Medalist

Tsukasa Akeuraji once aimed to make his mark as a solo competitive figure skater, but getting a late start kept that dream from ever truly taking flight. Now living hand to mouth, he accepts work as an assistant coach, trying to settle into a life far removed from the future he used to picture.

On the eve of his new job, Tsukasa meets Inori Yuitsuka, a timid fifth grader who slips into the rink to practice in secret. She adores skating, yet her mother’s protectiveness and her own lack of confidence have left her without the support to pursue it seriously. Sensing the talent she’s been unable to nurture, Tsukasa sees in Inori a chance to give someone else the encouragement he once needed.

Stirred by her resolve—and by the echoes of his own setbacks—Tsukasa decides to coach her as she learns to face the sport’s demands and the skaters who stand in her way. With each step forward, Inori commits herself to the discipline and expression of figure skating, holding tight to a goal she’s barely dared to say aloud: reaching the Olympics and becoming a medalist.