[ICE TIME] An Unwavering Drive Lifted Shoma Uno to Great Heights as a Skater

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He did it against all the odds. And that is the inspirational life story of Shoma Uno in one sentence.

Born prematurely and weighing only 900 grams (2 pounds), Uno fit in the palm of his father's hand at birth. He was hospitalized frequently with childhood asthma and was always the smallest in his class at school growing up.

That's not exactly the formula for developing into a world-class athlete. But that is what Uno became, through hard work and perseverance. His is the kind of tale they make movies about.

Not as athletically gifted as Yuzuru Hanyu, Uno combined his physical skills with outstanding artistic impression to become a two-time world champion and three-time Olympic medalist, and in doing so developed his own legion of admirers.

Uno first took the ice at the age of 5, inspired by fellow Nagoya native Mao Asada, and started an incredible journey that took him around the world and to great glory.

Tributes to Shoma Uno

When the 26-year-old Uno announced his retirement from competition on May 9, the plaudits from the skating community began pouring in.

"Soft knees, elegant style & musicality, and a humble charming demeanor," wrote longtime American skating writer Lynn Rutherford on X, formerly known as Twitter. "What a great career."

Legendary skating journalist Phil Hersh, who has covered the Winter Olympics more than a dozen times, paid tribute to Uno with his own post on X, writing, "Ave atque vale (Latin for ('hail and farewell') to Shoma Uno, whose beautiful skating and evocative expressions helped him win two world titles and two Olympic singles medals."

There was something special about Shoma. Years ago, when Ice Time interviewed him, I felt a powerful force in my presence. It didn't matter that he stood only 158 centimeters. He gave off a vibe that I could not forget.

Sota Yamamoto, who was a contemporary of Uno and a fellow Chukyo University graduate, saluted his friend and training partner in a May 12 post on X.

"Shoma, thanks for all your hard work during your active career!!" Yamamoto wrote. "We often practiced and competed together since we were juniors, and I was always inspired by Shoma! Shoma's performances have a special atmosphere to them and I really love them."

Continue reading the full story on SportsLook.

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Author: Jack Gallagher

The author is a veteran sports journalist and one of the world's foremost figure skating experts. Find articles and podcasts by Jack on his author page, and find him on X (formerly Twitter) @sportsjapan.