Shoma Uno

rabidline · May 7, 2024

Shoma Uno (宇野昌磨; born December 17, 1997) is a retired Japanese figure skater and one of the most accomplished men of his generation. A three-time Olympic medalist, he earned silver in 2018, bronze in 2022, and team silver at the 2022 Games. He captured back-to-back World titles in 2022 and 2023 after previously winning World silver medals in 2017 and 2018.

Uno also claimed the 2019 Four Continents title, the 2022–23 Grand Prix Final crown, and amassed fourteen Grand Prix medals (eight gold, six silver). Domestically, he is a six-time Japanese national champion (2016–2019, 2022–2023) and won gold at the 2017 Asian Winter Games. As a junior, he secured the 2015 World Junior title, the 2014–15 Junior Grand Prix Final championship, and silver at the 2012 Winter Youth Olympics.

Technically groundbreaking, Uno was the first skater to land a quadruple flip and the second—after Yuzuru Hanyu—to successfully complete a quadruple loop in international competition. In 2023, he became the first Japanese man to win consecutive World titles and still holds the historic record for the highest junior short program score.

Uno announced his retirement from competitive skating on May 9, 2024. This active/ongoing thread is for posts made after he announced his retirement.

TO SEE POSTS MADE BY FANS MADE DURING HIS COMPETITIVE CAREER, GO HERE.

Post-retirement, Uno retains his relationships with corporations who he was sponsored and affiliated during his competitive skating, such as Toyota Corporation, Mizuno Corporation, and Colantotte. Uno is currently represented by Heroes Management.

Shōma says his name in an ISU Wait...What video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQEb0na0_FY

Shoma's Official Social Media Accounts:
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/shoma_un0/
Twitter/X:
https://x.com/shoutube1217
Youtube (Paid Membership Available):
https://www.youtube.com/@shomauno424

ISU Bio:
http://www.isuresults.com/bios/isufs00012455.htm
Tracings.net Bio:
http://tracings.net/uno-shom.html
Wikipedia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shoma_Uno
Golden Skate media profile
https://www.goldenskate.com/forum/media/categories/shoma-uno-jpn.72/

2023-2024
SP: I Love You Kung Fu, Clair de Lune (Pied: au Piano) by Son Lux, Ryan Lott, Ian Chang
Choreography by Stephane Lambiel
FS: Timelapse by Mari Samuelsen, Trondheim Soloists, Uno Helmersson, Spiegel im Spiegel (Version for Violin and Piano) by Vladimir Spivakov, Sergej Bezrodny, Arvo Pärt
Choreography by Kenji Miyamoto

2022-2023
SP: "Gravity" by John Mayer
Choreography by Stephane Lambiel
FS: "Air on the G String" by Johann Sebastian Bach; "Mea tormenta, properate" by Johann Adolf Hasse
Choreography by Kenji Miyamoto

2021-2022 Season
SP: "Oboe Concerto" by A. Marcello, "Oboe Concerto (Concerto In C Minor For Cello)" by A. Vivaldi
Choreography by Kenji Miyamoto
FS: "Bolero (Boléro IV New Breath)" by Maurice Ravel, performed by Tomotaka Okamoto
Choreography by Stephane Lambiel

2020-2021 Season
SP: Great Spirit by Armin ban Buuren vs Vini Vici feat. Hilight Tribe
Choreography by Shae-Lynn Bourne
FS: Dancing On My Own performed by Calum Scott, Your Last Kiss by Karl Hugo; choreo by Shae-Lynn Bourne, David Wilson
Choreography by David Wilson

2019-2020 Season
SP: Great Spirit by Armin ban Buuren vs Vini Vici feat. Hilight Tribe
Choreography by Shae-Lynn Bourne
FS: Dancing On My Own performed by Calum Scott, Your Last Kiss by Karl Hugo; choreo by Shae-Lynn Bourne, David Wilson
Choreography by David Wilson

