This was hard.
I think it says it all that there were 11 Ladies that I wanted to put into my Top 5 scoring positions.
After how good her FS was at the GP Final, there was no way that Miyahara was going anywhere but the top of my predictions. And the same goes for Wakababy for second.
But, after that it was the Hunger Games. I know who I want to complete the podium – the girl I was intending to marry in my Crazy Future Predictions story. But, she has never broken the 200 point mark, whereas quite a few other Japanese girls have.
Also, this was a shock to me, but the girl with the highest absolute PB is actually Mai Mihara. So, when you weigh it all up, I had to at least put her on the podium.
To save any arguments, I put the wife next.
But, that left me with a tough decision – who to have completing my Top 5. It was between two – Kaori and Marin. Everything was pointing towards Kaori – she had the higher absolute PB by about 9 points; it was achieved more recently (last month, as opposed to last season for Marin); she’s been in the 200’s twice, whereas Marin has only done it once…
Sorry to all Marin fans, but there was too much to go against. And I have already taken a chance with Rika.
The problem now was that I had 5 girls left that I wanted to be in my Top 10, but only 4 places to fill. So, to make life easier, I decided to just go by absolute PB order. Which meant Yuka Nagai missed out.
You know, it is amazing how many names you see and you think “Oh, I had forgotten about her. She’s good!” All because we don’t get to see them competing internationally too often any more, because they have so many good Ladies skaters to choose from.
With the Men, there were also about 11 that I wanted to put in my Top 5! But, being realistic, I knew months ago who my Top 5 were going to be, and in what order.
HOWEVER, when I looked up the absolute PB’s there now, Ryuju Hino threw a spanner in the works. I was always going to be putting him in my Top 10, but I was surprised to find that last month he achieved an absolute PB that put him ahead of the guy I was planning to have completing my Top 5 – Sota Yamamoto. More shocking was that in the same competition, Yamamoto scored a full 40 points less than him. Yamamoto’s absolute PB was from back in September 2015, and he hasn’t broken the 200 point mark since the Youth Olympics in February 2016.
So, given his lack of form in recent seasons, Sota was out of my Top 5. In fact, given what the other guys that I was planning on putting in my Top 10 have been scoring, he very nearly dropped out of my Top 10 altogether! But, I took pity on him, and put him in 10th place (even though his Season’s Best would have put him in 13th
).
Apart from Yamamoto, Mura and Murakami, everybody that had scored over 200 points had achieved their absolute PB in the past year. Mura and Murakami scored their absolute PB’s back in 2015, just like Yamamoto. But unlike Yamamoto, they have been regularly scoring over 200 points in the past year.
So, I just kept everybody that had scored over 200 in my Top 10. And I kept the guys that were below Hino in their absolute PB order.
Although he didn’t quite make it into my Top 10, I want to point out that the guy who had the 11th highest absolute PB, which was achieved last month when he finished a place higher than Yamamoto at sectionals, is none other than Taichi Honda. You know, Marin’s older brother.
Oh, I hope he can put in a good showing and remind everybody that has forgotten about him just what he is capable of!
With the withdrawal of Suto / Boudreau Audet, I opted for Suzaki / Kihara for the win in Pairs. It always pains me every year to not go for Narumi Takahashi and whoever her partner happens to be, but I just can’t see her reclaiming her past success. But, I put her and Shibata into second position, ahead of the partnership that I am totally unfamiliar with.
Ice Dance was a simple affair. We all know who is going to win, and who is going to be second. I opted for the reigning Junior Champions to complete the podium, with the reigning Junior runners-up in 4th. And then the partnership I know absolutely nothing about completing the field.
Now, off to Russia!
CaroLiza_fan
JAPANESE CHAMPIONSHIPS
Ladies
1. Satoko MIYAHARA
2. Wakaba HIGUCHI
3. Mai MIHARA
4. Rika HONGO
5. Kaori SAKAMOTO
Just for fun:
6. Marin HONDA
7. Yura MATSUDA
8. Rika KIHIRA
9. Yuna SHIRAIWA
10. Rin NITAYA
Men
1. Shoma UNO
2. Daisuke MURAKAMI
3. Takahito MURA
4. Keiji TANAKA
5. Ryuju HINO
Just for fun:
6. Kazuki TOMONO
7. Shu NAKAMURA
8. Mitsuki SUMOTO
9. Hiroaki SATOU
10. Sota YAMAMOTO
Pairs
1. Miu SUZAKI / Ryuichi KIHARA
2. Narumi TAKAHASHI / Ryo SHIBATA
3. Riku MIURA / Shoya ICHIHASHI
Ice Dance
1. Kana MURAMOTO / Chris REED
2. Misato KOMATSUBARA / Timothy KOLETO
3. Rikako FUKASE / Aru TATENO
4. Yuka ORIHARA / Kanata MORI
5. Mio IIDA / Kenta ISHIBASHI
, only golds and silvers in this one, applause for all players! 
