Japanese figure skating 2022-23 season news & updates

[Frau Muller]

…
…JSF made competing here, a pre-condition to funding a skater returning from injury, Rika Kihira.
….

Reading this, it seems that if she doesn’t perform strongly, Rika Kihira may not be funded to compete at her GP assignments (Canada & Finland).

 

[Karen-W]

Reading this, it seems that if she doesn’t perform strongly, Rika Kihira may not be funded to compete at her GP assignments (Canada & Finland).

I think I'd be more concerned about her ability to compete at all, based on what she's been posting on her IG recently.

 

[Sylvia]

Since I was not able to find Japanese Domestic Competitions thread for this season, I am posting on this thread.

Thanks for your info! I've created the JPN national qualifying & domestic competitions thread in the Kiss & Cry section: https://www.fsuniverse.net/forum/th...onal-qualifying-domestic-competitions.109915/

Machine translation of Rika Kihira's 9/22 tweet: https://twitter.com/rika_kihira/status/1572890247297630209

It's almost time for the Chubu Championships
I have a little bit of an injury, but it's still not completely healed, so I'm not going to practice as much on the ice as I did last year, but I'm going to play with a lower composition.
I really want to go to the All Japan Championships, so I won't push myself too hard so that I can pass the qualifiers for the Chubu Championships, but I'll do my best! ! !

 

[ostile17]

I'm really worried that KanaDai have not entered any CS or international comps before SkAm.
They should have competed more this season, that's what Marina promised during the summer.

I don't know if it's up to them or JSF but.... debuting the new programs at SkAm without any feedback seems such a bad idea!

Hopefully, as usual, I am wrong!

 

[Karen-W]

I'm really worried that KanaDai have not entered any CS or international comps before SkAm.
They should have competed more this season, that's what Marina promised during the summer.

I don't know if it's up to them or JSF but.... debuting the new programs at SkAm without any feedback seems such a bad idea!

Hopefully, as usual, I am wrong!

They're hardly alone in not debuting until the GP (Chock/Bates, Gilles/Poirier, Carreira/Ponomarenko, Wang/Liu), and it's not as though Team KoKo are out there competing much prior to the GP - they did US Classic but aren't registered for any other Challengers.

 

[layman]

Rika KIHIRA Chubu Regional Championship 2022 SP (紀平梨花 中部選手権 2022 ショート)【エレメンツ解説】

フリー→ https://youtu.be/Ct6eAnBgZZQ再生リストリンク↓駅舎・駅名標合成版→ https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLs7LFzODk1W7MGUkgE5teZ6OyVLKVLGROフィギュアスケート→ https://youtube.com/p...

www.youtube.com

Rika KIHIRA Chubu Regional Championship 2022 FS (紀平梨花 中部選手権 2022 フリー)【エレメンツ解説】

ショート→ https://youtu.be/87yI8dP1w4U再生リストリンク↓駅舎・駅名標合成版→ https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLs7LFzODk1W7MGUkgE5teZ6OyVLKVLGROフィギュアスケート→ https://youtube.com/...

www.youtube.com

Looking at Rika Kihira's performances from the Chubu Regional Championships 2022 in Japan it looks like she still has a ways to go to (fully) recover from her injury.

Rika's jumping reminds me of Surya Bonaly after the devastating achilles injury that Surya sustained in 1997 that nearly ended her career. Surya was still struggling with that injury at the 1998 Olympics but she was fully healed from it and got all of her jumps back a few years later after she turned pro.

I bring up Surya's example to show that it may take a few years for Rika Kihira to get back to jumping the way that she was, but Surya's example shows that Rika can do it (in time).

 

[Holy Headband]

Honestly, every statement I've seen from her has been really concerning and while I love her skating I wish she'd just retire at this point and give her leg the opportunity to recover for real.

 

[Hedwig]

Honestly, every statement I've seen from her has been really concerning and while I love her skating I wish she'd just retire at this point and give her leg the opportunity to recover for real.

yes, health is the most important thing.

