Japanese figure skating 2021-22 season news & updates

[gotoschool]

For the men, the decision is non-controversial. I am glad Kao is right up there and he is going to be the future along with Yuma and Shun once Yuzuru and Shoma retire. Just a bit upset about Sota not getting any assignment after a promising short program (and less chaotic GP season).

For the ladies, Wakaba and Mai both messed up 2017 Worlds that Japanese women lost a spot for 2018, both struggled in the next few seasons after that, but both rebounded solidly this season. I am so happy for Wakaba but feel Mai also deserve that Olympic spot. I don't necessarily feel Mana outskated Mai at Natioals, and when the entire season is taken into account, I feel Mai deserve the spot more. It is especially sad that Mai does not even get Worlds like Wakaba did in 2018. Satoko will remain my favorite but sadly she isn't staying competitive enough with jump issues. Also sad that Rika does not get to compete.

I really appreciate your view that Mai deserved the spot more, but I don't think that Mai messed up Worlds in 2017. Mai actually finished 5th and her total score was slightly higher than her international season average with almost 198, by contrast Wakaba finished 11th with a little over 186. I believe that 13 places or less is required from two skaters to get 3 spots so if Wakaba had even done slightly worse in placement than Mai they would have still had 3 places. I hold fast to the view that the JSF's unjust preoccupation with having to have a Hamada skater at Worlds and the Olympics is the main reason Mai was unjustly lowballed in Nationals scores while doubling down by also ignoring her superior scores during the Grand Prix season.

 

[Marco]

I really appreciate your view that Mai deserved the spot more, but I don't think that Mai messed up Worlds in 2017. Mai actually finished 5th and her total score was slightly higher than her international season average with almost 198, by contrast Wakaba finished 11th with a little over 186. I believe that 13 places or less is required from two skaters to get 3 spots so if Wakaba had even done slightly worse in placement than Mai they would have still had 3 places. I hold fast to the view that the JSF's unjust preoccupation with having to have a Hamada skater at Worlds and the Olympics is the main reason Mai was unjustly lowballed in Nationals scores while doubling down by also ignoring her superior scores during the Grand Prix season.

I said that because I feel I shouldn't put the blame on losing / not gaining a 3rd spot on any one skater when it is a team effort. Mai and Wakaba both messed up on their solo flip in the short leaving them having to fight from behind and earlier groups. I think this fact was not lost on the Federation when they decided the Olympic team the next season.

As for Mana over Mai this season, it could be political as you said (I am not familiar with the background of this), or it could simply be a developmental stance from the Federation to prefer an up and comer with a 3axel in both programs instead of a solid, normally consistent veteran skater maxed out at the lutz.

 

[Sonata]

Has Hanyu been able to train in Canada at all this season? I just watched his FP from Nationals. He looks very well prepared despite his recent injury. I was wondering what his coaching arrangement is.

 

[Fairuza]

Has Hanyu been able to train in Canada at all this season? I just watched his FP from Nationals. He looks very well prepared despite his recent injury. I was wondering what his coaching arrangement is.

He trains in Sendai at nights, with no coach but himself. He never went back to Canada.

 

[Vash01]

Nagoya Figure Skate Festival (Jan. 4, 2022) - current skater list:

名古屋フィギュアスケートフェスティバル

日本のトップスケーターから活躍が期待される地元のジュニア、ノービス選手らが一堂に会する年明け最初のエキシビション！2023年1月4日（水）16:30より日本ガイシアリーナにて開催！

static.chunichi.co.jp

Skaters listed as of 12/27/21:

Shoma Uno
Yuma Kagiyama
Keiji Tanaka
Kazuki Tomono
Kao Miura
Sota Yamamoto
Shunsuke Nakamura
Tatsuya Tsuboi
Note: Shun Sato WD after Nationals due to injury

Kaori Sakamoto
Satoko Miyahara (added today)
Rino Matsuike
Mai Mihara
Mana Kawabe
Yuhana Yokoi
Hana Yoshida
Mao Shimada (current Junior & Novice A champion, age 12)
Rin Nitaya
Marin Honda

Local junior novice:
Kaoruko Wada (current Novice A Women's silver medalist behind Mao Shimada)
Kamizono Koina (?)

Newly retired skaters (2021) Rika Hongo and Yura Matsuda will appear as special guests.

Great line up!

 

[Dobre]

I really should have stopped by here earlier to say . . .

Wakaba!

I love her arrangement for the Lion King. Feel like Fear & Gibson were seduced by Circle of Life (which is such a wonderful song who can blame them); but this arrangement for Wakaba tells the story.

 

[aemeraldrainc]

He trains in Sendai at nights, with no coach but himself. He never went back to Canada.

But is he still with Orser? I’m assuming Orser will be with him at the Olympics.

 

[kittyjake5]

Nagoya Festival photos

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www.chunichi.co.jp

 

[smarts1]

Congrats to Mai for winning 4CC!! Really a shame she made her one and only jump mistake this season at Japanese Nationals...

