Sota Yamamoto

[KiraraChin]

Sota is going to participate in the next Naniwa Figure Skating Festival!

 

[surimi]

Thanks, Kirara! Today is also the day that the FS Life Online Talk of Sota, Kazuki and Koshiro takes place. We should be seeing photos online in a few hours

 

[surimi]

Sota showing off his cooking skills:


He's doing a great job! Way to go, Sota!

And here are some photos of the FS Life online talk:



---
That was at least something cheerful in what is shaping to be the sh*ttiest season ever for me as a Sota fan. Like ever, including the pandemic years.
This is probably Sota's last season, and looks like Finlandia 2024 was the last chance for me to see him. GP France is literally the only opportunity to see Sota in Europe, unless a miracle lands him Challenge Cup. Priced out and/or uncomfortable with traveling to Angers? Too bad, says JSF, we don't give a f*** about the overseas fans anymore, or about our skaters' SB and pre-GP competing experience abroad! Here's some more competitions in Japan instead!

I guess I should be grateful I could see Sota multiple times because obviously not everyone has been that fortunate when it comes to their biggest favorites... but I was really hoping to see him one last time, after having to cancel Finlandia last year. Last fall, I was like, okay, take it chill, there'll be an opportunity yet next year... but no, this time it's just France, and nothing else in Europe. I'm bitter, furious and gutted all at the same time. Hoping JSF's horrible choices backfire on them spectacularly.

It really doesn't help that whatever Sota content there is these days, video-wise and article-wise, is either geoblocked, or paid, or only available to those willing to jump through hoops like creating accounts on Japanese websites / sending financial contributions to an entire group of skaters instead of just Sota. And, naturally, all of it is only for those who have excellent Japanese skills, to be able to actually enjoy said paid content - or who have a fluent translating buddy who is willing to jump through the aforementioned hoops.

So I guess I'm stuck with gifted articles and GP footage as my only Sota content until next spring, and he's likely to retire then. Joy.
Enshittification has hit the skating world full force.

 

[surimi]

Sota debuted his new SP at Dreams on Ice (that ended today), and fans find it cool:


And he jumped 4T and 3A!


Lucky fans who saw Sota skate again in person!
He was sporting curly hair and a modern-looking costume (NGL, I hope both go away as the season starts as I'm in the conservative camp re. Sota's hair, and am not keen on men's costumes that look like designed by Eteri - give me Teeth costume any day, though! Or does this particular design have a deeper meaning?) The smoky eye makeup was cute though

Is anyone surprised that he was by his bff Kazuki's side for the final bows? ^ ^ Not me...

Like the previous years, I have not listened to the song (Tombeau de Vivaldi by Spearfisher) to avoid spoilers before the program is fully competition-ready. That served me well two years ago, when I was blown away by Dream of Flight I recall I was skeptical of the song just based on the name, so I don't want to repeat the same mistake again. But I know I'm in the minority about not having listened to Sota's SP song - those who have looked it up, how did you like it? I enjoy reading people's impressions.

Most importantly, Sota looked healthy and happy, and enjoyed interacting with his fans as usual. I hope he has a successful season, and remains healthy. I have a feeling it will be his last one, though I'm so out of the loop with interviews, I don't know if he's said anything for sure at this point. Which makes me even more upset to not be able to cheer for him once more. All I can do is pray for something like Challenge Cup, but we all know what JSF are like, and how callously they're treating their skaters this season, assignment-wise. I wouldn't be surprised at all if they ended up not assigning anyone to any CS and B comp other than Kinosita and Asian Open Fingers crossed of course, though...

 

[KiraraChin]

He was sporting curly hair and a modern-looking costume (NGL, I hope both go away as the season starts as I'm in the conservative camp re. Sota's hair, and am not keen on men's costumes that look like designed by Eteri

NGL I laughed at the costume comparison lol I'm also hoping that the hair and costumes are temporary

 

[Noxia]

I met Sota today and he looks super happy I love how he's taking his time.
To be honest I don't know if that's because he finally got rid of burden of Olympics or other things, but now he's in the best sharp since I knew him (yes since 2020).
When he was struggling with injuries, he always came across as very quiet and reserved, almost like a boy who had to grow up too early. But now he doesn’t seem to care at all about looking silly or adorable. He’s just being himself, and honestly, that’s one of my favorite things to see.

