I think all Wakaba fans are perpetually nervous. Lol . But I don't think you can call this a slow start. Her first GP isn't until NHK in November. She was sick in her first competition. Chiba was fourth in her first competition and Liu was fifth in this last competition. She was more concerned with working on the new program, but probably should have withdrawn. She will never forget 2017 when she was Japan's best until GPF, then faded a little. I do wish she was including the 3A, but I don't think her ankle can take it anymore.On a positive note, she looks to be very trim and in great shape. That should bode well, hopefully. Her theme this year is MY Way, so I will trust she knows best. Remember the criteria is not cumulative. As long as you qualify on one thing , that's good enough. They can choose anyone they want once you qualify. If it was cumulative Wakaba would have went to the Olympics instead of Kaori after 2017 Nats.As a Wakaba fan I can't lie... I'm worried!It's not so much as writing her off as trying to set my expectations low about this, and not putting any blame on external factors. Last season it's a bit different because I actually saw Wakaba live in January 2024 and was like, "well, she's in fighting shape." even though it was an ice show. So I had confidence in her going into the 2024-2025 season, where she was solid and capitalized on every opportunity she got, especially in the GPs. Not so much this year, but I also understand because every skater is on different stages of life (competitive and off-ice), so the way they approach the Olympic season is different.
I'm just worried that this slow start will cost Wakaba in the end, and so far I love her skating but she's not giving me confidence re: landing jumps needed for the points. Which I am a bit nervous about, because I don't want Wakaba to lose the advantage that she had over the other Japanese women after being a solid player last season. But I would love it if she can prove me wrong- there's a couple competitions she's entered in that can be generous with scoring, so if she can capitalize on that....
In comparison, Mone is already making an argument and quietly making sure she got her i's dotted and t's crossed in regards to the JSF Olympic team criteria. Of course it doesn't mean that she's already in the Olympic team. But she's already making the moves that literally count for the criteria, compared to others.
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after her two skates in a Japanese domestic event. She placed second to Mao Shimada there landing on her feet on all of the jumps. She struggles with the triples at JGP every season. I hope she delivers.
