Koshiro Shimada | Page 21 | Golden Skate

Koshiro Shimada

Oh my!
Such awesome days, that should finally the breakthrough he deserved and not only in the skating world but especially on home soil, where he always seemed to gut buried a bit in Nationals.
:dbana:
To really grab the chance here and make it, being "best of the rest" of Japan is ... just thrilling and still a bit unreal 😲 😭 :bow:

Love these two, team Switzerland really nailed it!

2022 Figure Japan Championships Mens Podium LR Koshiro Shimada, Shoma Uno,DECEMBER 25, 2022 Figure Skating Japan Figure Skating Championships 2022 Mens Award ceremonyat Towayakuhin RACTAB Dome, Osaka, Japan.Photo by Yohei OsadaAFLO SPORT Editorial

Download this editorial stock photo: 2022 Figure Japan Championships Mens Podium LR Koshiro Shimada, Shoma Uno,DECEMBER 25, 2022 Figure Skating Japan Figure Skating Championships 2022 Mens Award ceremonyat Towayakuhin RACTAB Dome, Osaka, Japan.Photo by Yohei OsadaAFLO SPORT - 206995385 from...
www.afloimages.com www.afloimages.com

and 4 years ago:

2019 Japan Open LR Koshiro Shimada, Shoma Uno JPN, OCTOBER 5, 2019 Figure Skating Japan Open 2019 at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. Photo by Kiyoshi SakamotoAFLO Editorial Stock Photo - Afloimages

Download this editorial stock photo: 2019 Japan Open LR Koshiro Shimada, Shoma Uno JPN, OCTOBER 5, 2019 Figure Skating Japan Open 2019 at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. Photo by Kiyoshi SakamotoAFLO - 114083419 from Afloimages premium library of news, sport, entertainment and archive...
www.afloimages.com www.afloimages.com
 
After thinking about it for a while
It might not be the worst thing having 4CC instead of home worlds in terms of pressure, attention and the field.

We saw how difficult SkAm was for Koshiro and he did not have (a) season(s) to grow into the position as a senior skaters with big assingments, it kind of happened "overnight" (from last to this season) and now it's a wild ride and it's amazing that he not only had 2 GPs in his first "GP-season" but also a Nats prodium now AND another major competition later in the season.

So I'm still over the moon and squeeze everything I have available for him to have a nice second trip to the west and just enjoy something so big. Be selfish, Koshiro! ✨

btw - in case his gala gets overlooked by people who will put some performances on youtube etc., I managed to record it without much preparation (as I thought ha would skater later on), so I can upload it and give you all a link, but I wanted to wait a bit in case there will be other sources 🙂
 
DenissVFan said:
It wasn't his first GP season.
Click to expand...
Ah, pre-pandemic :drama:
That seems so long ago, yes.

Then his far more successful GP season.
Oh, I believe it will not be his only shot so for now and for the rest of this season, 4CC is probably not too shady. They could have even left him out completely. (Discussion in the 2023 Team Japan (WC/JWC/4CC) - Thread)
 
 
Someone deserves giphies too ☺️

giphy-downsized-large.gif


for the best celebration
giphy-downsized-large.gif
 
Koshiro looking like a seasoned model for his sponsor, Colantotte!



Also I read this article written by Satoko Sawada about Koshiro after Japanese Nationals, it's in Japanese, but using Deep L is pretty good. It's a great read of his journey so far.


Machine Translation (using Deep L):

"I am a Fighter" Koshiro Shimada's Fighting Spirit Hidden Behind His Soft Expressions. The All-Japan Championships, where his training in Switzerland from the age of 15 paid off.

Junior Results That Was Trapped

"I am a Fighter."

That was what Koshiro Shimada told himself as he headed to the rink for the free skate at the All-Japan Championships, after he came second in the short. He will skate Chaplin's 'City Lights', which he has continued since last season.

Shimada also skated a Chaplin-themed free skate at the 2015 All-Japan Championships, where he competed based on junior recommendations. Shimada's delicate and soft expression has stood out since then, but what has changed significantly is his height. Now, at 177 cm, he is noticeably taller than most figure skaters, with long arms and legs and a model-like figure. 14 years old, the pretty junior skater has grown into a 21-year-old who can also express melancholy.

Shimada analyses that "being tall can be a weapon, and conversely, for example, if your arms and legs are crooked, you will stand out".

"I think I have both advantages and disadvantages, but I've been told by various choreographers that if I make use of my long arms and legs, I'll be even better. I'm still not as good as coach Stéphane (Lambiel) and teammate Denis (Vassilievs), but I have my own style, and I want to push my skating further and further in the future."

Shimada moved to Switzerland by himself and joined Coach Stéphane's team in the summer of 2017, when he was 15 years old. Born in Ehime, Shimada started skating at the age of six and moved to Okayama City with his mother when he was in fourth grade to skate, winning the All-Japan Novice Championships (Novice A) in 2013, and after moving up to juniors, he placed fourth in 2015 and second in 2016 at the All-Japan Junior Championships, and for two years in a row, he won a recommendation slot and competed at All-Japan Championships (11th in 2015 and 7th in 2016).