 

[olympic]

What I really appreciate about the JPN men and women is the quiet but relentlessly good results they have in competitions, generally speaking. Looking at the results of 4CCs, their 2nd string is hitting it so far which shows depth and a great future. I wish the US did the same thing especially regards to our 2nd string of women and men. Interestingly, we are doing quite well and consistent in Pairs and Ice Dance lately.

Looking forward to the Olympics, it has been said already but I can see a scenario where if any RUS not named Valieva falters, a JPN woman could be there to snag a spot on the podium

 

[Karen-W]

What I really appreciate about the JPN men and women is the quiet but relentlessly good results they have in competitions, generally speaking. Looking at the results of 4CCs, their 2nd string is hitting it so far which shows depth and a great future. I wish the US did the same thing especially regards to our 2nd string of women and men. Interestingly, we are doing quite well and consistent in Pairs and Ice Dance lately.

Looking forward to the Olympics, it has been said already but I can see a scenario where if any RUS not named Valieva falters, a JPN woman could be there to snag a spot on the podium

FWIW, Audrey Shin just skated PBs in both the SP and FS at 4CCs. She did remarkably well in holding up the US 2nd tier despite not coming home with a medal. Baby steps back to relevancy for the US women.

 

[olympic]

FWIW, Audrey Shin just skated PBs in both the SP and FS at 4CCs. She did remarkably well in holding up the US 2nd tier despite not coming home with a medal. Baby steps back to relevancy for the US women.

Of course, and good for her. For some reason, I was thinking about the men's SP

 

[Marco]

Congrats to Mai for winning 4CC!! Really a shame she made her one and only jump mistake this season at Japanese Nationals...

Like Korea, I really feel they could wait and announce the Olympic team after 4CCs, or at least the third spot. Mana and Mai should have to fight for it here.

 

[clairecloutier]

I don’t know if this has been posted before? Shoma Uno is using skate blades designed by former Japanese star Takahiko Kozuka:

Home-honed blades to put Shoma Uno a cut above at Olympics

Changing the blades he attaches to his figure skating boots made all the difference for Japan's Shoma Uno, who is aiming to go one better than his Pyeongchang silver medal at the upcoming Beijing Winter Olympics.

english.kyodonews.net

 

[Sylvia]

@rosewood (I miss her posts) posted this in late December 2021 (last season's JPN news thread):

One trivia: Shoma changed to Kozuka blades.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EqAKN35VEAA0Mfh?format=png

Ryuichi Kihara also uses Kozuka blades. (Use the photo to compare the shape of Shoma's blades.)

https://twitter.com/ryuichi_kihara/status/1316121004058574849

IIRC Takahito Mura who is skating in Mao's Thanks Tour uses Kozuka blades, too.

Skater clients are displayed here: https://www.instagram.com/kozuka_blades/

 

[Sylvia]

@kittyjake5 mentioned during Japanese Nationals last month:

... Shoma is currently dealing with an ankle injury. Demi-san (Shoma's physical therapist) has been treating him and is at Nationals with him.

This fan's tweet today - "Shoma will leave for Beijing in a few days in order for Demi-san to treat his ankle as much as possible" (the end of Uno's 1/30/22 video includes footage of him landing 4T+3T, 4T+2T & 3A+1Eu+2F at the Chukyo University rink): https://twitter.com/shoma_uno_/status/1487731360303390721

 

[Sylvia]

Article by Nick McCarvel (Jan. 29) titled Hanyu Yuzuru's quest for the quadruple Axel, explained:

https://olympics.com/en/news/quad-axel-quest-hanyu-figure-skating-olympics-2022

Yuma Kagiyama article by Jack Gallagher (Jan. 29):

[ICE TIME] Yuma Kagiyama Takes On the Olympic Challenge with Heroes Yuzuru Hanyu, Shoma Uno | JAPAN Forward

"My biggest goal for the Olympics is to make no mistakes in both the short program and the free skate. Beyond that, I hope to go to the top,” the rising teenage star said.

japan-forward.com

Jack Gallagher recapped Team Japan's performances at last week's 4CC in Tallinn & the Bavarian Open:

[ICE TIME] Japan Skaters Excel at Four Continents, Bavarian Open

Mai Mihara claimed the Four Continents women’s title for the second time, while Kazuki Tomono placed second in the men’s event. Hana Yoshida and Tatsuya Tsuboi won the junior categories in Germany.

japan-forward.com

The three junior singles skaters easliy got their TES minimums for 2022 Junior Worlds, along with Cathy Reed's junior ice dance team of Nao Kida/Masaya Morita (Hana Yoshida is a JW alternate):

Yoshida opened her free skate to “Planet Ocean Suite” with a beautiful triple axel, and went on to land six clean triples while earning level fours on her spins and step sequence on Thursday, January 20.
[Rinka] Watanabe fell on her opening triple axel in her free skate, but recovered to land five clean triples and post level fours on two of her spins and step sequence.

