2019-20 Japanese ladies' figure skating

[RafaelAstro]

Yes, sure, because Rika who is a natural lutz jumper (with very deep outside edge) will suddenly have a wrong edge or an unclear edge in just one season, hahaha tell me more lies please I want a good laugh, I'm 100% sure it's just a misunderstation or an usually fake russian statement towards Rika this time, Anyway congratulations for your medal Rika! your are improving everytime and good luck to GPF where I hope you feels better and put again that beautiful textbook lutz in your programs to increase your base value with maybe that 4S also, make those haters close their ugly mouths!. You just focus to get a medal there if not the overall win, it is possible after all. Slay Queen!

 

[Mishaminion]

I dont think it was hate, probably a misunderstanding

 

[nussnacker]

It was a statement not an opinion. A summary of the NHK results.

Idk maybe that was their uninformed opinion why Rika didn't jump 3Lz, maybe the writer of the news article made assumptions or misunderstood something, which is easy to do.
I can sort of see why such a thing could happen.

Who knows, it's obviously an untrue statement but we do not know how it got to be there, through a genuine error, misunderstanding, uninformed assumption or blatant lie?

I think a press person just needed to tell her boss she wrote an article, she wasn't feeling like doing it properly and wrote something whatever for the sake of simply submitting something, and got caught with her incompetence redhanded writing nonsense.
But I could be wrong though, I don't know much about this person :confused2:

 

[readernick]

I think a press person just needed to tell her boss she wrote an article, she wasn't feeling like doing it properly and wrote something whatever for the sake of simply submitting something, and got caught with her incompetence redhanded writing nonsense.
But I could be wrong though, I don't know much about this person :confused2:

Hopefully, that is the reason. It was an inaccurate statement.

 

[YuBluByMe]

Anyways , Kihira is the third (or is it second?) woman to nail three 3As in a single competition. First to do so was Asada. I believe Tuktamysheva is the second. I think she did it in Skate America. Kihira’s also on the way to breaking Asada’s 3A record.

I just wanted to point that out. Ya’ll carry on.

 

[Autumn Leaves]

I am neither Russian, not Japanese, but I read Russian and have noticed that Rika is always mentioned with respect, as a serious competitor. My guess is that the author is misinformed, not malicious. Rika definitely doesn‘t have edge issues.

 

[Mishaminion]

Anyways , Kihira is the third (or is it second?) woman to nail three 3As in a single competition. First to do so was Asada. I believe Tuktamysheva is the second. I think she did it in Skate America. Kihira’s also on the way to breaking Asada’s 3A record.

I just wanted to point that out. Ya’ll carry on.

She's a fantastic skater and carrying on a wonderful tradition of the Triple Axel for Japanese ladies. Midori, Mao and Rika.

I hope she can keep this high quality and consistency up, last season she won GPF and then it kind of went... a bit south. Her less than stellar consistency from Juniors reared its ugly head but second senior season, new challenges and I hope to see her in the mix.

 

[CanadianSkaterGuy]

I don't have an axe to grind. I said she's a very good skater, but Alena is better and she wouldn't be definite number one in Japan without 3A if the other girls skated to their potential, which they aren't this year. Neither of those statements are outrageous. Sorry I hurt your feelings, jeez.

I don't get your logic though. Rika skating to her potential is still on par, if not better than Sakamoto (better artistry) or Miyahara (better GOE and bigger jumps). You also have to take into account what is actually happening -- for example, we could argue that the only reason Sakamoto won Nationals is because Kihira and Miyahara didn't skate to their potential. Oh well, that's skating.

Next argument we should make is that the only reason Trusova and Chen are leading their countries is because they have so many quads, lol.

You're entitled to your opinion though, and can continue to suggest that Kihira isn't remarkable. Although, I'd disagree that Kostornaia is the once-in-every-ten-years skater (it's not like she's the first to do a 4 triple SP, or two triple axels in a FS). Trusova however is the remarkable one with her difficulty even if her artistry is lacking... that's what people will talk about, even if Kostornaia's overall skating is prettier to watch.

 

[Joekaz]

I don't get your logic though. Rika skating to her potential is still on par, if not better than Sakamoto (better artistry) or Miyahara (better GOE and bigger jumps). You also have to take into account what is actually happening -- for example, we could argue that the only reason Sakamoto won Nationals is because Kihira and Miyahara didn't skate to their potential. Oh well, that's skating.

Next argument we should make is that the only reason Trusova and Chen are leading their countries is because they have so many quads, lol.

You're entitled to your opinion though, and can continue to suggest that Kihira isn't remarkable. Although, I'd disagree that Kostornaia is the once-in-every-ten-years skater (it's not like she's the first to do a 4 triple SP, or two triple axels in a FS). Trusova however is the remarkable one with her difficulty even if her artistry is lacking... that's what people will talk about, even if Kostornaia's overall skating is prettier to watch.