2018–2019 Season
SP: Flamenco version of Stairway to Heaven by Rodrigo y Gabriella
FS: Moonlight Sonata by Beethoven
EX1: “Great Spirit” by Armin van Buuren, Vini Vici feat. Hilight Tribe; choreo by Shae-Lynn Bourne, David Wilson
EX2: "Time After Time" by Harry Connick Jr.; choreo. by David Wilson
EX3: "See You Again" by Wiz Khalifa feat. Charlie Puth; choreo. by Mihoko Higuchi

2017–18 Season
SP:"Winter" (from Four Seasons) by Antonio Vivaldi; choreo by Mihoko Higuchi
FS:"Turandot" by Giacomo Puccini, "Nessun Dorma" from Turandot by Giacomo Puccini, performed by Jose Carreras; choreo by Mihoko Higuchi
EX1:See You Again by Wiz Khalifa feat. Charlie Puth; choreo. by Mihoko Higuchi
EX2:This Town by Niall Horan, Jamie Scott; choreo. by David Wilson

2016–17 Season
SP: “Fantasy For Violin And Orchestra” (from “Ladies in Lavender” soundtrack) by Nigel Hess
FS: “Buenos Aires Hora Cero” by Astor Piazzolla, “Barada Para Un Loco” by Astor Piazzolla
EX1:"See You Again" by Wiz Khalifa feat. Charlie Puth; choreo. by Mihoko Higuchi
EX2:"La vie en rose" performed by Andrea Bocelli, Édith Piaf; choreo. by Stéphane Lambiel
EX3:This Town by Niall Horan, Jamie Scott; choreo. by David Wilson

2015–16 Season
SP: “Legends” by Sacred Spirits
FS: “Turandot” by Giacomo Puccini performed by Vanessa Mae; “Nessun Dorma” by Giacomo Puccini performed Paul Potts
EX1:Violin Sonata No.9 by Ludwig van Beethoven; choreo. by Mihoko Higuchi
EX2:"Don Juan DeMarco" by Michael Kamen; choreo. by Mihoko Higuchi

2014–15 Season
SP: “Violin Sonata No. 9” by Ludwig van Beethoven
FS: “Don Juan DeMarco” soundtrack by Michael Kamen
EX1:"The Blessed Spirits" by Vanessa-Mae; choreo. by Mihoko Higuchi, Machiko Yamada

2013–14 Season
SP: “The Blessed Spirits” by Vanessa-Mae
FS: “Steps” by Secret Garden
EX2:"Tanguera" by Mariano Mores; choreo. by Mihoko Higuchi, Machiko Yamada

2012–13 Season
SP: “Tanguera” by Mariano Mores
FS: “Steps” by Secret Garden
EX:"Bad Boy Good Man" by Tape Five

2011–12 Season
SP: “Tucker” by Joe Jackson
FS: “Tzigane” by Maurice Ravel

2010–11 Season
SP:
FS: “Tzigane” by Maurice Ravel
EX:"Fly Me to the Moon"

ISU Personal Best Scores for Shōma Uno:
http://www.isuresults.com/bios/isufs_pb_00012455.htm