I also got some information about his competition schedule. He won’t be competing at the Nagoya Minato Aqua Cup, but he’s planning to skate at the Summer Cup in mid-August. If he’s assigned, he’ll also compete at the Kinoshita Cup—which, judging from what I’ve heard, he seems kinda confident about.

As of now, he hasn’t received any other assignments yet. So if everything goes well, I think his season could look something like this:

Summer Cup → Kinoshita Cup → Central Regional Championships → 2 Grand Prix events (→ GPF?) → All Japan Championships (→ Four Continents / Worlds?)

I really want to see him make the Worlds again. But at the moment, Kao looks incredibly strong. He’s already delivered four clean short programs, so the competition is going to be tough.

 

[surimi]

I met Sota today and he looks super happy I love how he's taking his time.
To be honest I don't know if that's because he finally got rid of burden of Olympics or other things, but now he's in the best sharp since I knew him (yes since 2020).
When he was struggling with injuries, he always came across as very quiet and reserved, almost like a boy who had to grow up too early. But now he doesn’t seem to care at all about looking silly or adorable. He’s just being himself, and honestly, that’s one of my favorite things to see.

I also got some information about his competition schedule. He won’t be competing at the Nagoya Minato Aqua Cup, but he’s planning to skate at the Summer Cup in mid-August. If he’s assigned, he’ll also compete at the Kinoshita Cup—which, judging from what I’ve heard, he seems kinda confident about.

As of now, he hasn’t received any other assignments yet. So if everything goes well, I think his season could look something like this:

Summer Cup → Kinoshita Cup → Central Regional Championships → 2 Grand Prix events (→ GPF?) → All Japan Championships (→ Four Continents / Worlds?)

I really want to see him make the Worlds again. But at the moment, Kao looks incredibly strong. He’s already delivered four clean short programs, so the competition is going to be tough.

Thank you for the long report! It's reassuring that Sota is happy, carefree and gaining confidence rapidly. I suppose his new coaching experience helps in that respect. Going to use this as an opportunity to repeat myself for about the 3000th time, and say he's going to be an awesome, relatable and kind coach. I really look forward to seeing him in that role.

I'm not surprised Sota is sure he's going to appear in Kinoshita. It's not like JSF is assigning anywhere else this season, and I'm still seeing red over that I can see only the Chinese and Korean fed being equally callous if they had a Challenger on their soil. If all of Japan's best are assigned, as I expect they will, what good is it to deprive the skaters of enough foreign rivals? (wwhich foreigner except maybe Malinin will want to tackle that field? I fully expect to see few overseas entries, just enough to keep Challenger status in singles) What good is it to pit them all against each other well before Nationals, costing some of them medals and points they could most likely win in any other Challenger? Like someone else said on GS, yeah, kerosene is expensive, but this is unprecedented.

If the season goes well for Sota, I hope he gets to go to 4CC and WC.
If it goes well for me, I hope he also gets Challenge Cup I can't deal with the thought of not seeing Sota live in -likely- his last season. I have to keep hoping.

 

[DizzyFrenchie]

Thank you for the long report! It's reassuring that Sota is happy, carefree and gaining confidence rapidly. I suppose his new coaching experience helps in that respect. Going to use this as an opportunity to repeat myself for about the 3000th time, and say he's going to be an awesome, relatable and kind coach. I really look forward to seeing him in that role.

I'm not surprised Sota is sure he's going to appear in Kinoshita. It's not like JSF is assigning anywhere else this season, and I'm still seeing red over that I can see only the Chinese and Korean fed being equally callous if they had a Challenger on their soil. If all of Japan's best are assigned, as I expect they will, what good is it to deprive the skaters of enough foreign rivals? (wwhich foreigner except maybe Malinin will want to tackle that field? I fully expect to see few overseas entries, just enough to keep Challenger status in singles) What good is it to pit them all against each other well before Nationals, costing some of them medals and points they could most likely win in any other Challenger? Like someone else said on GS, yeah, kerosene is expensive, but this is unprecedented.

If the season goes well for Sota, I hope he gets to go to 4CC and WC.
If it goes well for me, I hope he also gets Challenge Cup I can't deal with the thought of not seeing Sota live in -likely- his last season. I have to keep hoping.

Well, there's worse, there's the Kazakh Federation...
The thing is, Kinoshita used to be a sort of internal pre-season test skate, not a Challenger, and maybe they're slow to take it into account too? But yes I'm sure that the travel expenses enter in the picture a good deal.

