Yuma Kagiyama cheer/appreciation thread

[Cachoo]

Love that he practices figures…saving a lost art…

 

[Sylvia]

Nikkan Sports Premium gifted article (expires soon) has some nice photos of Yuma & his father when he competed (6th at 1994 Worlds) - "Mr. [Masakazu] Kagiyama's article about the world championship he hopes to achieve based on his own experience is worth reading (this article can be read for free until 23:35 on March 27, 2024)": https://twitter.com/wa_nashi/status/1772637862258717140

The series ``Masakazu Kagiyama ~ Philosophy ~'' approaches the philosophy of his father, coach Masakazu Kagiyama (51), who is in charge of coaching him, and in its seventh installment, we delve into his state of mind as he approaches the World Championships (starting March 20th, Montreal, Canada). We asked Yuma about the emotions he felt after winning the Four Continents Championship in January, the reasons for that, and his determination to win as he doesn't hide his pride.

 

[BittyBug]

His father was absolutely adorable in the K&C with him.

 

[eusebius]

Yuma + Brahms 4th symphony last movement FP. Or Dvořák 9. I am manifesting this into existence. Carolina & Lori, are you listening ?? ?

 

[Sylvia]

From a FS run through at the Montreal Worlds practice rink (Verdun Auditorium):

https://twitter.com/x/status/1775680231082193261

 

[Karen-W]

We played "Name That Tune" during our Team Meeting today and one of the songs was "Believer" and I got it right because... Duh. Then I proceeded to tell everyone on my team that they needed to watch Yuma's SP because it is so good. They all kidded me that they were just waiting for me to chime in with a figure skating reference, lol.

 

[Wyliefan]

Skating is the only reason I know any pop music at all.

 

[Sylvia]

Lori Nichol choreographed a new FS for Yuma after Worlds that’s in a new style for him: https://x.com/kagiyamaloops/status/1784181787691798854

【フィギュア】鍵山優真「かっこいいし、ステップも魅力的」来季もニコル氏に振り付け依頼 - フィギュア : 日刊スポーツ

フィギュアスケート男子の鍵山優真（20＝オリエンタルバイオ／中京大）が27日、名古屋市で行われたイベントに参加し、来季のフリーを23～24年シーズンと同じくロ… - 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

ETA that he received the Outstanding Athlete Award at the Japan Skating Federation's awards banquet for the 2023-24 season held in Tokyo on April 24.

 

[Sylvia]

Yuma debuted his SP music at the Prince Ice World Yokohama May 3rd afternoon show, according to this article:

フィギュアスケート - 【写真】宇野昌磨が華麗な演技、鍵山優真と三浦佳生が新プロ披露　横浜でアイスショー | 4years. #学生スポーツ

アイスショー「プリンスアイスワールド2024-2025 横浜公演」が5月3日、横浜市のKOSÉ新横浜スケートセンターであった。18年平昌オリンピック銀メダルの宇野昌磨（トヨタ自動車）や、22年北京オリンピック銀メダルの鍵山優真（オリエンタルバイオ／中京大学）、23年四大陸選手権優勝の三浦佳生（オリエンタルバイオ／明治大学）らが華麗な演技で会場を沸かせた。

4years.asahi.com

Kagiyama skated to the opera song `Werther'' in the morning performance, showing beautiful skating. In the afternoon performance, he will perform his new program`The Sound of Silence''. This is a new piece prepared to be used for both SP and exhibition.

A clip: https://twitter.com/MsNATARY/status/1786335052709949484

SP music as identified by fans on X: "The Sound of Silence" by Garou (and in the second half) "Sound of Silence" by Miloš & Twelve Ensemble: https://twitter.com/barubarubaruko/status/1786318898188697939 & https://twitter.com/barubarubaruko/status/1786321347892965746
The choreographer is not mentioned (ETA) - likely to be Lori Nichol (waiting to see if this info is confirmed before posting in the Programs & Choreographers thread).

Yuma Kagiyama skated a new program, The Sound of Silence (choreographed by Lori Nicole).
He told a fan that he has not decided if he will make this program as SP.

x.com

twitter.com

(He does a reverse spin).