Season	Short Program/Event	Score	Free Skate/Event	Score	Total/Event	Score
ISU Personal Best Score	ISU All Time Best List	ISU All Time Best List	ISU All Time Best List
2021-22	ISU Season's Best List	ISU Season's Best List	I SU Season's Best List
2020-21	ISU Season's Best List ISU World Championships 2021	92.62	ISU Season's Best List ISU World Championships 2021	184.82	I SU Season's Best List ISU World Championships 2021	277.44
2019-20	ISU Season's Best List ISU CS Finlandia Trophy 2019	92.28	ISU Season's Best List ISU GP Rostelecom Cup 2019	164.95	I SU Season's Best List ISU CS Finlandia Trophy 2019	255.23
2018–19	ISU SP Season Best List ISU CS Lombardia Trophy 2018	104.15	ISU FS Season Best List ISU Four Continents Championships 2019	197.36	ISU Total Season Best List ISU Four Continents Championships 2019	289.12
2017–18	ISU SP Season Best List ISU CS Lombardia Trophy 2017	104.87	ISU FS Season Best List ISU CS Lombardia Trophy 2017	214.97	ISU Total Season Best List ISU CS Lombardia Trophy 2017	319.84
2016–17	ISU SP Season Best Scores ISU World Championships 2017	104.86	ISU FS Season Best Scores ISU World Championships 2017	214.45	ISU Total Season Best Scores ISU World Championships 2017	319.31
2015-16	ISU SP Season Best Scores ISU Four Continents Championships 2016	92.99	ISU FS Season Best Scores ISU Grand Prix Final 2015/16	190.32	ISU Total Season Best Scores ISU Grand Prix Final 2015/16	276.79
2014-15	ISU SP Season Best Scores ISU Four Continents Championships 2015	88.90	ISU FS Season Best Scores ISU Four Continents Championships 2015	167.55	ISU Total Season Best Scores ISU Four Continents Championships	256.45
2013–14	ISU SP Season Best Scores ISU Junior World Championships 2014	70.67	ISU FS Season Best Scores ISU Junior World Championships 2014	135.83	ISU Total Season Best Scores ISU JGP Minsk 2013	181.54
2012–13	ISU SP Season Best Scores ISU JGP Pokal d. Blauen Schwerter 2012	63.48	ISU FS Season Best Scores ISU World Junior Championships 2013	125.42	ISU Total Season Best Scores ISU JGP Pokal d. Blauen Schwerter 2012	188.48
2011–12	ISU SP Season Best Scores ISU World Juniors 2012	57.71	ISU FS Season Best Scores ISU JGP Tallinn Cup 2011	118.86	ISU Total Season Best Scores ISU World Junior Championships 2012	175.92

Competition	Gala
Placement
2023-2024 Season
2024 World Championships	4
2023 Japanese Nationals	1
2023-24 Grand Prix Final	2
2023 NHK Trophy	2
2023 Cup of China	2
2022-2023 Season
2023 World Championships	1
2022 Japanese Nationals	1
2022-23 Grand Prix Final	1
2022 NHK Trophy	1
2022 Skate Canada	1
2021-2022 Season
2022 World Championships	1
2022 Winter Olympics (Individual Event)	3
2022 Winter Olympics (Team Event)	3
2021-22 Japanese Championships	2
2021 NHK Trophy	1	X
2021 Skate America	2	X
2021 Japan Open	N/A
2020-2021 Season
2021 World Team Trophy	7
2021 World Championships	4
2020 Japanese Nationals	2
2019-2020 Season
Challenge Cup 2020	1
2019 Japanese Nationals	1	X
Cup of Russia 2019	4	X
Internationaux de France 2019	8	X
Finlandia Trophy 2019	1
Japan Open 2019	-
2018–2019 Season
World Team Trophy 2019	3	X
World Championship 2019	4
Four Continents Championships 2019	1
Japan Championships 2018	1
Grand Prix and Junior Grand Prix Final 2018	2
NHK Trophy 2018	1	X
Skate Canada 2018	1
Japan Open 2018
Lombardia Trophy 2018	1
2017–18 Season
World Championship 2018	2
Olympics 2018	2	X
Olympic Team Event 2018	-	Team 5
Four Continents Championships 2018	2	X
Japan Championships 2017	1
Grand Prix and Junior Grand Prix Final 2017	2
Internationaux de France	2	X
Skate Canada International	1
ISU CS Lombardia Trophy	1
2016–17 Season
World Team Trophy	1	X
ISU World Championships	2	X
Coupe du Printemps	1
2017 Asian Winter Games	1	X
Four Continents	3	X
Japan Championships	1
ISU Grand Prix Final	3	Group Dance X
Cup Of Russia	2	X
Skate America	1	X
Japan Open	1	X
Lombardia Trophy	1
2015–16 Season
Team Challenge Cup	1	X
ISU World Championships	7
Four Continents	4
Japan Championships	2
ISU Grand Prix Final	3
Trophée de France	1
Skate America	2	X
Japan Open	1
U.S. International Figure Skating Classic	5
2014–15 Season
ISU Junior World Championships (Tracings)	1	X
Four Continents (Tracings)	5
Japan Championships	2	X
ISU Junior Grand Prix Final (Tracings)	1	X
The 24th Aichi Figure Skating Competition *Japanese only	1
Japan Championships	1
ISU Junior Grand Prix Croatia Cup (Tracings)	1
ISU Junior Grand Prix Nagoya TV Cup (Tracings)	2
Asian Open Trophy	1
2013–14 Season
Gardena Spring Trophy (Tracings)	1
ISU Junior World Championships (Tracings)	5
Japan Championships (Tracings)	7
Japan Championships (Tracings)	2
Japan Western Sectional (Tracings)	2
ISU Junior Grand Prix Tallinn Cup (Tracings)	4
Chubu Block 4 Regional (Tracings)	1
ISU Junior Grand Prix Riga Cup (Tracings)	3
2012–13 Season
ISU Junior World Championships (Tracings)	7	X
Japan Championships (Tracings)	11	X
Japan Championships (Tracings)	2
Japan Western Sectional (Tracings)	3
ISU Junior Grand Prix Pokal der Blauen Schwerter (Tracings)	2
ISU Junior Grand Prix Bled Cup (Tracings)	6
2011–12 Season
ISU Junior World Championships (Tracings)	10
Youth Olympic Games (Tracings)	2
Japan Championships (Tracings)	9
Japan Championships (Tracings)	5
Japan Western Sectional (Tracings)	3
ISU Junior Grand Prix Tallinn Cup (Tracings)	3
Chubu Block 4 Regional (Tracings)	1
ISU Junior Grand Prix Baltic Cup (Tracings)	4
2010–11 Season
Japan Championships *Japanese only (Tracings)	4
Japan Championships *Japanese only (Tracings)	1

