Dutch national public television, men’s FS review. The commentator is a general sports commentator who also commentates (among other things, I’m sure) gymnastics, IIRC. Anyway, so a bit of focus on facts, which may or may not be entirely accurate. ;-)
Japan has two men in the top six. This is Shoma Uno (VERY Dutch pronounciation, makes it sound like Shooma Uuno, with the o in Shoma pronounced as a Dutch diphtong [oe] and the U from Uno as the Dutch diphtong [uu]. It sounds really funny! This commentator is rather well-known for his extreme Dutch pronounciation of names.).
Only 19 years old, born in Nagoya where he also trains, 30 hours a week.
Last year he debuted at Worlds, was seventh, but won Japanese nationals this season, and he’s currently second after the SP, with 104.86 so more points than his fellow countryman Yuzuru Hanyu, and he, too, can jump quads, more than one, even.
Quad loop, what do you think of that?! Yes, worth twelve points, and a bonus can be added, yes it becomes 13.40. 13.43, even.
A quad flip! Technically that adds a lot, about 13 points, and with a little, he’ll be at around 27. 26.87.
Oy, the triple lutz, that was a bit less [good].
This is a spin in camel position. And those three spins need to differ from one another. Step sequence. He’s skating to music by Astor Piazolla. Second spin.
If you look at the expression on his face, his eyes, you can see how focused he is. He’s completely there. Triple axel, triple spot (ugh… toeloop, right?). Flawless.
He’s now in the second half of his program. Beautiful position. Executes everything fully, skates with a lot of feeling, lives his skating, his program.
Quad toeloop!., and that in the second half of his program. Beautiful transition here from that spectacular jumping, nice steps, to the ninth element, what will it be, another jump? Quad in combination! Phenomenal!
He can still do a jump, yes, triple, loop in between, and a triple flip, it was, anyway it was three jumps in a row, in combination, and here another one, his last jump element. Yesyesyes, what a joy to watch this! Look at how he speeds up [in the spin] , bringing the body parts close to the axis, then you speed up the turns, and here too, he […] everything around the vertical axis (?), as hard as a boiled egg, then you can rotate very fast [not quite catching every word he’s saying, and I wouldn’t take it too literal, lol]. And here is the discharge (doesn’t translate well, he means when Shoma throws his arms into the air). Unbelievable! Standing ovation, completely justified, look at the fans, all from Japan [rrrright!], and that’s only a part of the audience, yes, the arena is filled to the brim, here in the Hartwall arena in Helsinki, and the audience knows how to appreciate it, just look at everything that’s being thrown onto the ice.
He’s the shortest in this final group, only 1.59 meters, but he skated breathtakingly [beautiful], and everything worked! Pay close attention to the expression on his face, he is so concentrated, he’s on a mission. [some comments about his trainer who skates the entire program together with him, just not physically, *grin*).
[The jumps are] so self-controlled, not a hint of a wobble. Such a talent! And this, [the cantilever?) too, beeeaaautiful, how difficult is that, to place both skates exatly parallel, yeah, and then with [something] legs, and then the relaxation at the end.
The last bit is a a lot of facts about points again, but he comments about Shoma’s SB that “then you really love your sport!” ;-) He is going to a medal position, that’s for sure!