2025-26 Japanese Women's Figure Skating

[macy]

Yes, her foot is still bothering her and she wasn't able to practice much. She actually skated well other than the jumps. The 2A is the only jump she did really well. Didn't have her normal explosion and height on her triples and got tired in the free skate.

oh no, that is not good for her olympic chances...if she skates similarly at her next GP but somehow podiums at nationals and skates lights out, i'm not even sure if they'd put her on the team. the Japanese women are soooo deep this season. i hope somehow she heals up quickly so she can have a great rest of the season, especially being her last...ugh.

 

[Joekaz]

oh no, that is not good for her olympic chances...if she skates similarly at her next GP but somehow podiums at nationals and skates lights out, i'm not even sure if they'd put her on the team. the Japanese women are soooo deep this season. i hope somehow she heals up quickly so she can have a great rest of the season, especially being her last...ugh.

If she podiums she would probably make it because of injury being the reason of her poor season and her good year last season along with her good performance last Olympics. But, given the lack of support from the Japanese Fed for her over her career, and other younger girls having very good seasons, I think that no matter how good she skates they will not put her on the podium. Having to bump Higuchi in her last season after she got left off the team in 2018 Olys despite being the best Japanese skater that season,and only one to qualify for GPF would be a PR nightmare for the JSF. However, it is very unlikely that in a little more than a month that she would be able to heal her foot and get enough practice in to be close to her best, unfortunately. I think if there was a possibility of that, Wakaba would have withdrawn from Skate America to concentrate on helping the foot asap.

 

[rabidline]

Wakaba has ankle sprain / foot injury.

 

[YuBluByMe]

Skate America looks to be like Cup of China very umpredictable, Hana Yoshida and Wakaba Higuchi are not in shape due to injuries and Rinka Watanabe is very inconsistent but she tends to do better as season goes, I wish them good luck, I still hope that Rion or Rinka can make it to the final

I think that Watanabe has a better chance to qualify with the fields the way they are. I much prefer Sumiyoshi, though, so I’m hoping she skates even better than she did in France because that’s what it’s going to take. She needs a silver and so does Watanabe. It’s looking like the GPF is either going to be 4 Japanese, 2 American or an even 3-3. I’m not seeing anyone that can break that up other than Hendrickx getting a silver in Finland (or Samodelkina getting a second assignment in Finland.)

 

[RafaelAstro]

I think that Watanabe has a better chance to qualify with the fields the way they are. I much prefer Sumiyoshi, though, so I’m hoping she skates even better than she did in France because that’s what it’s going to take. She needs a silver and so does Watanabe. It’s looking like the GPF is either going to be 4 Japanese, 2 American or an even 3-3. I’m not seeing anyone that can break that up other than Hendrickx getting a silver in Finland (or Samodelkina getting a second assignment in Finland.)

I also like Rion more, but I appreciate Rinka’s technical content, so I’ll be happy if either of them makes the Final. They both have the potential to do it. However, as you said, Rinka has a weaker field in her Grand Prix event compared to Rion, but Rion is a more consistent skater with better scores so far this season. The funny (or not so funny) thing is that either one can take the other’s spot if one of them wins gold, or if both finish with silver in their respective second Grand Prix events.

 

[Joekaz]

Wakaba has ankle sprain / foot injury.

The sad irony is that she could have sleepwalked to at least a sliver in both GPs if she would have been healthy.

 

[Joekaz]

Can somebody please explain to me how Alysa Liu is significantly better than Wakaba in skating skills and presentation? I mean on ice, not including skating politics or any sort of corruption(I realize Liu magically had a big spike in PCS since Worlds last season with the Olys coming up).I just don't see it. I think they are both very good in presentation, but Wakaba is clearly superior in skating skills. As a matter of fact, when you look at the whole package, Higuchi should be right there with, if not above, Sakamoto, weaker in some areas, but stronger in others. Am I wrong?

 

[YuBluByMe]

Heh, JFed is probably sweating a little bit now.

But if Watanabe doesn’t qualify for GPF she actually wouldn’t be in the selection pool. As of right now, she meets the top 3 season ranking criteria which won’t stick if Skate America is her final competition before Nationals.

(Sumiyoshi isn’t in the pool right now either.)

Yoshida, however, and despite her poor season thus far, will be in the selection pool if Watanabe doesn’t make it because she has the third highest WS. She’s right above Watanabe! This is just… very unfortunate.

 

[rabidline]

Heh, JFed is probably sweating a little bit now.

That 3rd in SP and 5th in FS for Rinka....... I know Japan is tired of reliving the trauma they have every time they choose an Olympic team LOL

But if Watanabe doesn’t qualify for GPF she actually wouldn’t be in the selection pool. As of right now, she meets the top 3 season ranking criteria which won’t stick if Skate America is her final competition before Nationals.

(Sumiyoshi isn’t in the pool right now either.)

Yoshida, however, and despite her poor season thus far, will be in the selection pool if Watanabe doesn’t make it because she has the third highest WS. She’s right above Watanabe! This is just… very unfortunate.

If they follow what they have been doing in the previous seasons, JSF will be releasing the list of skaters still in the selection pool before Nationals start (after GPF) so everyone can see who is still in the running. That should help.

