is a Japanese figure skater who is now a coach. She won the 1983 Japan Figure Skating Championships

Japan Figure Skating Championships

The Japan or All-Japan Figure Skating Championships are a figure skating national championship held annually to determine the national champions of Japan. Skaters compete in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies singles, pair skating, and ice dancing, although not every discipline has been held...

 and 1986 Winter Asian Games

Figure skating at the 1986 Asian Winter Games

Figure skating at the 1986 Winter Asian Games took place in the city of Sapporo, Japan with four events contested.-Medal summary:-Medal table:-References:...

, 1985 Winter Universiade

1985 Winter Universiade

The 1985 Winter Universiade, the XII Winter Universiade, took place in Belluno, Italy....

.

Early career

Osada showed much promise as a young skater in her mid-teen years. Osada participated in her first international competition as an alternate for another skater, Megumi Aotani, at 1980 Enia Challenge Cup in Holland at the age of 15. There, she landed three triples, a Salchow

Salchow jump

The Salchow is a figure skating jump with a takeoff from a back inside edge of one foot. The rotation in the air is made in the direction of the curve of the take-off edge. The landing is made on the back outside edge of the foot opposite the one used for take-off. One or more rotations may be...

, a toe loop, and a loop

Loop jump

The Loop jump is a figure skating jump that takes off from a back outside edge and lands on the same backwards outside edge. For a jump with counterclockwise rotation, this is the right back outside edge. It is named from its similarity to the loop compulsory figure. The invention is widely...

 in her free skate, which equaled or exceeded the difficulty of the top male skaters back then. Although her poor standings in compulsories caused her to place 6th overall, she received the special Rookie

Rookie

Rookie is a term for a person who is in his or her first year of play of their sport or has little or no professional experience. The term also has the more general meaning of anyone new to a profession, training or activity Rookie is a term for a person who is in his or her first year of play of...

 Award alongside Poland

Poland

Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...

's 14-ear-old Grzegorz Filipowski

Grzegorz Filipowski

Grzegorz Filipowski is a former Polish figure skater. He is the 1985 European bronze medalist, the 1989 European silver medalist and the 1989 World bronze medalist....

. Then, in October 1982, Osada placed a close 2nd behind Midori Ito

Midori Ito

is a former Japanese figure skater. She is the 1989 World Champion and the 1992 Olympic silver medalist. She is the first woman to land a triple/triple jump combination and a triple axel in competition. She is also the first woman to land seven triple jumps in a free program, which she did at the...

 at All Japan Free Championships in Kobe

Kobe

, pronounced , is the fifth-largest city in Japan and is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture on the southern side of the main island of Honshū, approximately west of Osaka...

, which was followed by a surprise 4th-place finish at the NHK Trophy

NHK Trophy

The NHK Trophy is an international, senior-level figure skating competition held as part of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating series. Figure skaters compete in the disciplines of ladies' singles, men's singles, pair skating, and ice dancing....

 in Tokyo

Tokyo

, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...

, where she placed behind Katarina Witt

Katarina Witt

Katarina Witt is a German figure skater and model. In Germany she was commonly called "Kati" in the past, but today her full name is used more often....

, Rosalyn Sumners, and Tiffany Chin

Tiffany Chin

Tiffany Chin is an American figure skater who grew up in San Diego, California. She dominated the junior circuit in ice skating prior to her Olympic career, winning the US Junior National title as well as the World Junior title...

 while finishing ahead of world medalists such as Claudia Leistner

Claudia Leistner

Claudia Leistner, married Pfrengle, is a German figure skater. She is the 1989 European Champion.-Biography:She was initially a roller-skater but later took up ice-skating...

 and Elizabeth Manley

Elizabeth Manley

Elizabeth Ann Manley, CM is a Canadian figure skater. She is the 1988 Olympic silver medalist, 1988 World silver medalist, and three-time Canadian champion.-Early life and training:...

.

After winning the All Japan Figure Skating Championships in January 1983, Osada was sent to the World Championships in Copenhagen

Copenhagen

Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...

 in March, 1983. There, she made a series of errors in compulsories, in which she placed a disappointing 24th. In her short program, she missed the triple loop jump in her combination, which only allowed her to pull up to 21st after this segment of the competition. Due to the new rule instituted in the 1982-1983 season (which, incidentally, was abolished after that season), Osada was unable to skate her free program in "Group A," or the main competition consisting of those who placed 15th or above after short program. Instead, she was placed in "Group B" and won the free skate, which resulted in the 3rd-place finish in "Group B"--or 18th overall.

Osada's placement there was noted in ISU

ISU

ISU may refer to:* International System of Unit* ISU-152, ISU-122, Soviet self-propelled guns* Integrated Security Unit* International Skating Union* International Seamen's Union* International Stereoscopic Union* Independent Study Unit...

's decision not to continue this dual-grouping policy, because her scores in free skating would have placed her 7th in "Group A" in that segment, which would have placed her significantly higher overall. However, she was never given the opportunity to place above 16th in free skate, due to her placement in "Group B." By contrast, many strong compulsory figure skaters who were poor free skaters ended up placing high in the end, because they were guaranteed at least a 15th-place finish in free skating, as long as they placed in the top 15 after short program.

Later career

Given the way Osada skated in the 1982-1983 season, many expected her to continue to progress in the world ranks. However, she placed poorly in compulsories at 1983-1984 All Japan Championships, where she finished 4th, costing her the opportunity to compete at the Sarajevo Olympics in 1984. Around this time, Osada experienced a growth spurt, which made her triple jumps less consistent and less dynamic. Although she won a couple of bronze medals at NHK Trophy

NHK Trophy

The NHK Trophy is an international, senior-level figure skating competition held as part of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating series. Figure skaters compete in the disciplines of ladies' singles, men's singles, pair skating, and ice dancing....

, she was never able to regain her national title, nor was she able to make the Japanese world or Olympics team. By 1986, she was no longer training seriously, as she shifted her focus to her studies at Hosei University

Hosei University

is a private university based in Tokyo, Japan.The university originated in a school of law, Tōkyō Hōgakusha , established in 1880, and the following year renamed Tōkyō Hōgakkō . This was from 1883 headed by Dr. Gustave Emile Boissonade, and was heavily influenced by the French legal tradition...

. She retired quietly after the 1989 season.

Competitive highlights

Event	1982-83	1983-84	1984-85	1985-86	1986-87	1987-88
World Championships World Figure Skating Championships The World Figure Skating Championships is an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union in which elite figure skaters compete for the title of World Champion...	13th
Asian Winter Games Figure skating at the Asian Winter Games Figure skating has been contested at the Asian Winter Games since 1986. It was not included in 1990.-Men:-Ladies:-Pairs:-Ice dancing:-Men:-Ladies:-Pairs:-Ice Dancing:-Total:-References:******...				1st
Japanese Championships Japan Figure Skating Championships The Japan or All-Japan Figure Skating Championships are a figure skating national championship held annually to determine the national champions of Japan. Skaters compete in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies singles, pair skating, and ice dancing, although not every discipline has been held...	1st			3rd
Winter Universiade Figure skating at the Winter Universiade Figure skating is a part of the Winter Universiade. It was first held as part of the Universiade in 1960.-Men's singles:- Ladies singles :- Pair skating :- Ice dancing :-References:* -External links:*...			1st
NHK Trophy NHK Trophy The NHK Trophy is an international, senior-level figure skating competition held as part of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating series. Figure skaters compete in the disciplines of ladies' singles, men's singles, pair skating, and ice dancing....	4th		3rd	3rd	3rd	4th