2021-22 Japanese Men's Figure Skating | Page 6 | Golden Skate

2021-22 Japanese Men's Figure Skating

KiraraChin

Medalist
Joined
May 5, 2018
Yeah, the only reason I think Koshiro is not quite ready is that he lacks senior international experience compared to the other top men - again, because the field is very deep at the moment. But yeah, he is hugely talented and if he gets that consistency, he will really go places.
 

yuumagical

"There is always something to love."
Record Breaker
Joined
Apr 17, 2021
Country
United-States
I'm sorry if this doesn't belong here, but I feel a strong urge to say the following:

Japanese skaters are such a pleasure to watch!
Yuzuru, Shoma, Kazuki, Yuma, Shun... – every one of them is totally amazing!
You're right, they're all totally amazing in their own unique ways! I've enjoyed the Japanese men since the days of Daisuke Takahashi, Takahiko Kozuka, Nobunari Oda, etc., and I am always impressed with how they combine quality technical elements with deeply artistic performances (well, Oda was known for Zayaking, but...😂). I should really watch some of their performances again sometime...

Also, is now the time (and is this the thread) to start speculating about Japanese Nationals? I definitely feel like speculating, lol.
 

yuumagical

"There is always something to love."
Record Breaker
Joined
Apr 17, 2021
Country
United-States
Well, since this type of discussion is already going on in the women's thread, I may as well start it here.

It seems to me like there's a definite top three (Yuzuru, Shoma, and Yuma), but what order they will place in is anyone's guess. This intrigues me.

If Yuzuru is healthy, he could easily place first. If Yuzuru isn't healthy, he could easily place second or lower. It ultimately depends on the condition of his ankles.

Shoma has been seen attempting a more difficult layout in practice videos recently. Will the difficulty be more than what Yuzuru has planned, and can he pull it off sufficiently well?

Yuma's best score this season is surprisingly close to Shoma's. Could he perhaps get his first national title?

Perhaps Shun, Sota, or Kazuki could spoil things here, but it seems unlikely.

Sadly, as much as I love Keiji's skating, I'm not sure he can pull off another good skate at Nationals...😿
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Giu

KiraraChin

Medalist
Joined
May 5, 2018
I think barring a tragedy happening, Yuzu, Shoma and Yuma will be top three (in whatever order) and chosen as the Olympic team.

The fight for 4th place/first alternate is a lot more interesting IMO, with Shun, Kazuki and Sota in the mix and I wouldn't count Keiji out TBH - he's very experienced and always gets it together for Nationals.

Why does 4th place matter? Because we don't know if Yuzu will actually go to the Olympics and/or Worlds. So whoever gets this place could potentially still go to big competitions in the second half of the season.
 
Last edited:

figureskatingandrainbows

As Kao Miura once said, スケートって難しい
Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 8, 2020
Country
Olympic
The top 3 will almost certainly be going to the Olympics, but even then the battle for second and third is going to be important. Operating under the assumption that Hanyu will skate in the Team Event, Shoma and Yuma are going to be fighting over a chance to compete in the Team Event and thus likely earn an Olympic bronze medal. Whoever places higher here will probably get to skate in the Team Event, since their results this season have been fairly comparable.
 

KiraraChin

Medalist
Joined
May 5, 2018
Hmmm why do you think Yuzu would be at the Team Event? Personally I think if he goes to the Olympics, he'd want that third gold so it would make sense to focus his health/stamina on the individual event, like he did in 2018.

I might be wrong, but I'm fully expecting Yuma and Shoma at the team event, likely Shoma for the short and Yuma for the free.
 

surimi

Onward and forward, Sota!
Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 12, 2013
^ Good points there. Shoma, Yuzuru and Yuma are the same tier, and Nationals could go any way. So thrilling, altough the big Yuzuru fan in me will be rooting for him. ^ ^
And the same thrilling fight will take place for the remaining spots in the top 6, with Kazuki and Shun being the top candidates, with almost the same season best.
Keiji vs. Sota is a big question mark. Like @KiraraChin says, Keiji normally does very well at domestic competitions, especially at nationals, and he says he hasn't peaked yet, so I wouldn't count him out, despite two less than stellar GPs. While Sota, as much as I like him, is his exact opposite, and tends to bomb Nationals. That's a curse he must break if he wants to be on the team for the big events.
And I am still convinced Koshiro can surprise everyone and score big so watch out for him guys, I would say he also is a top 6 candidate.
Kao (inconsistent but with multiple quads) and Tatsuya (seems to focus on clean programs and it works) are also candidates for the top 6 if multiple above-mentioned skaters falter.
 