 

[YuBluByMe]

If they follow what they have been doing in the previous seasons, JSF will be releasing the list of skaters still in the selection pool before Nationals start (after GPF) so everyone can see who is still in the running. That should help.

Yeah I know. Since that time Watanabe got chosen for Worlds, I’ve been keeping track as the season goes along and my list always matches what they have. Right now it’s Sakamoto, Chiba, Nakai, Yoshida, and Watanabe.

I’m more interested in whether or not they’re going to add asterisks for the 4th best like they did last year because…

…Sumiyoshi is an especially egregious case. There’s a fair chance that even if she qualifies to GPF she won’t be in it! This happened last year with Matsuike, but she wasn’t winning Challengers and scoring 209s and 216s, though.

Yoshida’s obviously not going to be selected for the Olympics unless she wins Nationals, but some red flags have to be raised if she can still (technically) be considered and Sumiyoshi cannot.

 

[rabidline]

…Sumiyoshi is an especially egregious case. There’s a fair chance that even if she qualifies to GPF she won’t be in it! This happened last year with Matsuike, but she wasn’t winning Challengers and scoring 209s and 216s, though.

It's her GP assignments it's ALWAYS her assignments. IDK if they just don't want to deal with the possibility of her landing a clean quad (because clean 3As are one thing, clean quads are another) so they stick her with the most disadvantageous assignments possible.

 

[crystalspin]

Congrats to Rinka on two great skates!

 

[YuBluByMe]

It's her GP assignments it's ALWAYS her assignments. IDK if they just don't want to deal with the possibility of her landing a clean quad (because clean 3As are one thing, clean quads are another) so they stick her with the most disadvantageous assignments possible.

YES! I’m also starting to think this is being done deliberately. I was annoyed last year at her breaking 200+ in both of her assignments but getting only a bronze and a 4th and having a higher total than those qualified. You just know next year she’s gonna be going up against Shimada and Alysa Liu in one assignment and Chiba and Levito in the other!

Edit: Wait, no. The top Americans won’t be going up against Shimada.

 

[lileychristie]

I thought senior GP assignments were chosen by the skaters themselves (if they're top 6 at worlds), otherwise the hosting federation invites the skaters?

So it wasn't JSF who gave Rion those GP assignments right? Did I miss something here

 

[rabidline]

I thought senior GP assignments were chosen by the skaters themselves (if they're top 6 at worlds), otherwise the hosting federation invites the skaters?

So it wasn't JSF who gave Rion those GP assignments right? Did I miss something here

Yeah it's not JSF giving Rion the assignments sigh

 

[Isk]

Heh, JFed is probably sweating a little bit now.

But if Watanabe doesn’t qualify for GPF she actually wouldn’t be in the selection pool. As of right now, she meets the top 3 season ranking criteria which won’t stick if Skate America is her final competition before Nationals.

(Sumiyoshi isn’t in the pool right now either.)

Yoshida, however, and despite her poor season thus far, will be in the selection pool if Watanabe doesn’t make it because she has the third highest WS. She’s right above Watanabe! This is just… very unfortunate.

Looks like they have quite a job of fitting the results to the criteria, not that it didn't happen before.

 

[Joekaz]

Rinka will still qualify for Olympic consideration If she podiums at Nationals, regardless of anything else. Making the podium at Nationals is all that is necessary for a skater to make the selection pool. Whether she will be chosen or not is a different story. And whether she will be judged fairly or not is also very questionable, given the history of the Japanese Federation at Nationals. On top of that she isn't likely to legitimately make the podium anyway against such tough competition. But she does have a chance, although it's quite thin.

 

[YuBluByMe]

I thought senior GP assignments were chosen by the skaters themselves (if they're top 6 at worlds), otherwise the hosting federation invites the skaters?

There’s more nuance than that. Unless I’m very mistaken, Worlds top 3 don’t meet up, but they have to pair with 4-6. This is also when federation….input…comes in, I think. With 1-6 being Japan and US, JFed wouldn’t want Sakamoto matching up with Glenn, for instance, regardless of what Glenn picked. Also, there were only two American men at Skate America! Federations are clearly talking to each other.

 

[throw_triple_flip]

Yeah it's not JSF giving Rion the assignments sigh

She has been so unlucky in that regard!

 

[throw_triple_flip]

Yeah I know. Since that time Watanabe got chosen for Worlds, I’ve been keeping track as the season goes along and my list always matches what they have. Right now it’s Sakamoto, Chiba, Nakai, Yoshida, and Watanabe.

I’m more interested in whether or not they’re going to add asterisks for the 4th best like they did last year because…

…Sumiyoshi is an especially egregious case. There’s a fair chance that even if she qualifies to GPF she won’t be in it! This happened last year with Matsuike, but she wasn’t winning Challengers and scoring 209s and 216s, though.

Yoshida’s obviously not going to be selected for the Olympics unless she wins Nationals, but some red flags have to be raised if she can still (technically) be considered and Sumiyoshi cannot.

As things currently stand, if Rion Sumiyoshi gets silver at Finlandia does she then get included? Would it depend on her qualifying for the final or medalling there?



It's a shame that one of the consistently highest scoring skaters of the season could be out of contention essentially because of a bad luck of the draw.