In spring 2017, Shimada made the decision to go to Switzerland when his coach in Okayama moved his base to Shiga. Since then, Shimada has been improving his skating under the guidance of Coach Lambiel, a skater he admired.

Shimada competed in the 2018 Junior Grand Prix Final and won a bronze medal. After achieving results in juniors, Shimada moved up to the seniors the following season, but the following years were not marked by any notable achievements. Shimada recalls, "The last year of the junior season was the most memorable season for me, and I was quite often obsessed with my past self there".

Jumping Coach's Guidance Helped Him Make A Leap Forward This Season

The Tokyo Championships, held in September/October this year, foreshadowed Shimada's leap forward after a period of obscurity. He took the lead in the short skate with a successful quadruple salchow, and in the free skate, despite some mistakes, he escaped and won the event.

At that time, Shimada was accompanied by coach Ghislain Briand, who is renowned for his jump coaching. Briand, who also coached Yuzuru Hanyu, has reportedly spent more time teaching jumps to Coach Lambiel's students since he left Toronto this off-season and became a free agent. Coach Briand's guidance is probably behind the stability of Shimada's jumps.

At the Grand Prix Series, Shimada finished ninth at the first round in Skate America, where he fell twice in the short, but recovered to fourth place at the fourth round in Great Britain. At this All-Japan, the question was whether he had overcome his problematic quadruple jumps.

Shimada's performance in the short at the All-Japan was faulty in landing the quadruple salchow and a quarter of a rotation short in the quadruple toeloop, but he managed to complete it without any major mistakes. Shimada's second place in the short was not only a good start, but also a position from which he could have been looking for a podium finish. Going into the FS, Shimada reflected: "I had told myself not to be conscious of it, but I was still concerned about it, and I decided to accept it."

"I think it's very important for athletes to be greedy, and I felt that if I killed that part of myself, I wouldn't be the person I should be. I felt that if I killed myself, I wouldn't be my true self, so rather than telling myself 'I'm going to fight hard, I'm a fighter', I skated with that in mind."

Coach Lambiel told Shimada to "go on a mission with confidence" as he was about to enter the free skate rink.

"The mission you have to do is to show your skating to the fullest here."

Shimada stood in the starting position after his mentor's passionate words, but he had his hand on the landing of his quadruple salchow, which he jumped at the beginning of the competition. However, he made his second jump, a quadruple toeloop, followed by a triple axel + triple toeloop. Shimada recalls, "Even after my first salchow went a bit wrong, those two jumps were jumps I had been practicing a lot."

"I think since yesterday (the day after the short), I had been practicing the best I could, keeping my pace, so I was confident."
Shimada made three jumps in a row from the triple axel in the second half, but his next jump, which was supposed to be a triple flip, turned out to be a single revolution. However, he succeeded in the following jump sequence of a triple Lutz + double Axel.

After finishing his performance, Shimada put his hands on his chest and looked up to the heavens with a look of complete satisfaction.

Shimada stands in provisional first place, leaving Shoma Uno in the last run. After exploding with joy at the kiss-and-cry, Shimada looked calm in the mixed zone.

"I'm very happy, but I can't really feel it yet. The moment I got my ranking, my joy was at its highest point, but now I feel like I'm reflecting more on my performance."

"So many people have supported me up to this point. I have had injuries and daily practice problems, and I think it's the same for all athletes, but it's never easy. I really want to thank everyone around me, and I also want to thank myself for my own hard work."

In the run-up to the GP Sheffield in the UK, Shimada says he "gradually got to grips with the way I should be feeling before the competition, how I should fight and be aggressive", and based on his successful experience there, he went into this All-Japan event with the same mentality. However, "before this All-Japan, I realised that skating for results doesn't suit me very much".

"The reason I am skating is that I love skating, and I want to give a performance that makes people think 'skating is wonderful'. And the result just came with it, so I feel like I was lucky this time."

With his second place at All-Japan, Shimada qualified for his first senior championships, the Four Continents Championships in Colorado Springs, USA (February 2023). If Shimada can give a unique performance that makes the audience happy, results will surely follow there as well.
Click to expand...
 
Also, he skated his new EX, Come What May (from Moulin Rouge!) at his home rink at Ehime (yes, at the Iyotetsu Sports Center) at January 9, 2023 in front of local fans 🥰



It's been a busy first days of 2023 for Koshiro! He also congratulated his sponsor, Colantotte, on their 25th anniversary:

 
Oh wow! So much content! Now he's getting attention at home he deserves. ❤️
Would love to see those old programs when he was Novice champion.

The article perfectly goes with my giphies :love2:

Skating is just not made for the upright format 🙈 , had to stop watching.
but I recorded the EX at the All Japan Gala, so all good.
 
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