 

[KiraraChin]

@Noxia thank you for the report! It's good to know that Sota is in good spirits. I remember when he announced his mum's death, he wrote something along the lines of 'from now on I'll enjoy every day'
As for the Worlds team, it's going to be difficult regardless, but figure skating is all about peaking at the right time, so it's too early to tell. Usually people who look very sharp in the off-season tend to lose steam later on.

Here's Sota's SP for those who haven't seen it. Amazing choice of music and choreography, and the style suits him perfectly. I think he'll do great with this programme

 

[surimi]

Well, there's worse, there's the Kazakh Federation...
The thing is, Kinoshita used to be a sort of internal pre-season test skate, not a Challenger, and maybe they're slow to take it into account too? But yes I'm sure that the travel expenses enter in the picture a good deal.

The thing is, multiple federations face the same issue. And I bet you most won't be as scroogey when it comes to assignments as JSF. Yes, JSF funds a number of its athletes, unlike many other feds, but airfare is expensive for everyone, and having one's skaters compete only domestically, save for the biggest events, is not a fortunate solution for growing the popularity of FS and the international experience and ranking of JSF's skaters. The prospect of no overseas events for anyone but the cream of the crop, must be demotivating for the young promising skaters, too.

More Sota content from DoI...
Sota and Kazuki jumping 3A, with Sota jumping out of a spread eagle entry:


The boys in makeup ^ ^

 

[surimi]

New federation profiles are out, and here is Sota's:

フィギュアスケート：強化選手山本　草太 | 公益財団法人 日本スケート連盟 - Japan Skating Federation

こちらのページは公益財団法人 日本スケート連盟のフィギュアスケート強化選手山本　草太ページです。

www.skatingjapan.or.jp

Translation:
Thank you so much for all your support every day.
This season, I want to dedicate myself to new challenges and make it a season where I can discover a side of myself I've never seen before.

Please let the 'new challenges' be expression and full levels, not new quads!

Check out the 'hobby' line - 'sauna' (as usual) and wow, 'cooking my own food'! Way to go, Sota!

*********

In other news, Sota is no longer affiliated with MIXI.
I am profoundly sad about that. I woder why that is, and suspect that Sota becoming a part of USM-managed group of skaters has something to do with it. I guess having MIXI, USM and Daisuke's F-ske skater group support was too good to be true in the end.
I'm forever grateful to MIXI for having sponsored Sota, and having run Unlim, to the delight of both Sota and his fans. I hope Sota is well finance-wise, after MIXI's departure, since we've been told that USM do not sponsor Sota

********

Something cute to wrap up the post - Sota and Kazuki taking their bows at DoI:

 

[KiraraChin]

In other news, Sota is no longer affiliated with MIXI.
I am profoundly sad about that. I woder why that is, and suspect that Sota becoming a part of USM-managed group of skaters has something to do with it. I guess having MIXI, USM and Daisuke's F-ske skater group support was too good to be true in the end.
I'm forever grateful to MIXI for having sponsored Sota, and having run Unlim, to the delight of both Sota and his fans. I hope Sota is well finance-wise, after MIXI's departure, since we've been told that USM do not sponsor Sota

That is a shame. My guess is that the non-renewal from MIXI came first, as it's usual with these companies to end contracts after the Olympic season - it happened to Kazuki and Central Sports in 2022, and, more recently, Kao Miura and Oriental Bio. MIXI itself seems to be having issues considering the winding down on Unlim services, so it's likely the decision had more to do with their own financial affairs rather than Sota.

I'm also hoping that he'll be OK financially, I remember Kazuki saying that not having a sponsor is extremely stressful because it means the skater needs to be worried about other things apart from skating

 

[surimi]

Okay, so while I know one shouldn't post when gobsmacked or unpleasantly surprised, I'm known as a mouthy person anyway, so why not.
Like, really, Sota. Likely saying bye to your career (as in, I'm guessing this will be his last season) with a freakin' Roxanne Tango? You've got to be kidding me. Yet. Another. Warhorse. They just never stop. I know that so many skaters apparently enjoy warhorses, especially Korean and the Japanese, but since Sota is the one I care about the most, this is a major letdown. From all the tangos, you choose one of the 4 biggest warhorses? And one that was an iconic Kazuki program? And as much as I love Sota - with his expression and liveliness range in competition? Who out there thought this would be a great choice? Like, if he can bring the fire from Kassouya into competition, good! - he still doesn't have Kazuki's facial expression range, but then, most men don't. But somehow, I'll be surprised if Sota manages to pull the expression part off. He's not one of the favored top 3 that all lack expression (IMO - I know some have fans here), but their scores never show it. He says he will be putting a lot of effort into that aspect this season, so I'm hoping he succeeds. But being as famous and overplayed as it is, Roxanne just isn't a great vehicle IMO.
I'm going to cheer for Sota, but his program music hasn't made me happy recently, except Song of Flight, which was genius. (and possibly the new SP, but I'm avoiding spoilers for now so I haven't seen it and can't say)
There, rant over...
Now I *doubly* hope this is not Sota's last season. The latter half of his career deserves better than typically 1 warhorse per season.

