Matsuike was born on October 10, 2004, in Nagoya. After graduating from Chukyo High School, she enrolled into Chukyo University in 2021, where she currently studies at the Department of Sports Management. She has also studied Korean as a second language at the university.[1][2]
Career
Early career
Matsuike began skating in 2012 at the age of eight.[1] A fan of Mao Asada, Matsuike would soon join the Nagoya Sports Center to train under Asada's former coaches, Machiko Yamada and Mihoko Higuchi.[2]
Matsuike made her junior international debut at 2019 JGP Latvia, winning the bronze medal behind Lee Hae-in and Daria Usacheva. She is the first Japanese lady to medal in her junior international debut since Rika Kihira in 2016–17.[4] Matsuike was scheduled to compete at 2019 JGP Italy, but withdrew due to injury.[5][6]
Matsuike made her senior international debut at the 2020 NHK Trophy, winning bronze behind Kaori Sakamoto and Wakaba Higuchi. She called the event "a real confidence booster" and "that it [was] an honor to be skating here at NHK Trophy, so [she] wanted to enjoy every moment."[10] Matsuike aimed to further develop her skills after competing alongside the seniors, but her performance drew praise from international commentators, including Ted Barton.[9]
Matsuike made her senior Japan Championships debut, placing seventh in the short program after a fall on a non-element but otherwise executing the program cleanly.[11] She was fourth in the free skate, receiving an under rotation on one jump and an edge call on her triple flip, and rose to fourth place overall.[12] As a result of her placement, Matsuike was named first alternate for the 2021 World Championships team, pending her attainment of senior TES minimums.
2021–2022 season
Matsuike was assigned as a host pick to the 2021 NHK Trophy, where she finished in sixth place. She had begun attempting a triple Axel in competition that season at Japanese domestic competitions, but due to recovery from injury, did not attempt one at NHK.[13] She was eighth at the 2021 Rostelecom Cup, her second Grand Prix. She expressed "many regrets about both of my programs" but said that she was focused on increasing her technical difficulty in the future to compete with the top Russian skaters.[14]
At the 2021–22 Japan Championships, Matsuike placed seventh. She was named as third alternate for the Japanese Olympic team and assigned to compete at the 2022 Four Continents Championships.[15] A poor short program left Matsuike in eighth place at Four Continents going in the free skate, after falling on a triple flip attempt and stepping out of her jump combination. She went on to skate a clean free skate, other than an edge call on the triple flip, placing third in that segment and winning a bronze small medal. She rose to fifth overall. Matsuike reflected on her season, saying she had had "a lot of regrets" about earlier events and the short program, but that "I was crying and really under pressure, but I was able to push myself, and today's performance was good." She expressed a hope of adding more difficult technical content in the following season.[16] Matsuike finished the season at the International Challenge Cup, winning the gold medal.[17]
Originally without a Grand Prix assignment, Matsuike was assigned to the 2023 Skate Canada International after the withdrawal of compatriot Rika Kihira. Despite dealing with some underrotation calls on her jumps, she finished third and won her second Grand Prix medal.[19] Matsuike said that while there had been mistakes, "overall I put it all together. I wasn't even supposed to be at an event like this and I was just happy to be here and be in good health."[20] Matsuike finished seventeenth at the 2023–24 Japan Championships.[17]
Matsuike began her season at the 2024 Skate Canada International, placing tenth after the short program after a downgrade on her double Axel and fall and downgrade on her triple lutz. However, she came back in the free skate with a score of 139.85, placing first in the free program segment ahead of three-time world champion and teammate Kaori Sakamoto and taking the silver medal overall. Her rise of eight placements was the highest jump in placements seen at an ISU Grand Prix, matching that previously achieved by Amber Glenn and Jeremy Abbott.[21] Matsuike later shared that after her "heartbreaking" short program, her mother had sent her a Line message, telling her to "always love yourself," which in turn helped give her the strength to deliver a strong free program.[22] Following the event, Christopher Tin, the musician who composed Matsuike's free program music, praised her performance on his social media accounts.[23]
At the 2024 Finlandia Trophy, her second Grand Prix assignment, Matsuike placed fourth after the short program following a fall on her triple flip. However, she placed first in the free skate and second overall, narrowly missing out on the gold medal to compatriot Hana Yoshida by 0.26 points.[24][25][26]
Matsuike's two silver medal results on the Grand Prix series allowed her to qualify for the 2024–25 Grand Prix Final in Grenoble, France.[27] She competed at the Grand Prix Final in December and finished in sixth place after receiving under-rotation calls on four of her jumping passes in the free skate. Matsuike said that she "really felt like I am still lacking" but that she hoped to make good use of the experience looking forward to the Japan Figure Skating Championships later in the month.[28] Two weeks later, she competed at the 2024–25 Japan Championships, finishing in fifth place.[26] Matsuike was subsequently named to the Four Continents team.[29] She was also selected as the first alternate for the 2025 World Championship team.[30]
^Matsumoto, Wataru (November 1, 2020). "松生理乃が逆転Ｖで自信、全日本Ｊｒは「優勝」目標" [Rino Matsuike is confident with a victory from behind, aims to win All Japan Jr.]. Nikkan Sports (in Japanese).
^松本, 航; 松本, 愛香 (8 December 2024). "松生理乃、初ファイナルは６位「まだまだ自分は足りない」４本のジャンプで減点" [Matsuike Rino, 6th at her first Grand Prix Final. "I am still lacking." Lost points on four jumps]. nikkansports.com (in Japanese). Retrieved 2024-12-08.
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