Mervin Tran (born September 22, 1990) is a retired Canadian pair skater
Competing for Japan with former partner Narumi Takahashi, he is the 2012 World bronze medalist, the 2010 World Junior silver medalist, the 2010 JGP Final champion, and 2008–10 Japanese national champion. They were the first pair to win a World medal for Japan. After their partnership ended, Tran competed one season with Natasha Purich for Canada. Competing for the United States with Marissa Castelli, he is the 2017 U.S. national silver medalist. Following Castelli's retirement, he briefly competed with Olivia Serafini for the United States. As of 2022, Mervin coaches in the New York area.[5]
Personal life
Tran was born in Regina, Saskatchewan. He moved to Montreal, Quebec in 2007 to train with Richard Gauthier. His parents were refugees from Vietnam and Cambodia.[6] He competed at the provincial track and field championships in the high jump and the 100-meter hurdles, finishing fifth in the hurdles.[6]
Early career
Mervin Tran began skating at age four after his parents enrolled him in a hockey camp but then moved into figure skating after he took CanSkate.[6] He was originally a single skater and placed 9th on the novice level at the 2007 Canadian Championships.[6]
Partnership with Takahashi
Takahashi/Tran in 2011
In 2007, Richard Gauthier was searching for a pair skating partner for Japanese skater Narumi Takahashi. Bruno Marcotte recommended Mervin Tran, who agreed to come to Montreal, Quebec for a tryout.[7] Takahashi/Tran began training together in July 2007.[6][8] During their career together, they trained in St. Leonard[9] and received funding from the Japanese skating association.[7]
Takahashi/Tran began their season on the Junior Grand Prix circuit. They won the bronze medal at their first event and gold at their second event, which qualified them for the 2009–10 JGP Final. They also debuted on the senior Grand Prix series with an 8th-place finish at NHK Trophy. They won silver at the JGP Final and at the Junior World Championships. They became the second pair representing Japan to medal at an ISU Championships (Yuko Kavaguti / Alexander Markuntsov were the first pair when they won silver in 2001).[10]
2010–2011 season
During the 2010–11 season, Takahashi/Tran won silver medals at their JGP events and qualified for the JGP Final. They won gold at the event, becoming the first pair representing Japan to win the title. They also won their first medals on the senior Grand Prix series, a bronze at 2010 NHK Trophy, and then silver at 2010 Cup of Russia. As a result, they were first alternates for the senior Grand Prix Final. They won the bronze medal at the 2011 Junior Worlds. They also made their senior World Championships debut, finishing 9th.
2011–2012 season
During the 2011–2012 season, Takahashi/Tran placed fourth at their first Grand Prix assignment, the 2011 Skate Canada International, and then won the silver medal at their second event, 2011 NHK Trophy. In November 2011, Tran said he was considering pursuing Japanese citizenship in order to allow the couple to compete at the Olympics but said it was a difficult decision because it would mean giving up his Canadian citizenship.[11] They became the first Japanese pair to qualify for the senior Grand Prix Final.
At the 2012 World Championships, Takahashi/Tran placed third in both programs and won the bronze medal.[12][13] They became the first pair to medal for Japan at a senior World Championships.[13] They placed third at the 2012 World Team Trophy. In April 2012, Tran said he would continue to consider an application for Japanese citizenship and the president of the Japanese Olympic Committee said he was "willing to make a special request (on behalf of Tran) to the government if necessary."[14][15] In May 2012, a government official said it would be difficult to naturalize Tran because he had never resided in Japan.[16]
2012–2013 season
In April 2012, Takahashi dislocated her left shoulder while practicing a lift.[17] After five or six recurrences, she decided to undergo surgery on October 30.[18] As a result, the pair withdrew from their Grand Prix events, the 2012 Cup of China and 2012 NHK Trophy.[17] They said they would miss about four to six months.[18] On December 18, 2012, the Japanese Skating Federation announced that the pair had ended their partnership.[19][20]
On June 10, 2014, it was announced that Tran and the United States' Marissa Castelli had formed a partnership which would train mainly in Montreal under Bruno Marcotte and to a lesser extent at the Skating Club of Boston under Bobby Martin.[22][23] It was also announced that he was awaiting release from Skate Canada, indicating that they might compete for the United States.[22]
Tran and Castelli placed sixth at the 2018 U.S. Figure Skating Championships. They ended their partnership soon after and Tran went to California to try out with other partners.[25]
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic affecting international travel, Serafini/Train were assigned to the 2020 Skate America, attended only by pairs training in the United States.[26] They finished sixth.[27] They went on to finish sixth as well at the 2021 U.S. Championships.[28] That was the team's final season together.
^ abフィギュア:ペアの高橋成美が左肩脱臼、ＧＰシリーズ欠場 [Figure skating: Pair skater Narumi Takahashi dislocated her shoulder and will miss GP series]. Mainichi Shimbun (in Japanese). October 25, 2012. Archived from the original on October 27, 2012. Retrieved October 25, 2012.
^高橋、トラン組ペア解消 世界フィギュア銅メダル [World bronze figure skating pair Takahashi and Tran end partnership] (in Japanese). Sports Navi. December 18, 2012. Archived from the original on December 18, 2012. Retrieved December 18, 2012.