***

Annd, Sota is also injured right now...

リンクサイド：山本草太「高橋大輔さんが選んで…」　フィギュア全日本合宿 | 毎日新聞

フィギュアスケートの全日本強化合宿が4日、大阪府泉佐野市の関空アイスアリーナで公開された。山本草太選手（中京大）は右の太もも裏を痛めていた影響で、曲かけ練習でジャンプを跳ばなかった。

mainichi.jp

Sota Yamamoto: "Daisuke Takahashi chose it..." Figure Skating All Japan Training Camp​

The All Japan Figure Skating Training Camp was opened to the public on the 4th at the Kansai International Airport Ice Arena in Izumisano City, Osaka Prefecture. Due to an injury to his right hamstring, Sota Yamamoto (Chukyo University) did not perform any jumps during the practice session.

Drawing on his experience of struggling with injuries last season, he said, "Now I want to fully recover so that I can be in top condition for the games."

This season, she has prepared music with a different style from her previous style for both her short program (SP) and free skate.

The main comments from Yamamoto during the post-practice interview are as follows:

"My biggest goal is..."​

Please tell us about your current training situation and physical condition for this season.

This season, I want to take on new challenges, so I've prepared programs for both my short and free programs with musical styles that are completely different from previous years.

I want to refine it into a great world for the upcoming season.

Regarding his condition, he was injured and was unable to perform jumps during today's (open practice session).

The season is still underway, so I think now is the time to be patient.

What is the condition of the injury?

I have symptoms in my right hamstring that are like the mildest stage of a muscle strain.

I can still perform, but it's a problem that could worsen and become chronic, so I decided to rest for now.

Last season I also suffered an injury, which meant I couldn't practice at crucial times. So now, my main focus is on not pushing myself too hard, recovering completely, and being in top condition for the matches.

Today, there were lots of jumps from the other skaters, and I was tempted to do the same, but I held back. I'm hoping to get plenty of rest and recovery so I can be ready for the season.

What are the appealing features and characteristics of the new program?

In previous years...

[paywalled from here]

*****

That's the type of injury that Kao was suffering from two seasons ago, wasn't it?
Wishing Sota a speedy recovery, and yes, don't push yourself too hard I hope he doesn't hesitate to WD from Summer Cup if not fully healed

 

[Noxia]

Very unluckily Sota once said in fSLife fanmeeting that he chose this music (yes he made the decision but Kenji sensei also helped.) I think he really wanted to skate to this
For injuries, I only asked about his schedule at doi. So it's maybe the reason why he chose not to go to Aqua Minato Cup.To be honest he suffered so much...
But his injury is not that severe as kao's. Kao’s injury has already been described as a tear, while Sota’s current condition appears to be a mild hamstring strain. Hope he can make a full recovery soon.

 

[DizzyFrenchie]

Okay, so while I know one shouldn't post when gobsmacked or unpleasantly surprised, I'm known as a mouthy person anyway, so why not.
Like, really, Sota. Likely saying bye to your career (as in, I'm guessing this will be his last season) with a freakin' Roxanne Tango? You've got to be kidding me. (...)

Why not be optimistic and thin that it won't be his last year, and it's better to put this program he wanted to skate to in a sort of intermediate year when he's not at his best?

I really hope that he heals soon!

 

[surimi]

Why not be optimistic and thin that it won't be his last year, and it's better to put this program he wanted to skate to in a sort of intermediate year when he's not at his best?