 

[Sylvia]

Happy 21st to Yuma!

https://twitter.com/x/status/1786955250680918233

ETA Yuma's thank you for everyone's birthday wishes ("... I will do my best to make this a good year ??...":

https://twitter.com/x/status/1787134227210981629

 

[Sylvia]

Birthday wishes on May 5th for Yuma from Japan's International Olympic Committee (IOC)!Twitter/X account (video of his 2022 Olympics SP): https://twitter.com/gorin/status/1786904989736313249

 

[Sylvia]

Practice clips today (Dec. 4, 2024) from the Grand Prix Final in Grenoble:

4F landed with flow out: https://x.com/kagiyamas/status/1864282547082985854
Not jumping: https://x.com/kagiyamas/status/1864280511532663200 & https://x.com/kagiyamas/status/1864284465339473941

 

[Sylvia]

Congrats to Yuma on winning his first national title! 5 photos shared by him last week:

鍵山優真 / Yuma Kagiyama on Instagram: ". 全日本選手権、無事に終わりました。 . 初優勝を果たすことができました。 . どんな時も支えてくださった周りの方々にはとても感謝しています。 年明けからも試合が続くので一試合一試合自分に勝ち進んでいけるように頑張ります。 . たくさんの応援ありがとうございました！"

12K likes, 169 comments - yuma_kagiyama15 on December 24, 2024: ". 全日本選手権、無事に終わりました。 . 初優勝を果たすことができました。 . どんな時も支えてくださった周りの方々にはとても感謝しています。 年明けからも試合が続くので一試合一試合自分に勝ち進んでいけるように頑張ります。 . たくさんの応援ありがとうございました！".

www.instagram.com

Photo of his emotional father with Carolina Kostner after Yuma’s FS in Osaka on Dec. 21, 2024:

Instagram

www.instagram.com

Clip of his beautiful opening 4F in the FS (11.0 base value. 15.71 points!):

figure_s20⛸️ on Instagram: "Yuma Kagiyama has won the Japanese Nationals championship Just like his father was!!! TOTAL 297.73 🥇🥇 SP 92.05 FS 205.68 TES 111.70 PCS 93.98 #figureskating #figureskater #figureskate #iceskating #yumakagiyama"

figure_s20 on December 21, 2024: "Yuma Kagiyama has won the Japanese Nationals championship Just like his father was!!! TOTAL 297.73 🥇🥇 SP 92.05 FS 205.68 TES 111.70 PCS 93.98 #figureskating #figureskater #figureskate #iceskating #yumakagiyama".

www.instagram.com

 

[Sylvia]

Time for a bump up in this 2025-26 Olympic season!

190.47 still is his ISU SB for his glorious free skate at ISU CS Lombardia Trophy in Sept. 2025: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-kRsC-_yjU

NBC Sports' video of his NHK Trophy FS (commentary by Mark Hanretty): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ta30cOdzETA

ETA - with his 2nd GP gold at Finlandia Trophy today, Yuma has qualified for the Grand Prix Final in Nagoya in 2nd place.

 

[Sylvia]

The journey behind my free program “Turandot: Christopher Tin Finale”
Thank you everyone involved in this special project. 2-minute video posted by Yuma today:

鍵山優真 / Yuma Kagiyama on Instagram: ". フリープログラムができるまで⛸️ この特別なプロジェクトに関わってくださった皆さんに心から感謝します。 The journey behind my free program “Turandot: Christopher Tin Finale”⛸️ Thank you everyone involved in this special project."

1,169 likes, 24 comments - yuma_kagiyama15 on January 28, 2026: ". フリープログラムができるまで⛸️ この特別なプロジェクトに関わってくださった皆さんに心から感謝します。 The journey behind my free program “Turandot: Christopher Tin Finale”⛸️ Thank you everyone involved in this special project.".

www.instagram.com

ETA:

[NHK Special] Taking on the "Jump of the Gods" ~Ice Battle: Malinin and Kagiyama~ (preview clip):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYtouboeNyk
NHK General TV, Sunday, February 1st, 9:00 PM Streaming on NHK ONE from the premiere until Sunday, February 8th, 9:49 PM.
Geoblocked outside of Japan?

 

[Sylvia]

Christopher Tin has uploaded a video of Yuma's FS (practice run through): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOoPdWi--gI

Yuma Kagiyama's free skate for the 2025-2026 season is set to Christopher Tin's completion of Giacomo Puccini's unfinished opera 'Turandot'. The version Yuma skates to is a special medley arranged and recorded for him by Christopher Tin, in close collaboration with choreographer Lori Nichol.
The collaboration between Yuma Kagiyama, his choreographer Lori Nichol, and Christopher Tin on this program has been much celebrated in the figure skating world since it was announced, with Lori and Carolina Kostner (Yuma's coach) attending the recording sessions in London, and then collaborating for months afterwards to refine the music for Yuma's routine. Christopher crafted a musical arrangement around Yuma's technical and timing demands for the routine, recording extra material to smooth transitions and match the accelerated pace of his routine. Meanwhile, with libretto in hand, Lori created choreography that channels the story of 'Turandot' into each of Yuma's movements.

ETA: Yuma spoke to Japanese media earlier this month and said he planned to perform a quadruple flip at the Olympics. He arrived in Milan yesterday morning (with Kaori, Shun, Yoshda/Morita) and they will train in Varese.