 

[japanice]

[ICE TIME] Rika Kihira Begins Comeback with Respectable Showing in Nagoya

Kihira has now qualified for December’s Japan Championships. Elsewhere, the ISU is juggling venues and Russia’s Valieva is back on the ice in a new program.

japan-forward.com

 

[skatfan]

Reading this, it seems that if she doesn’t perform strongly, Rika Kihira may not be funded to compete at her GP assignments (Canada & Finland).

She frankly doesn’t look ready for the GP based on her skate at the regional competition and her IG posts. I wish she’d take the time off to really heal.

 

[japanice]

[ICE TIME] Mao Shimada and Mone Chiba Shine at Junior Grand Prix Event in Poland | SportsLook

The Japanese teenagers finished first and second, respectively, in the women's event in Gdansk. Shimada also secured a spot in December's JGP Final.

featured.japan-forward.com

 

[airgelaal]

Wakaba Higuchi will miss the 2022-23 figure skating season. The Japanese skater confirmed she is still recovering from a right-shin stress fracture.

I have been slow to recover from a stress fracture in my right shin that I suffered in late April.
I am not in good enough condition and will be passing up all competitions this season including the two Grand Prix events and the Japanese national championships.
I managed to climb a personal summit this February when I qualified for the Olympics which had been a career goal of mine.
I will take it slow, one day at a time this season at my own pace and hopefully get back to being in the shape I know I can be in.
After recharging my batteries, I hope I can skate better than ever for all of you. I appreciate your continued support.

https://olympics.com/en/news/figure-skating-japan-higuchi-wakaba-2022-2023-season-injury?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social-organic&utm_campaign=twitter_global_news_tw-tweet_6cd27ac6fd&utm_content=twitter_global_news_tw-tweet_6cd27ac6fd

 

[Frau Muller]

No Wakaba Higuchi for the rest of this season:

https://twitter.com/skatingjapan/status/1577571400067715072

 

[On My Own]

Get well soon Wakaba!

 

[clairecloutier]

Shoma Uno's comments on Ilia Malinin's seven-quad program in practice at Japan Open:

https://olympics.com/en/news/figure-skating-japan-open-preview?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social-organic&utm_campaign=twitter_global_news_tw-tweet_dbf7e1b280&utm_content=twitter_global_news_tw-tweet_dbf7e1b280

 

[On My Own]

https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1dR4y197zW/ I'm happy she skating happily.

 

[Sylvia]

Re-posting @Wyliefan's info here:

This thread (said to be from an interview around the end of September) has some updates on Yuma. Sounds like his injury was pretty serious; he had to rest for two months, and is now working on getting his 3A and quads back.

https://twitter.com/alexis_jc2000/status/1579031741700145153?t=GiLfY4B_hN37jA6DAdDPkg&s=19

Fingers crossed Yuma will be at Skate America even if he's not in the best shape yet.

Shoma Uno won the Japan Open Men's FS - results/videos are here (post #47):

2022 Japan Open, October 8 + Carnival on Ice gala

Quotes from Shoma Uno re. Ilia Malinin's 7-quad jump layout: https://olympics.com/en/news/figure-skating-japan-open-preview Uno conceded he is not going anywhere near the quad Axel - "it's not realistic for me" - but was inspired by Malinin's range of jumps, six in all. "I always knew he was...

www.fsuniverse.net

He scored 193.80 [100.56 TES/93.24 PCS] and his jumps were: 4Lo, 4S, 4T, 3A, 2F, 3A+2A & 4T+2T; all level 4 spins and level 3 steps.

 

[Wyliefan]

Thank you, @Sylvia!