Event	Program
2019 The Ice	Great Spirit
Stars on Ice 2019	Winter Moonlight Sonata
Carnival on Ice 2019	See You Again and Great Spirit Encore
All That Skate 2019 Day 3	https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3CiEsffOS4Time After Time
All That Skate 2019	Thunder (with Nathan Chen)
Friends on Ice 2016	Buenos Aires Hora Cero; Balada para un loco from 15:15 La Vie en Rose by Andrea Bocelli ft. Edith Piaf
Ice Castle Opening Show in Shenzhen 2016	Fantasy for Violin & Orchestra
THE ICE 2016 Osaka	Buenos Aires Hora Cero; Balada para un loco
Prince Ice World Yokohama 2016	See You Again by Wiz Khalifa feat. Charlie Puth
Carnival on Ice 2016	https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7mk_hFoT5ALadies in Lavender soundtrack
Stars on Ice Japan Tour 2016	Turandot by Giacomo Puccini performed by Vanessa Mae; Nessun Dorma by Giacomo Puccini performed Paul Potts
New Year On Ice 2016	Don Juan DeMarco soundtrack by Michael Kamen
Prince Ice World Tokyo 2015	Turandot by Giacomo Puccini performed by Vanessa Mae; Nessun Dorma by Giacomo Puccini performed Paul Potts
Fantasy on Ice Shizuoka 2015	Legends by Sacred Spirit
Prince Ice World Yokohama 2015	Don Juan DeMarco soundtrack by Michael Kamen
Nagoya Figure Skating Festival 2015	The Blessed Spirits by Vanessa-Mae (private)
The ICE 2014	Don Juan DeMarco soundtrack by Michael Kamen
2013 Medalists on Ice	Tanguera
Medalists on Ice 2012	Bad Boy Good Man by Tape Five
Medalists on Ice 2010	Fly Me To The Moon by Bart Howard; When The Saints Go Marching In

Little Shōma Uno (pre quad flip)
https://twitter.com/JohnWilsonBlade/status/727885899497877504

2010 Highlights of Shōma at Junior Nationals, interview, playing with his little brother at home, practicing jumps, etc.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3pkOaD0ScME

2010 Young Shōma cuts up with Plushenko

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTP9wUCl6_0&sns=em

Nov 2008 Novice Championships - Espana Cani
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_ULhhnIPjw

Feb 12, 2007 Central Japan Figure Skating Championships FS - Opus Number 1 by Ralph Burns (cover of Tommy Dorsey)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFWQW0u3Gkw

