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Shizuka Arakawa

Shizuka Arakawa, Japanese figure skater and sportscaster

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Born
December 29, 1981
Age in 2026
45
Zodiac sign
Capricorn
Birth year
1981

About Shizuka Arakawa

Shizuka Arakawa (荒川 静香, Arakawa Shizuka; born December 29, 1981) is a retired Japanese figure skater. She is the 2006 Olympic champion and the 2004 World champion. Arakawa is the first Japanese skater to win an Olympic gold medal in figure skating and the second Japanese skater to win any Olympic medal in figure skating, after Midori Ito, who won silver in 1992. She is also the second Japanese woman to win a gold medal at the Winter Olympics, following skier Tae Satoya. She won the 2004 World Figure Skating Championships days after completing her graduation examinations at Waseda University. In March 2000, Arakawa enrolled at Waseda University and graduated with a bachelor's degree in social sciences in 2004, while still competing as a skater.

Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.

Shizuka Arakawa timeline

  1. Arakawa is the first Japanese skater to win an Olympic gold medal in figure skating and the second Japanese skater to win any Olympic medal in figure skating, after Midori Ito, who won silver in 1992.
  2. In March 2000, Arakawa enrolled at Waseda University and graduated with a bachelor's degree in social sciences in 2004, while still competing as a skater.
  3. She won the 2004 World Figure Skating Championships days after completing her graduation examinations at Waseda University.
  4. She is the 2006 Olympic champion and the 2004 World champion.

The world when Shizuka Arakawa was born

Shizuka Arakawa was born in 1981. The year snapshot below places that birthday in its cultural and historical setting: the music and films people were following, the headlines shaping public life, and the everyday prices families encountered.

Culture in 1981

  • #1 song"Bette Davis Eyes" – Kim Carnes
  • Top movieChariots of Fire
  • Top TV showDallas
  • Best-selling bookThe Hotel New Hampshire – John Irving

Headlines and milestones

  • Major sports momentSugar Ray Leonard defeats Thomas Hearns
  • Top headlineMTV launches
  • Technology milestoneIBM launches the PC
  • Defining fadPac-Man fever
  • Notable inventionIBM PC (personal computer)
  • World population4.53 billion

United States snapshot

  • U.S. leaderRonald Reagan
  • Sports championLos Angeles Dodgers (World Series)
  • Also wonBoston Celtics (NBA)
  • U.S. population229.5M

1981 versus 2026

These figures put everyday life in Shizuka Arakawa's birth year beside the site's latest United States snapshot.

Measure19812026
Gas$1.31$3.45/gal
Average home$68,900$435,000
Average income$22,388$67,500
Minimum wage$3.35$7.25/hr (federal)
Movie ticket$2.78$11.95
Postage stamp$0.18$0.73
Population229.5M341 million

Sources and editorial standards

This profile combines a biographical source with structured birthday and historical context. Sources recorded for this profile: Wikipedia, International Olympic Committee, Olympedia. See our editorial policy for sourcing, corrections, and review standards.

Read the source biography on Wikipedia. Wikipedia text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.