, 2019). "USA's Chen defends Grand Prix title in France; earns ticket to Final". Golden Skate.
  15. ^ Slater, Paula (January 25, 2020). "Chen in comfortable lead at U.S. Nationals". Golden Skate.
  16. ^ Slater, Paula (January 26, 2020). "Chen wins fourth consecutive U.S. National title". Golden Skate.
  17. ^ "U.S Figure Skating Announces Men's, Pairs and Ice Dance Selections for World, Four Continents, World Junior Teams, and World Junior Camp". U.S. Figure Skating. January 26, 2020.
  18. ^ Slater, Paula (February 9, 2020). "Hanyu bags first Four Continents gold". Golden Skate.
  19. ^ "2020 Skate America". International Figure Skating. October 20, 2020.
  20. ^ Slater, Paula (October 24, 2020). "Chen 'sensational' in Short Program at 2020 Skate America". Golden Skate.
  21. ^ Slater, Paula (October 26, 2020). "Nathan Chen takes fourth consecutive Skate America title". Golden Skate.
  22. ^ Slater, Paula (January 17, 2021). "Nathan Chen wins fifth consecutive US National title". Golden Skate.
  23. ^ "Lombardia Trophy 2021". Federazione Italiana Sport del Ghiaccio.
  24. ^ Slater, Paula (October 30, 2021). "USA's Chen back on track; takes gold at Skate Canada". Golden Skate.
  25. ^ Slater, Paula (November 13, 2021). "Shoma Uno defends NHK Trophy title". Golden Skate.
  26. ^ Hiwatashi, Tomoki [@tomostar0120] (January 9, 2022). "First of all, Congratulations to everyone who finished competing at US Nationals" – via Instagram.
  27. ^ Slater, Paula (January 23, 2022). "Third time's the charm for Junhwan Cha". Golden Skate.
  28. ^ a b c d e f "Competition Results: Tomoki HIWATASHI". International Skating Union.
  29. ^ a b "Tomoki Hiwatashi: 2023/2024". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on November 23, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  30. ^ "ISU GOLDEN SPIN OF ZAGREB 2023 JUDGES DETAILS PER SKATER MEN SHORT PROGRAM" (PDF). December 6, 2023.
  31. ^ "Eighteen Athletes Named to Four Continents Team". U.S. Figure Skating. January 9, 2024. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
  32. ^ Flett, Ted (January 28, 2024). "Ilia Malinin storms to gold in Columbus". Golden Skate. Retrieved February 24, 2024.
  33. ^ Slater, Paula (May 16, 2019). "USA's Tomoki Hiwatashi comes to 2019-20 season with renewed confidence". Golden Skate.
  34. ^ "Tomoki Hiwatashi: 2019/2020". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on October 31, 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  35. ^ "Tomoki Hiwatashi: 2020/2021". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on October 20, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  36. ^ "Tomoki Hiwatashi: 2021/2022". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on November 14, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  37. ^ "Tomoki Hiwatashi: 2022/2023". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on November 17, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  38. ^ "Tomoki Hiwatashi: 2024/2025". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on November 9, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  39. ^ "Tomoki Hiwatashi: 2024-25 Roster (1st SP)". U.S. Figure Skating. U.S. Figure Skating. Retrieved November 10, 2024.
  40. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r "USA–Tomoki Hiwatashi". SkatingScores.com.
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