Interview with Sota before JO by “4Years,” a college sports news website: (posted on Oct. 2)
リンクで軽く流して滑るだけで周りの視線を集めてしまうスケーターがいる。中京大学3年の山本草太（愛知みずほ大瑞穂高）だ。伸びやかで爽快感のあるスケーティングが魅力で、2015年世界ジュニア選手権3位など輝かしい成績を残した。その後、大きなけがから復帰し、シニアのトップで戦っている。先日の中部選手権で優勝、10月3日にさいたまスーパーアリーナである「ジャパンオープン」に出場予定だ。本格的なシーズン開幕に向けてどう過ごしてきたのかインタビューした。
4years.asahi.com
“I want to break out of my shell.” Sota Yamamoto of Chukyo University takes a leave of absence from school to focus on figure skating.
There is a skater who attracts people's attention just by stroking lightly at the rink. It is Sota Yamamoto of Chukyo University. His effortless and speedy skating was appealing, and he produced brilliant results such as the 3rd place at the 2015 the World Junior Championships. Later he came back in competition after serious injuries and has been competing among the top skaters in the senior field. A few days ago he won the Chubu regionals and will participate in the Japan Open at Saitama Super Arena. We have asked him how he has been doing in the early season.
Taking a Leave of Absence to Pursue Skating
**Skipping his past skating history and college life**
He is in the third year in college and is on a leave of absence from college and aiming at the Olympics.
“Since a competitive figure skater’s career is short, I decided to take 2 years off from school to pursue figure skating only,” he commented. He returned to his parents’ house and has been training in Osaka at Rinkai Sports Center and Kanku Ice Arena. He is coached by Onishi who used to be his coach when he was a kid. Half a week he also trains at Chukyo University Ice Arena in Aichi prefecture.
Keeping Daily Routine of Jogging During Self-Isolation
In April right after he took time off from college, all rinks closed caused by the coronavirus. During the time he could not practice on ice, besides his daily routine of jogging, he did exercises daily following the online video instructions streamed by ISU and Japan Skating Federation. He did jump rope as well. He jogs for 20 minutes, and when he gets tired towards the end he imagines himself performing in the second half.
After the on ice practice resumed, he started working on the new program. This season’s SP is “Dark Eyes,” and FS is “Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story” which he skated to when he was a novice. Both were choreographed by Kenji Miyamoto. Yamamoto noted, “One theme of this year is gorgeous skating. I asked that the SP music be edited reflecting the gorgeous theme. Miyamoto sensei told me that since I can also express emotions with fingertips, I should extend my fingers to add more impact. I want to pay attention to the way I move and hold my body and bring excitement to the program in the last step sequence.
Yamamoto chose the free program with a view to keeping it for the next year. He said, “I want the viewers to feel the worldview of the story through my skate. Miyamoto sensei told me that I changed a lot. I myself feel my gradual changes, and I want to continue to practice so that many people will notice my transformation.”
Jumping with the Flow of the Music
Last year he could not jump many times in practice because of the injury of his left instep, but it has fully healed and he has more practice time now. Quad toe loop and quad salchow can add big points, and he plans to bring 2 quads into the SP and 3 quads into the FS.
Asked about the areas where he can improve, he said he was trying to jump with the flow of the program. He noted, “It’s not the same as practicing a solo jump. When I jump with the flow of the music I have to pay attention to other things as well, and I’m painfully aware of the difficulty. I want to improve my jumps so that I can execute quads as smoothly as triples, as a part of a high quality package.” He repeats run-throughs in an effort to reach a higher level of completion.
What He should do to Break into the World Top Level
Yamamoto’s results in recent years are 6th for two years in a row at the NHK Trophy and 7th at the Japanese Nationals. He is trying to get closer to the world's top skaters. Since last season he has been aiming high with a motto of breaking out of his shell. And yet there are times that he feels worried that he has not been practicing well enough to reach a top level. “It is important to take time to ponder and debate what to do, but I’d rather spend my time taking actions. This season I want to test my limits without compromising myself. I feel like I am getting closer, but not quite there yet. I would like to be able to go beyond my limits and to come out of my shell,” he said.
His Tenacity is his Strength
** Skipping his injuries and comeback story**
He now has jump layouts competitive with top skaters and has been bringing up the level of completion of his programs. “My goal has always been the Olympics. Last year I was in a phase of cheering myself up, but now with the Olympics on my mind, I think about what to do every day. There are still things I cannot do yet, but I can feel that my behavior, actions and words have been changing. I am gaining confidence in myself in terms of jumps, expressions, and mental strength,” he stated.
Finally the pre Olympics season is starting. Yamamoto is gifted with skating skills. On top of that, he has a tenacity to overcome difficulties one by one. If he keeps making efforts with such conviction, he is likely to reach the goal. Hoping for his better future, I would like to watch over him.
www.nikkansports.com
I freely admit I have never recognized Sota's bottle as one he used to have earlier, actually I have forgotten he had a bottle in his pushup video, and I'd probably never put Sota and 'sexy look' in one sentence 
I guess I'm the odd one out! 
Anyways, so nice to read Sota was so warmly supported at JO and the gala.