Video links and translations

June 2015 - Interview by Shizuka Arakawa
Video unavailable, preview only

May 2015 - "Rising stars of Asia: Uno ready to put on a show" by Wei Xiong
https://web.archive.org/web/2015101...sing-stars-of-asia-uno-ready-to-put-on-a-show

December 2015 - "Uno: 'I'm still in the process of making it complete"
https://web.archive.org/web/2016041...im-still-in-the-process-of-making-it-complete

April 2015 - Uno and Yamamoto on the cover of World Figure Skating Magazine NEXT (Special Edition)
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/71ISohQt5XL.jpg

March 2015 - "Uno withstands late charge from Jin to win title" by Klaus-Reinhold Kany
https://web.archive.org/web/2015101...-withstands-late-charge-from-jin-to-win-title

March 2015 - "Red-hot Uno in full control after excellent short" by Klaus-Reinhold Kany
https://web.archive.org/web/2016041...hot-uno-in-full-control-after-excellent-short

Dec 2014 - "Shōma Uno: the story of a triumph" by Florentina Tone
http://www.insideskating.net/2014/12/15/features/shoma-uno-the-story-of-a-triumph

December 2014 - "Uno in full control, runs away with men's title" by Jean-Christophe Berlot
https://web.archive.org/web/2015101...uno-in-full-control-runs-away-with-mens-title

Oct. 2014 - "Uno Wins Men's Gold at JGP Croatia" by Michael Terry
https://web.archive.org/web/2015101...wins-mens-gold-at-jgp-croatia-silver-for-chen

Arriba627 · May 8, 2024

Sho's instagram post.

DEEP L Translation

Hello everyone!
My name is Masama Uno.

I have made the decision to retire from active competition.

I would like to thank all of you who have supported me as a competitor
Thank you very much for your support.

I am very grateful to have been able to continue skating for 21 years since I was 5 years old, and to have had a wonderful athletic life.

On May 14, I will hold a press conference to announce my retirement.
I will talk about my thoughts and future activities on that occasion.
The press conference will be streamed LIVE on Toyotimes, and I hope you will watch it.

Thank you for your continued support.

Shoma Uno
20m
20 minutes ago

Translated with DeepL.com (free version)

rabidline · May 8, 2024

Shoma's official announcement of his retirement as a competitive skater on Instagram.

I will let someone more knowledgeable translate it, but I think machine translation works well so far. He will have an official press conference at Toyota Times channel next week, on Tuesday, May 14th.

I just want to say thank you to Shoma, as a fan. It has been such an incredible journey since I first saw him in 2018, and it's been a pleasure to follow his competitive career. Truly he has exceeded all of my expectations, achievement-wise, program-wise, everything-wise... there are nothing else to say to be honest.

rabidline · May 8, 2024

I would have smacked him if he didn't announce retirement after everything he did and said in the last year, lol. He was so clearly heading towards it and I think he's done everything he can to prepare himself to make the final call on his competitive career.

Ah, Shoma... what else there is to be said. It has been such a pleasure. To me, his competitive career is a miracle... the odds for him to achieve everything he did with his talent and skillset, with the rules of competition... was not that big. He's not really a natural jumper with textbook technique (a fact everyone would never let us fans forget, lol) and his career overlaps with some of the greatest names in the male singles disciplines and the younger prodigies of the sport.

Knowing that we nearly lost him in 2019 made me not that sad about this retirement to be honest. Like... he has everything. And at the end, he went down fighting the very best of the future generation and experienced the highs and the lows and faced them both equally. Worlds 2024 for Shoma reminds me of Rudyard Kipling's If, made famous in Wimbledon:

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,
And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream—and not make dreams your master;
If you can think—and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build ’em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: ‘Hold on!’

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with Kings—nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
And—which is more—you’ll be a Man, my son!

demarinis5 · May 8, 2024

We knew it was coming. End of an era

4everchan · May 8, 2024

Thank you Shoma.

