Rena Inoue

Infobox Figure skater
title= Rena Inoue


caption=
country= USA
formercountry= JPN
dateofbirth= birth date and age|1976|10|17
residence= Santa Monica, California
height= convert|149|cm|ftin|abbr=on|weight=
partner= John Baldwin
formerpartner=Tomoaki Koyama (JPN)
coach= Peter Oppegard
skating club= All Year FSC
retired =
combined total= 183.17
combined date= 2006 Worlds
SP score= 61.73
SP date= 2007 Four Continents
FS score= 122.27
FS date= 2006 WorldsInfobox East Asian
title=
float=
kanji= 井上 怜奈
kyujitai=
shinjitai=
kana= いのうえ れな
hiragana=
romaji= Inoue Rena
revhep=
tradhep=
kunrei=
nihon=

Rena Inoue (born October 17, 1976 in Nishinomiya, Hyōgo, Japan) is an American pair skater. With partner John Baldwin, she is the 2004 and 2006 U.S. National Champion. Inoue previously competed for Japan as both a single skater and pair skater. Inoue and Baldwin are the first skaters to perform a throw triple axel in competition.

Career

Inoue originally competed as a single and pair skater for Japan. She competed for Japan as a pair skater with Tomoaki Koyama at the 1992 Olympics and as a single skater at the 1994 Olympics.

Inoue was diagnosed with lung cancer in 1998. However, it was detected early, and after six months of chemotherapy, she was cancer-free.

She teamed up with John Baldwin and began competing with him in 2000. She became a U.S. citizen in 2005.

At the 2006 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Inoue and Baldwin became the first pair to successfully perform a throw triple Axel in competition, and then made Olympic history by landing it again at the 2006 Winter Games.

Inoue and Baldwin earned the gold medal at the 2006 Skate America event after winning the short program and placing second in the free skate. They won the silver medal at Skate Canada the next week; and finally took the silver at Trophee Eric Bompard one week later. They officially qualified for the Grand Prix Final at the conclusion of the pair's event at the NHK Trophy competition, the last competition in the Grand prix. They lost their national title and then placed 8th at the 2007 World Championships.

Taking their bows after their Free Skate at the 2008 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Baldwin proposed marriage to Rena on the ice and she accepted. [ [http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20174124,00.html Olympic Skaters Get Engaged on Ice] ] [ [http://www.signonsandiego.com/sports/20080127-9999-1s27zeigler.html Baldwin wins Inoue's heart with proposal] ]

Inoue and Baldwin have been assigned to the 2008 Skate America and the 2008 NHK Trophy for the 2008-2009 Grand Prix Season.

Competitive highlights

ingles career

References

External links

* [http://www.inoueandbaldwin.com/ Official site]
*usfsa name | category=AthletePairBio | id=18340 | name=Rena Inoue
*isu name | id=00005328 | name=Rena Inoue
* [http://www.usoc.org/26_42957.htm U.S. Olympic Team bio]