If you think Kihira is on par or better than Sakamoto and Miyahara without her 3A, then you agree with me. You could also argue they are on par or better than Rika because of their strengths. I would also include Wakaba too, if she would regain her form. Its the 3A that elevates her. Otherwise she is one of the top four, not necessarily number one. Mihara on a good day even could be included. On your other point, its a simple case of me valuing how pretty you skate, as you say, over how many rotations you can do. Not an uncommon difference of opinion in this sport.

 

[gotoschool]

I was surprised and impressed with this LP performance from Mana Kawabe who won Junior Nationals:
Beautiful triple axel with a triple lutz and triple toe to follow and a nice array of other jumps with good artistry and skating skills, graceful expression, and the black feathery shape and flow of the costume suits the BlackSwan motif wonderfully.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pk9uxKhTQtU

 

[zanadude]

She's a fantastic skater and carrying on a wonderful tradition of the Triple Axel for Japanese ladies. Midori, Mao and Rika.

And Mirai.

 

[macy]

Wakaba is landing 3As in practice again!

https://www.instagram.com/p/B5VciwjIdsD/

 

[nussnacker]

Wakaba is landing 3As in practice again!

https://www.instagram.com/p/B5VciwjIdsD/

:hap85:

 

[theharleyquinn]

I am really unsure of what's going to happen at Japanese Nationals. I have my hunch that it'll be Rika, Wakaba, and Kaori, but with mistakes Satoko, Yuhana, and Mako have possible shots.

 

[lzxnl]

I am really unsure of what's going to happen at Japanese Nationals. I have my hunch that it'll be Rika, Wakaba, and Kaori, but with mistakes Satoko, Yuhana, and Mako have possible shots.

A 3A means little if you can't land your other jumps. Wakaba has to show she can skate a complete free program first without melting down. That's why I'm not too keen on her chances just yet. We'll see soon.

 

[theharleyquinn]

A 3A means little if you can't land your other jumps. Wakaba has to show she can skate a complete free program first without melting down. That's why I'm not too keen on her chances just yet. We'll see soon.

Unfortunately not many other ladies have shown consistency.

 

[lusterfan]

I am really unsure of what's going to happen at Japanese Nationals. I have my hunch that it'll be Rika, Wakaba, and Kaori, but with mistakes Satoko, Yuhana, and Mako have possible shots.

As much as I love Satoko, her jumps are catching up to her. Other Japanese ladies have massive jumps that are less prone to UR and score deflation. Satoko's PCS and non-jump elements keep her more than competitive, but I wonder if Japan will continue to have faith in her when international judges don't - which is somewhat risky.

She's vastly more consistent than other contenders like Wakaba, Yuhana, or Mako, so I see Japan still wanting to rely on her with Mai out this season. Not going to count Wakaba out yet, but she's looked rough so far this season.

With Wakaba's 3A back in practice, I hope she will be able to have it ready by 4CC at least if she doesn't make the Worlds team. Get yourself a good SB and push forward to the next season!!

 

[macy]

Wakaba has been a real wild card and unpredictable since the beginning of last season, when she began her battles with injuries and sickness. her performances and placement at 2018 worlds proves her potential when she's healthy- her FS was magical. i feel so sorry that she's been struggling to get back to where she left off, because she has so much talent she hasn't fully realized yet. she has big, floaty, easy jumps, good spins, great choreography and interpretation, good skating skills. she can be a full package skater and a medal contender when she's on. i'd love to see Wakaba on the world team this year, and i think that would be a big step in the right direction for her. she's definitely in the mix, since really everyone but Rika has been inconsistent this season.

 

[lzxnl]

At the current rate, Nationals is going to be a landslide win for Rika unless she messes up like last season and the judges try to put her down. I presume she'll be treating Nationals and 4CC as test runs for Worlds, where she'll really need to hit everything; there's currently very little outside pressure on her for those competitions.

 

[halulupu]

Wakaba has been a real wild card and unpredictable since the beginning of last season, when she began her battles with injuries and sickness. her performances and placement at 2018 worlds proves her potential when she's healthy- her FS was magical. i feel so sorry that she's been struggling to get back to where she left off, because she has so much talent she hasn't fully realized yet. she has big, floaty, easy jumps, good spins, great choreography and interpretation, good skating skills. she can be a full package skater and a medal contender when she's on. i'd love to see Wakaba on the world team this year, and i think that would be a big step in the right direction for her. she's definitely in the mix, since really everyone but Rika has been inconsistent this season.

She got her 3a back! Here we go