AxelLover

On the Ice
Joined
Aug 24, 2016
Country
Czech-Republic
I strongly hope Yuzuru will show up at the Nationals, but it wouldn't be surprising if he didn't. At this point Yuzuru's chances at Nationals and Olympics are totally unpredictable. As for the team event, I don't think he will take part in that.

The fight between Shoma and Yuma is going to be very interestig. I don't expect Shun and Kazuki to be much of a threat for Yuzuru, Shoma and Yuma, but anything can happen ofc.

This year Japanese nationals are going to be more exciting than ever!
 

KiraraChin

Medalist
Joined
May 5, 2018
Yeah Yuzu said (granted that was a few years ago) that he wouldn't go for another Olympics if he didn't feel like he could win. So IMO if he goes he'll be a lot more focused on a potential individual gold rather than a team bronze.

The other issue ofc is that the schedule is gruelling, with the team event free on one day, and individual Men SP the following day. So I totally see him wanting to leave that for the young 'uns who have more stamina 😂
 

figureskatingandrainbows

As Kao Miura once said, スケートって難しい
Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 8, 2020
Country
Olympic
As much as it makes sense for Yuzu to rest and skip the Team Event, I wonder if he wants to skate the Team Event to help Japan get a medal? Japan's never gotten on the podium at the Team Event before, and it makes sense to me that Yuzu wants to help make that happen. It would be a really big deal to the nation and solidify their position as a well-rounded top three fed. Plus, it would be smart strategy-wise to put him in the short, as he's the only skater in Japan who can score 110+. I guess his condition at Nationals and his comments will hopefully give us a bit of insight towards what he wants to do.
 

KiraraChin

Medalist
Joined
May 5, 2018
I think Japan will be in a really strong position with Shoma and Yuma at the team event, especially considering the other contenders for Team Event bronze (Canada, China, Italy, France) are not that strong in singles at the moment. Japan's main challenge will be Pairs and Ice Dance, unfortunately Yuzu can't really help with those 😅
 

yuumagical

"There is always something to love."
Record Breaker
Joined
Apr 17, 2021
Country
United-States
Japan's main challenge will be Pairs and Ice Dance, unfortunately Yuzu can't really help with those 😅
I'd love to see Yuzuru be the first guy to get lifted as part of a pairs or ice dance team, considering how many times he's gotten lifted at galas, lol. 😆
The fight for 4th place/first alternate is a lot more interesting IMO, with Shun, Kazuki and Sota in the mix and I wouldn't count Keiji out TBH - he's very experienced and always gets it together for Nationals.

Why does 4th place matter? Because we don't know if Yuzu will actually go to the Olympics and/or Worlds. So whoever gets this place could potentially still go to big competitions in the second half of the season.
And now for the serious comment: you're correct in that 4th place certainly matters with regards to Olympics and Worlds. I feel like the 4th-6th finishers will at least get the chance to go to 4CC, as that's being held less than two weeks before the Olympics and it's likely that some of the top three won't go due to the timing of it.
 

KiraraChin

Medalist
Joined
May 5, 2018
And now for the serious comment: you're correct in that 4th place certainly matters with regards to Olympics and Worlds. I feel like the 4th-6th finishers will at least get the chance to go to 4CC, as that's being held less than two weeks before the Olympics and it's likely that some of the top three won't go due to the timing of it.
Yes, exactly. Also, post-Olympic fatigue is real so very often those who go to Olympics choose to skip post-Olympic worlds. So whoever is the first (and maybe second) alternate will have a good chance of going to Worlds this season, too.
 

Dreamer57

Record Breaker
Joined
May 20, 2018
Yes, exactly. Also, post-Olympic fatigue is real so very often those who go to Olympics choose to skip post-Olympic worlds. So whoever is the first (and maybe second) alternate will have a good chance of going to Worlds this season, too.
Kao and Kazuki! :clap:

Nationals was really exciting and amazing to watch this year. I'm still shocked over the attempted quadruple axel!

 
Top