Because we're all wired differently? And it's kinda like telling a choleric person 'Why not calm down?' It works best for me to worry about a negative outcome and get a pleasant surprise, or at worst, have a 'thought as much' moment, than to expect a positive outcome and be devastated when it never comes.
Okay, seriously, so far Sota hasn't given us much of an indication that he'd like to continue next season, too. I suppose he doesn't know for sure himself, but:
- We know he was thinking the OG would be his last season.
- He's been starting the season injured for the last two years.
- Then there's the big question mark that's his bolts, which are reaching their guaranteed 10-year lifespan this year.
- He's not an ice show fave, and we don't really know much about his financial situation, or how easy it is for him to keep skating without MIXI in the picture. (I know, I'm a fine one to talk, but I do wish that some form of funding specifically for Sota came up)
- JSF is not currently assigning him to any events he typically does so well at, like international Challengers or at least a B event, which means fewer points, and a drop in the WS, especially since Russians are entering the picture again, and most other countries' skaters will also be busy grabbing any points they can. So unless he performs marvellously in GP and at Nationals, he's going to have a major WS disadvantage coming into next season. We know Kazuki said something along the lines of 'noone hates losing more than Sota'. I don't think he'd be interested in, say, having to compete for NHK host spot again...
So I'm just connecting the dots when saying I think this will be his last season. I don't know that for sure, and I'd be happy if it wasn't the case. But thinking the way I do will lessen the impact if the announcement really comes.

Sure, Roxanne is Sota's pick, he obviously likes it, nothing wrong with skating to what you like. But seeing as he has repeatedly said he watches a lot of FS and listens to music, I'm surprised he keeps picking what he must know if grossly overplayed music. That nothing similar but more out of the box caught his eye instead.

Okay, anyhow, this is what he's skating to, I have voiced my feelings regarding Roxanne and Sota, and the only thing I can do now is hope that despite my misgivings, his will be a similarly iconic and well-received version to Kazuki's.

*****

BTW, who has noticed Sota's new profile photo on X/Twitter? Sota the teenager in his Olympc sunglasses is gone , replaced by a cool adult Sota that leaves noone in doubt re. what he loves most

 

[KiraraChin]

I'm really glad that Sota's injury seems to be minor and he's been careful about it. It must be annoying not to be able to jump at this point when everyone is preparing for the new season, but hopefully he's on the mend and will be back to full health soon

I'm with you re: the free skate music choice @surimi
I understand that it's music he wants to skate to, but I can't help but think it'll be such a contrast to the SP, and not in a good way. Dai-chan clearly understands Sota's skating more than Sota himself.

But I also think this is part of a wider phenomenon which I will call the 'kazukification of Japanese men skating'. Which is the fact that a lot of these guys are looking at Kazuki's performances and thinking 'I could do that too'. Because, why not, right? Kazuki's not some inaccessible ideal, he's just a peer and when he does it, it looks easy.

So you have these situations like Yuma Kagiyama's SP last season. I know a lot of people liked it and it got high scores as usual, but realistically he couldn't be as relaxed in competition as he was when he first performed it at DOI, and that showed it in the performances. I suspect the same will happen now with Kao and his mambo programme. The problem for Sota is that he doesn't have the lenience of the judges like Yuma and Kao, so even if he's doing well in practice, if he can't pull off the drama and sass of Roxanne in competition, that's gonna tank his PCS. It's risky.

 

[Noxia]

I feel uneasy about the latest information... Since he has just told us he would go to summer cup(and yes, he also said so during Uno Cafe event) however he didn't show up on the entry list. I have checked the final entry application day is July 4th so maybe he won't participate.
But how comes... He landed many beautiful 4T3T and 3A at dream on ice and seemed in good shape. I asked one of my friends who worked as physician and she said although she didnt know what happened but one of the causes of his injury was over-training...
And what worries me most is Summer Cup is at August 9th to 12th. So he or his team suppose he can't make a recovery until that time?

 

[DizzyFrenchie]

I feel uneasy about the latest information... Since he has just told us he would go to summer cup(and yes, he also said so during Uno Cafe event) however he didn't show up on the entry list. I have checked the final entry application day is July 4th so maybe he won't participate.
But how comes... He landed many beautiful 4T3T and 3A at dream on ice and seemed in good shape. I asked one of my friends who worked as physician and she said although she didnt know what happened but one of the causes of his injury was over-training...
And what worries me most is Summer Cup is at August 9th to 12th. So he or his team suppose he can't make a recovery until that time?

These smaller cups are always a sort of expendable for Skaters of his level?

 

[Noxia]

对于他这个级别的滑冰运动员来说，这些小杯子总是可有可无的吗？

To be honest i don't think so. Summer Cup is called "all Japan in summer" so it's kinda s tradition for some top Skaters to participate...