 

[haribobo]

All regionals completed

SENIOR MEN (top scores)

Sota Yamamoto 253.80
Kazuki Tomono 238.48
Koshiro Shimada 233.83
Kao Miura 232.39
Shingo Nishiyama 210.64
Shun Sato 205.76
Sena Miyake 205.30
Kazuki Kushida 203.54
Kosho Oshima 201.73
Sumitada Moriguchi 200.07
Lucas Tsuyoshi Honda 196.42
Tatsuya Tsuboi 195.03
Mitsuki Sumoto 191.25
Yuto Kishina 190.06

SENIOR WOMEN (top scores)

Mai Mihara 201.48
Rino Matsuike 192.63
Maria Egawa 187.58
Saki Miyake 178.00
Mana Kawabe 176.62
Rion Sumiyoshi 175.44
Yuhana Yokoi 173.36
Rinka Watanabe 170.56
Miyabi Oba 166.37
Yuna Aoki 165.37
Mako Yamashita 162.89
Saigusa Chikako 156.65
Shiika Yoshioka 156.16
Chiyono Nagami 155.08
Rika Kihira 154.49
Kinayu Yokoi 150.01
Ibuki Sato 149.12
Akari Matsubara 148.24
Ayumi Kagotani 147.22
Niina Takeno 145.46

 

[japanice]

[ICE TIME] Nakai, Kataise Sweep Junior Grand Prix Titles in Poland with Strong Performances | SportsLook

With her dazzling win, Nakai clinched a spot in the JGP Final, and Kataise, making his long-awaited circuit debut, impressed with his jump landings.

featured.japan-forward.com

 

[Sylvia]

Excerpts from the article linked above:

Nakai, a 14-year-old from Niigata, put on an elegant performance to "Miss Saigon Rhapsody" in her free skate. Looking both poised and passionate, Nakai opened with a nice triple axel and landed seven clean triples. She earned level fours on her spins in a program that clearly wowed the judges.
"I was so happy to land the triple axel at the international competition," Nakai stated in an interview after her free skate. "It was clean. I am relieved."

Ami Nakai's 8-triple FS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QH--4HHjFq8

When asked what her goals were between now and the JGP Final, Nakai, who took the bronze at the JGP in Latvia last month, set an ambitious target.
"I want to put two triple axels in my free skate," Nakai commented. "I want to do my best performance and skate clean in both the short program and free skate."

Japan currently has 8 women in the top 27 of the ISU SB total scores list:
1 Mao SHIMADA JPN ISU JGP Solidarity Cup 2022 30/09/2022 217.68 J (2 JGP golds; qualified for Final)
3 Rinka WATANABE JPN ISU CS Lombardia Trophy 2022 17/09/2022 213.14 S (CS gold)
5 Ami NAKAI JPN ISU JGP Baltic Cup 2022 07/10/2022 205.90 J (JGP bronze & gold; qualified for Final)
6 Mone CHIBA JPN ISU JGP Solidarity Cup 2022 30/09/2022 205.82 J (JGP silver; Egna this week)
9 Hana YOSHIDA JPN ISU JGP Courchevel 2022 26/08/2022 203.52 J (JGP gold; Egna this week)
17 Ayumi SHIBAYAMA JPN ISU JGP Courchevel 2022 26/08/2022 188.39 J (JGP silver & 5th in Gdansk2)
23 Mana KAWABE JPN ISU CS U.S. International FS Classic 2022 15/09/2022 180.11 S (CS bronze)
27 Ikura KUSHIDA JPN ISU JGP Czech Skate 2022 03/09/2022 177.02 J (JGP bronze)

Re. Takeru Amine KATAISE:

Kataise, an 18-year-old from Shimane Prefecture, has been around for years. But delayed by the pandemic, he finally took the ice for the first time at a JGP.
Kataise competed to "Rondo Capriccioso" and came through with a solid outing. He hit two triple axels and eight clean triples, while posting level fours on his spins. [...]
"I like to perform better," Kataise responded. "I don't have quad jumps, so I think I have to work on spins and skating skills. I got high points today from the judges, it was good for me."

