Yuma Kagiyama prepares for the Japan Championships during the official practice on December 19 at Ractab Dome in Kadoma, Osaka Prefecture. (©KYODO)
Read the full story on SportsLook - Top Stars All Primed to Perform at Japan Championships
Japan's top guns went through their paces in the official practice at Ractab Dome in Kadoma, Osaka Prefecture, on Thursday, December 19, the day before the Japan Championships is set to begin.
The action will get underway on Friday with the men's short program in the afternoon, followed by the women's short program in the evening.
Beijing Olympic silver medalist Yuma Kagiyama worked on his free skate (minus jumps) to "Ameska" and "Romanza," according to observers. After the music finished playing, he practiced assorted jumps.
"I had a feeling that I could move more than I thought from yesterday," Kagiyama was quoted as saying. "Want to go with a good feeling until tomorrow."
Kagiyama did fall on a quadruple flip, saying, "It didn't feel right at first, but after that I was able to jump at my own speed and timing."
Kagiyama is gunning for his first title at the Japan Championships.
"The desire for the gold medal is about to erupt," Kagiyama commented. "I think everyone has a strong feeling to win, and I can't lose myself."
Sato Aims for More Success After a Win in November
Shun Sato, who won the Cup of China in November, trained to his short program "Ladies In Lavender" and could not execute his quad lutz at the outset. But he landed both his combination and triple axel jumps.
"My condition is not bad," Sato declared. "I want to make good use of my confidence, [and] I want to do my best to make the most of what I have done so far."
Added Sato, "I want to finish in a better state than last year; I want everyone to make the Japan Championships more exciting than last year."
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.