Not my week. chiddy done. Conrad done. Shoma done and I got COVID... First time for me... Life sucks

cheerknithanson · May 8, 2024

I never posted in here. But wow. I'll copy and paste my post in the retirement thread.

I remember almost a decade ago when I was studying for finals and watching the JGPF/GPF for the 2014-2015 season on livestream. And Shoma skated incredibly well to his FP and had a high TES. I remember getting off my bed, standing, and clapping my hands at the screen. He was never among my favorite skaters, but I always had respect for his talent. I saw him skate twice in person: 2015 Skate America and 2016 Worlds (FP only). Very talented skater and the first to ever land a 4F. 3-time Olympic medalist and 2-time World Champion. What an amazing career. I hope Shoma does very well in whatever lies ahead.

reader3 · May 8, 2024

Shoma has had a long and marvelous career as a superb skater! Best wishes to him in his future endeavors.

Lyyli · May 8, 2024

THANK YOU DEAR SHOMA FOR EVERYTHING!

Saw the retirement coming but still it hurts though I know he will be happy with his future endeavors. Competitions from now on won´t be the same for me anymore

.

MaiKatze · May 9, 2024

My Shoma Fan journey wouldn't be the same without the GS FanFest. I met most Shoma fans I know through this forum and I am thankful so I'd like to say goodbye to Shoma here as well. I've followed figure skating since my Daisuke Takahashi fan days and spend a lot of time on GS in the 2010-2020 decade. It feels like an eternity. Like, an almost 10 year long career in seniors, and we here in the FanFest went through a lot with Shoma - so much that I decided to leave it behind at some point. Shoma got me through tough personal times in 2017/2018 especially, I was so glad he was there, inspiring me.

I'm so happy he didn't retire in 2019 now, but back then I could've understood if he did. Now, it just feels right, it just feels organic and I'm happy, content and okay with it. Because he prepared us, I knew it would happen so I decided to go to Montréal because I knew it would be his last competition. It didn't go as I wanted, and I still haven't a 100% made my peace with that part of his career, but even that is part of the journey.

I've seen Shoma live three times first time in The Hague at Challenge Cup 2020. Coming after the 2019 GP season and skating a clean free program with Stéphane at his side, it was the last competition before COVID hit, oh, these COVID years robbed us of so many more happy Shoma moments, I am sure. Then I saw the pinnacle live, I saw Shoma win the GPF in Torino in 2022. And I saw his last days as World Champion in Montréal.

I think, these three competitions are everything I needed. It was a career of highs and lows, but now on to the next journey Shoma. I wish you all the best in this World. You will go your way, and you will do it in your own way. I admire you so much. You are a wonder, so talented and strong! I'm glad I had all these years with you, you gave me so much more than you can imagine and I'm grateful.

I know in my heart, there won't be another Shoma for me in the making, but that's also okay, to become a more casual observer of figure skating after you're gone. So it's also a bit the end for me. But I'm happy and glad we had these years! Thank you.

KiraraChin · May 9, 2024

Just wanted to send a big virtual hug to everyone in this thread. :ghug:

I myself knew it was coming, but still feel very sad...

ladyjane · May 9, 2024

I am so saddened. I am so going to miss him at competitions. Thankful I have watched him live - at Challenge Cup and some years ago. I wish him all the best of course.

yuumagical · May 9, 2024

To think I missed this important news because I was playing video games... then again, that's not a bad way to miss this news, is it?

Words fail me when it comes to describing Shoma's career, all the ups and downs he has had over the years as well as how he persevered through them all. I hope my words below describing how I became a Shoma fan suffice at showing what he has meant to me.

