Utana Yoshida & Shingo Nishiyama

[Dreamer57]

Alas, blocked already.

It's not blocked for me?
Have you tried https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YfFh0mzuMU ?

I'd just like to say congratulations to Utana and Shingo for getting the Youth Olympics spot.
Their free dance always makes me smile! I hope that they can inspire lots of young skaters in Japan to try ice dancing

 

[dorispulaski]

Blocked in the US

 

[el henry]

Sadly, the YouTube is blocked in the US.
However our friend @Siberia 82 may have some downloads in the competition chat forum that could ease our pain. In fact, I downloaded part two of the gala and watched Utana and Shingo, and they were delightful as ever.

But even more delightful to me was that they had an actual crowd to watch and appreciate them instead of the usual 30 diehards in a stadium made for 2000 at the JGP. And I think they appreciated having a real audience (and God bless the people who actually attend the JGP this is no disof them) as well.

 

[aname]

Blocked in the US

Oh.

This one too? https://youtu.be/V783EyLWhi4

 

[dorispulaski]

Yes, they are very quick.

 

[dorispulaski]

They were just in Medalists on Ice

2019 Medalists on Ice - "A Chorus Line"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6CKZdKLI05s

 

[Colonel Green]

They were just in Medalists on Ice

Senior ice dance in Japan being so comparatively weak is good for them in terms of getting show invitations, since there’s way more interest in a promising junior team.

Utana posted some photos with fellow future Youth Olympian Natalie.

 

[el henry]

The Olympic Channel mentioned Utana & Shingo as among “accounts to folllow” at the Youth Olympics:

https://www.olympicchannel.com/en/stories/features/detail/who-to-follow-at-lausanne-2020/

I’ll admit I never really cared about the Youth Olympics before, but I do now. Go Utashin!

 

[katmari]

The Olympic Channel mentioned Utana & Shingo as among “accounts to folllow” at the Youth Olympics:

https://www.olympicchannel.com/en/stories/features/detail/who-to-follow-at-lausanne-2020/

I’ll admit I never really cared about the Youth Olympics before, but I do now. Go Utashin!

Shingo also has very good taste. He lists Yuzuru Hanyu and Jason Brown as his heroes on the Youth Olympics biography page. :luv17:

https://www.lausanne2020.sport/resu...pantInfo/cf8ad353-eed0-4911-9fd9-0beca8128ba7

 

[el henry]

Utana & Shingo are in sixth place after the RD at the Youth Olympic Games:yay:

In my totally unbiased opinion, they would have placed much higher, but Shingo fell. Shingo, my adorable showman, please stop with the falls

Links to the skate when I find them on the desktop. Not happening from the tablet

ETA: I know there are individual captures out there, but here's the link for the competition replay; they start at 1:03:40

https://youtu.be/W4MTE85pMjA?t=3820

 

[el henry]

Utana & Shingo came in fourth in the FD with yet another personal best, 92.42

Copying again from the archived stream. Hopefully this captures at the start of their program, 1:10:06:

https://youtu.be/o3BujGl9t54?t=4208

And sixth overall, with scores that climb in each comp. No one who watches them can fail to be captured by Utashin

 

[MGstyle]

Utana & Shingo came in fourth in the FD with yet another personal best, 92.42

Copying again from the archived stream. Hopefully this captures at the start of their program, 1:10:06:

https://youtu.be/o3BujGl9t54?t=4208

And sixth overall, with scores that climb in each comp. No one who watches them can fail to be captured by Utashin

Indeed, indeed! I remembered you were raving about them, so I watched this and saw their performance for the first time. They are officially adopted right away what a charming, charismatic pair! I wasn't expecting anything like this from a Japanese team! :agree:

 

[khtmyzr]

Congratulations to Utana and Shingo on the Team Event. Another personal best in a matter of days!

 

[el henry]

Congratulations to Utana and Shingo on the Team Event. Another personal best in a matter of days!

:hap57:
their score was key to their team winning gold!

I haven’t seen the skate yet, but when I saw the score I went straight to the Comp Chat section and asked, were they really that good (99!). The answer of course, is yes

 

[Colonel Green]

They were the MVPs of the team event, as they gave their team a net +3 relative to Team Focus' totals based on the individual events (+2 by moving up from a projected 6 points to 8, and then +1 by moving Team Focus' dance team from a projected 8 points to 7).

 

[katmari]

Here's a performance only video of their team free skate from the Olympic Channel twitter:

https://twitter.com/olympicchannel/status/1217403722285928449

Here's their performance with scores love: their reactions) & Russian commentary:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ijM0_tlhso



I don't think I've seen this article from yesterday posted yet:

https://www.lausanne2020.sport/en/n...iyama_and_yoshida_inspired_by_club_mate_hanyu

Under the guidance of legendary coach and two-time Olympic silver medallist Brian Orser – who led Hanyu, Kim and Fernandez to the top – Nishiyama, 17, and Yoshida, 16, have become hugely popular with figure skating fans.

 

[Colonel Green]

Not that I don't like Brian, but I don't think his guidance has much to do with their success here. But I guess it's more fun to cite a two-time Olympic silver medalist than Hallam and Wilson.

 

[el henry]

Thanks @Katmari for the links and the articles. Not even a year together, and Utana and Shingo are fan favorites. Well, we knew that; let's get everyone on board the Utashin Fan Van:agree:

And the best of *all* the ice dancers at this comp?:hap93: Maybe this is a signal from the judges, get it together guys, we will reward you, because we see the same special spark that the fans see.

Although I agree with @ColonelGreen, Brian was kind of randomly inserted into that article because he's well, Brian. At least Tracy has been to the KnC with them

 

[khtmyzr]

Thanks @Katmari for the links and the articles. Not even a year together, and Utana and Shingo are fan favorites. Well, we knew that; let's get everyone on board the Utashin Fan Van:agree:

They are the first dance team I follow. At first I just checked them out in the beginning of the season because, well, TCC. Their charm got me following their progress until now (and on). Somehow they just make me smile while watching them (with a hint of anxiety re Shingo’s random falls )
I’m still very new to dance and I’m on the fence whether to properly learn the rules and scoring or remain blissfully ignorant and just enjoy all the performances.

 

[el henry]

They are the first dance team I follow. At first I just checked them out in the beginning of the season because, well, TCC. Their charm got me following their progress until now (and on). Somehow they just make me smile while watching them (with a hint of anxiety re Shingo’s random falls )
I’m still very new to dance and I’m on the fence whether to properly learn the rules and scoring or remain blissfully ignorant and just enjoy all the performances.

I am hardly an Ice Dance expert, and I think I like blissful ignorance like you, I was simply charmed the first video I saw of Utashin.

For me, the “prime directive” for a skater, any skater, is to bring joy to the ice. Utana and Shingo succeed :agree: