【Road to the Nationals: East Japan Championships 2021】
Interviews with the skaters advancing to the Japanese Nationals after the East Japan.
Koshiro's interview starts at 1:14:25.
1:14:25
K: Oh geez, I was completely defeated by myself. I was totally different from my usual self during the six-minute warm-up. I was very calm, but I felt like I couldn't do anything the best I could, and I didn't know what was going on, and I was really overwhelmed with the feeling of, "What should I do now? But even so, I think I was able to keep my spirits up until the end. Well, honestly, now I'm left with nothing but frustration.
--After you landed a quad toe loop, I was hoping you would be riding the wave.
K: But rather, it was more of a "thank goodness" feeling. I was not always able to land the toe loop cleanly. I think it would have been better if I had been honest with myself and told myself to go for it. But I didn't feel that way during the six-minute warm-up. That's something I should improve, and I'd like to gain more experiences and raise my competitive edge in competitions.
--It's been 6 years since you performed Chaplin, how did you feel after performing it?
K: I enjoyed some parts of it, like the steps, but I was more nervous than that. I haven't actually had an opportunity to review my own performance, so I can't say anything about it right now, but I felt that I still had a lot of work to do. There's only a short time until the next Challenger Series, but this Eastern Japan Championships was one of the steps for me to have such a big experience, so I'd like to keep on working on my strength of mind and how to prepare for it.
--So, as an adult, how have you grown since you did the program you skated in your first year as a junior?
K: Figure skating made me grow up as a person, well, I'm still skating, though [laughter]. But what I'm most grateful for is the human side of it. That's the reason why I'm glad to be skating, that's why I've grown, thanks to those personal relationships. When I look back at my junior years and now, I can see that.
--After the Challenger Series, you are going to the Japan Nationals. What kind of performance do you want to give at the Nationals?
K: First of all, I want to practice hard, so that I won't perform like this again. I think the fact that I'm disappointed this time because I was pretty good in practice, is proof that I'm ready for the starting line, so I'd like to improve my strength in competitions and each of my techniques. I will give my best performance at the Nationals.
--Please tell us your goal for the Nationals.
K: My goal? Of course I will aim for the podium. It's the Olympic season, and I want to show my great strength and take a new step forward.
--Are you consciously aware that this is the Olympic season?
K: In the previous PyeongChang season, I had to withdraw from the Japanese Junior National Championships due to injury, and I didn’t get to experience the Nationals stage (that year), so this time I'm going to experience what the Olympic season is like for the first time. This time, I was able to get that ticket (to the Nationals) in East Japan, so I'm looking forward to it, or rather, I want to do my best since it's my first experience.