I may not have been in his corner from the beginning, but Shoma himself turned me into his fan at the 2018 Grand Prix Final. It was my first live figure skating competition. I had gone there in a failed attempt to see Yuzuru Hanyu, so I had decided to cheer for Nathan Chen instead. But I soon realized that cheering for just one skater was a mistake; all of the skaters there were awesome in their own way. The more I saw of the competition, the more I saw the different personalities of the skaters shine through...but I couldn't quite get a handle on Shoma. Who was this sleepy-looking little guy? And why was he not jumping? Obviously, I didn't know back then that skaters may not jump during practice for a variety of reasons. But in his case, there was definitely a mental block present at the practice just before the free program. And for some reason, despite still wanting to cheer for Nathan first and foremost, I was hoping that Shoma would break that mental block and land his jumps... When he landed that first jump in his free program back then, I was so relieved! But the real moment where I became Shoma's fan was during the victory lap. I attempted to take a picture of Nathan as he was passing by, but my phone died right at that moment. Taking some advice I had heard from a fan earlier, I decided to put down the phone and embrace whatever happened next. And something astonishing happened next. As Shoma passed by me, I was able to look into his eyes (and I truly believe he was looking at me). That moment of eye contact... was as if I had seen directly into his soul. That burning little soul. That soul that would never give up. That truly honest little soul. That soul that would always be themselves, no matter what... It was a strange and special moment. And I was in awe of that little soul. And I wanted to learn more about that little soul. Moments like that, where one could see his burning little soul, were the moments I chased after, literally going around the world for those moments...those moments of transcendental beauty and ferocity and tenacity....

Shoma has been a malyashatina, a pocket rocket, and a father of dragons, among other things. But for me, he has been a little legend, and I feel as if will always see him as such.

I wish him nothing but the best in his future endeavors.

I would like to put out a halfway decent translation of Shoma's retirement message at some point, but I think I will simply reflect for now. Perhaps I will play video games for the rest of the night. It would certainly be an appropriate way to honor him.

With no regrets...and a lot of hope...

Vilya · May 9, 2024

I feel calm. It is bittersweet, but it was time, and we knew. I feel so grateful for Shoma to have pulled me to this sport, and all of the beautiful moments he has shared with us, all the ups and downs of it. He has had an amazing career and even though there won't be any more competitions for him, it doesn't mean we still don't get to enjoy his skating.
We're not losing anything, we have only received so much, and with all the trajectories his career and life could have taken, this all has been a miracle. I wish him all the best in his next endeavors and will continue to support him in whatever he does next!

yuumagical · May 9, 2024

For those of you who are interested, I have found the Toyotimes channel for Shoma's retirement press conference that will be happening a few days from now.

rabidline · May 9, 2024

Koshiro sharing some hilarious unseen photos on Instagram (and the loveliest message on his Instagram story):

16Olympics · May 9, 2024

4everchan said:
Thank you Shoma.

Not my week. chiddy done. Conrad done. Shoma done and I got COVID... First time for me... Life sucks

I'm sorry to hear you're sick. Hope you feel better soon-from Covid, not the other.

16Olympics · May 9, 2024

yuumagical said:
For those of you who are interested, I have found the Toyotimes channel for Shoma's retirement press conference that will be happening a few days from now.

Thank you.

demarinis5 · May 9, 2024

I have had a little time to digest this news as it was late at night when I heard of his retirement.

What an amazing 13 year fandom it has been for me. Watching Sho grow from a young
13 year old junior to now, he has been the highlight of my skating fandom.

I have been down this road before (Michelle Kwan, Dai, Mao), but with Sho it was like he was a family member,
and this FF a/k/a the Dead Banana Club :dbana:

has been a wonderful place to be a part of. We celebrated his victories in the
good times and commiserated together during the tough times, always supporting our Shomajesty along the way.
Love all you folks here in the FF :ghug:

Wishing him the best in his future endeavors as he ventures forward! Thank you Shoma for everything
you gave to us and for the great ride!!!! I will truly miss you, sniff, sniff.

16Olympics · May 9, 2024

I offer a group hug to all here who are sad that Shoma won't be competing any longer but also for the hope I have that Shoma will be moving on to a new and wonderful future.
Thanks for the memories, Shoma. Thanks for being the subject of this great community here at GS.

Here's to your new life, whatever that may mean. Thanks for giving us two great programs this year knowing that they might be your last. What a legend he has been. And a pleasure to watch.

For those who saw it coming, for me I look at Stephane's body language this year that signaled a change and it finally hit me when he changed management agencies.

Shoma Uno

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rabidline

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3-TIME OLYMPIC MEDALIST! 🏅🏅🏅

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