His impressive FS (155.18 is the highest JGP men's free skate score so far this season): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eT4MbIzLrf4

Top 7 men currently on ISU SB list:
7 Koshiro SHIMADA JPN ISU CS Lombardia Trophy 2022 18/09/2022 235.90 S (CS silver)
9 Takeru Amine KATAISE JPN ISU JGP Baltic Cup 2022 08/10/2022 234.24 J (JGP gold; Egna this week)
17 Nozomu YOSHIOKA JPN ISU JGP Czech Skate 2022 02/09/2022 219.68 J (JGP gold in Ostrava, 5th in Gdansk1)
18 Shunsuke NAKAMURA JPN ISU JGP Courchevel 2022 27/08/2022 219.65 J (JGP gold; Egna this week)
26 Kazuki TOMONO JPN ISU CS Nebelhorn Trophy 2022 23/09/2022 210.77 S (CS 4th)
38 Rio NAKATA JPN ISU JGP Baltic Cup 2022 08/10/2022 200.41 J (JGP silver in Riga, 4th in Gdansk2)
54 Ryoga MORIMOTO JPN ISU JGP Courchevel 2022 27/08/2022 188.66 J (JGP bronze, 11th in Gdansk1)

 

[Sylvia]

3 Rinka WATANABE JPN ISU CS Lombardia Trophy 2022 17/09/2022 213.14 S (CS gold)

As posted in the GP Assignments thread, Rinka ended up getting both of Wakaba's GP spots - she was added to Skate Canada International on today's grid.

Watanabe trained in Vancouver for a while - I recall enjoying her "Jyn Erso & Hope Suite" Star Wars-themed Junior FS from BC/YK Summer Skate in August 2019: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQ6TBYjsNM4

Side note: Megumu Seki was in the kiss & cry with her 3 years ago and he has since moved to the Connaught Skating Club (earlier this summer, IIRC).

 

[Sylvia]

The 2022 NHK Trophy Figure Skating Press Conference was held on Sunday, Oct. 9 and featured Domo-kun and 7 of the Japanese skaters scheduled to compete in Sapporo -- Kaori Sakamoto, Rion Sumiyoshi, Rinka Watanabe, Shoma Uno, Sota Yamamoto, Misato Komatsubara & Tim Koleto: https://twitter.com/NHKTrophyFigure/status/1579030361560186881
3 more photos here: https://www.instagram.com/p/Cje0rT1O3sM/

Olympics.com added English subtitles to their video - scroll down to "Uno Shoma and Sakamoto Kaori look forward to 2022/23 Grand Prix season" at the bottom of the page in this article: https://olympics.com/en/news/injured-kagiyama-yuma-grand-prix-series-event-japan

These skater videos appear to be geoblocked outside of Japan: https://www3.nhk.or.jp/sports/special/figure-skating/

 

[On My Own]

Kagiyama to miss the Grand Prix. https://twitter.com/skatingjapan/status/1580831384603488256

 

[leilaofpaper]

Kagiyama to miss the Grand Prix. https://twitter.com/skatingjapan/status/1580831384603488256

both events or just Skate America for now?

 

[AYS]

both events or just Skate America for now?

Both.

 

[On My Own]

both events or just Skate America for now?

The Japanese statement had two dates, so it was both. But here's an english tweet. https://twitter.com/figureskatingm1/status/1580854606426689541

 

[Sylvia]

Very about Yuma's withdrawal from both Skate America and France but recovering for Nationals and the second half of the season is more important.

As posted in the GP assignments thread, Koshiro Shimada (SkAm) and Sena Miyake (France) are his replacements.

 

[japanice]

[ICE TIME] Yoshida, Nakamura and Kataise Claim Medals in Italy to Earn JGP Final Berths | SportsLook

Japanese skaters secured half of the combined 12 total spots for the men's and women's singles competitions for December's JGP Final in Turin.

featured.japan-forward.com

 

[On My Own]

Miura is a good overall skater already. So impressive.