Tatsuya Tsuboi dominated in the junior men’s category, winning by more than 43 points with a total of 238.34 on Friday, January 21. After a difficult couple of seasons, Tsuboi, the 2018 Japan junior champion, has been enjoying a renaissance this campaign.
The 19-year-old Tsuboi, who finished second behind [Kao] Miura at this season’s Japan Junior Championships, began his free skate with a nice quad salchow and landed six clean triples on the way to victory in Oberstdorf, Germany.

 

[Sylvia]

Jackie Wong's Rocker Live chat with Riku Miura & Ryuichi Kihara (Jan. 28) before they left for the Olympics: https://www.instagram.com/tv/CZS05adpEEX/

They arrived from Canada in the early morning hours of Jan. 30 ("Kihara slept for 1 hour, Miura did not sleep") and went to practice at the competition arena. Kihara was quoted as saying afterwards: "That (after winning a medal in a team competition) is ideal. Hopefully. I want to eat pizza."

三浦璃来＆木原龍一ペアが北京で初練習、団体戦メダルでご褒美ピザほおばる - フィギュア : 日刊スポーツ

【北京30日＝松本航】来月4日開幕の北京オリンピック（五輪）にフィギュアスケートのペアで出場する三浦璃来（20）、木原龍一（29）組（木下グループ）が団体戦初… - 日刊スポーツ新聞社のニュースサイト、ニッカンスポーツ・コム（nikkansports.com）

www.nikkansports.com

 

[japanice]

No. 43 - Yuma Kagiyama

Jack speaks with 2021 world silver medalist Yuma Kagiyama about winning the gold medal at the Youth Olympics, his impressions of Yuzuru Hanyu and Shoma Uno, the dynamic with his father as his coach, a

soundcloud.com

 

[YukiNieve]

This may have been posted but I found it fascinating that Carolina Kostner worked with Yuma on his SP when he was in Italy last fall.

https://twitter.com/YumachiGIFs/status/1489856600105840641

 

[japanice]

[ICE TIME] Grafstrom’s Family Wishes Hanyu the Best in Quest to Equal Legend's Third Olympic Gold | JAPAN Forward

"It would be really wonderful if he (Hanyu) could win again,” the Swedish great’s step-daughter Vera Schieckel said in an exclusive interview.

japan-forward.com

 

[livetoskate]

[ICE TIME] Grafstrom’s Family Wishes Hanyu the Best in Quest to Equal Legend's Third Olympic Gold | JAPAN Forward

"It would be really wonderful if he (Hanyu) could win again,” the Swedish great’s step-daughter Vera Schieckel said in an exclusive interview.

japan-forward.com

What an amazing story! I have never even heard of Gillis Grafstrom before. It's incredible that his stepdaughter is still alive and able to share the family stories. She spoke in English to the reporter and looks great too!

 

[KaoriFan]

Good luck to Kaori! Skate clean! I'm sad I won't watch the event because skater with positive doping test will be allowed to compete, but I will like to watch her skates another day.

 

[KaoriFan]

Benoit Richaud post this video of Kaori today. Love it!

https://twitter.com/Benoitrichaud/status/1493712036118810629

I wonder when this practice happened. The spin is even better!

 

[Amantide]

I enjoyed Kaori a lot. Great performance and program.
I loved Wakaba performance immensely. Not at Kaori's level technically perhaps but the quality of her skating is just wonderful. The use of her body movement is unmatched. The interpretation is top notch. I wanted to give her hug from joy when she finished. This was really her song.

 

[zigzig]

I am THRILLED for Kaori - she just exudes freedom when she skates. I could not be happier for her to go home with TWO Olympic medals!

 

[CantALoop]

Kaori is the true clean OGM

 

[Tak]

JPN TV ratings for 22 Winter Olympics:
Men SP: Weekday Daytime: 12.1%; Peak 20.1%
Men FP: Primetime: 26.0%; Peak 32.0%
Women SP: Primetime 18.7%; Peak 22.3%
Women FP: Primetime 19.0%; Peak 33.3% (just as Valieva scores came up)

 

[gotoschool]

I enjoyed Kaori's fast speed and flow and Wakaba's fabulous triple axel and impressive commitment to really go for all her elements, but I am heartbroken for Mana. I sincerely hope she is able to make it back and become even better. I think the best way to nurture Mana's development and make Japan's three places for Worlds more secure is to send Mai Mihara to Worlds especially since Mana is 6 years younger than Mai and will probably benefit from some time to recover and hone her skills. What's more Mai has certainly earned the right to be there with an average of 215+ over three international competitions and a 4CC championship win this season.

 

[shah]

I enjoyed Kaori's fast speed and flow and Wakaba's fabulous triple axel and impressive commitment to really go for all her elements, but I am heartbroken for Mana. I sincerely hope she is able to make it back and become even better. I think the best way to nurture Mana's development and make Japan's three places for Worlds more secure is to send Mai Mihara to Worlds especially since Mana is 6 years younger than Mai and will probably benefit from some time to recover and hone her skills. What's more Mai has certainly earned the right to be there with an average of 215+ over three international competitions and a 4CC championship win this season.

Is sending Mai likely, though? JSF has already announced the Worlds team and it includes Mana Kawabe.

I find the whole situation extremely unfair for Mai .