Sota Yamamoto | Page 103 | Golden Skate

Sota Yamamoto

The Nagoya Festival took place today - check out these cool photos!



And here:
www.chunichi.co.jp

【写真特集】名古屋フィギュアスケートフェスティバル、2年ぶり開催　トップ選手が勢ぞろい：中日新聞Web

名古屋フィギュアスケートフェスティバル（中日新聞社など主催）が4日、名古屋市の日本ガイシアリーナで2年ぶりに始まった。昨年12月の全日...
www.chunichi.co.jp www.chunichi.co.jp

It seems his 4T and 3A were behaving this time :) :


Sota skated his free program as his number (and from what I read on Twitter, did a much better job than at Nationals), and donned his Teeth costume for the group number. He got a lot of praise from fans for filling the whole rink with his impressive skating, spread eagles and Ina Bauer.
Unsurprisingly, he and Kazuki were right next to each other in all the group photos I've seen ^ ^

Some tweets suggest he also received an Outstanding Athlete award, but I'm not sure about this one.
 
Here's an article about Sota's Universiade assignment: https://www.chunichi.co.jp/article/1008785?rct=figure
I'm glad for him! He got really lucky in getting two assignments after his messed-up Nationals. I am hoping he takes the opportunity, and has a great time both times! Unlike Road to Milan, he will not get any WS points for Universiade I think, but the opportunity to compete and regain his confidence is in itself a gift from heaven. And he'll be competing in a little over a week! It's doubly good that he could practice his FS at the Nagoya Festival, then.
Time for Sota to brush up on his Italian phrases, then, too. :)
 
Here to wish Sota good luck in the free! 🍀
The less said about the scores, the better. ISU judges have their own agenda, and they have their darlings du jour to prop up. I wish them lots of empty seats in the future for their nastiness. It's what they deserve, and what they'll get.
Sota made one big jump mistake and maybe a wobble in the SP, but nowhere near what they marked him as. The commentary was utter trash, too... I guess the lady also got her instructions on who to praise, and who is undesirable.
Hopefully Sota won't let the unfair treatment get to him, skates well today, and gets lots of presents. :pray:
 
Like surimi said, let's not even talk about the scores 🥴
But I'm so proud of Sota who delivered an amazing free skate! With a 4F to boot! I was really impressed that he attempted four quads and still delivered an energetic performance, not everyone can do that.
I also really like the programme itself, Lori was really able to understand his skating and highlight his strenghts (if only she did that for Kazuki...)
 
KiraraChin said:
Like surimi said, let's not even talk about the scores 🥴
But I'm so proud of Sota who delivered an amazing free skate! With a 4F to boot! I was really impressed that he attempted four quads and still delivered an energetic performance, not everyone can do that.
I also really like the programme itself, Lori was really able to understand his skating and highlight his strenghts (if only she did that for Kazuki...)
Click to expand...

Next challenge : Quadruple Flip with a positive Grade of Execution; and it won't be offered him on a silver plate, like some other who can have a two-hand landing with an underrotation and still get a positive GOE.
 
Well done to Sota! A great fight, and his face was the determined, fearless Sota that folk love to see. I was very pleased by the cheers he got from the public.
The judges and the commentary, OTOH, clearly shows who the trendy skaters are at the moment, that ISU and JSF pointed their fingers on. The individuals who mark competitions have increasingly been becoming a joke and a parody. So, they whine that there must be some artistry and all-around skills, and well-executed jumps, not just hard jumps - then they award grand points to individuals like Grassl and Shaidorov, who are subpar on most of that. Then they also whine that there must be progress and difficulty, and one type of quad is not enough - then they make sure to shower 1-quad-type skaters like JunHwan with points. And federation-unfavored skaters like Sota or Kazuki are expected to perform both hard jumps (and a lot of those), and flawlessly, or else. It's disgusting really.
And, I'd really like to hear how the dear judges would explain that once certain skaters become 'disposable' and 'old', they start losing their GoE and PCS. Shouldn't skaters mature? So unless they start losing their jumps, shouldn't they be getting higher PCS than when they started out, and higher than what the current fresh junior grads are getting?

Funny, I took a glance at Canadian Nationals SP scores, and looks like the Canadians are not nearly such a-holes toward their best. For comparison, Roman Sadovsky (same age as Sota... so dreadfully old, right?) fell on his UR 3A, had a q on his only quad, and had a 3-3 combo. His levels, PCS and GoE still made sure he scored 3 points higher than Sota here in Italy. With a clean 4-3 and 3A, no points for the 4S, but still. Is Roman more of a wizard at PCS, steps and spins? I doubt that. He's as talented as Sota IMO, but not more. But he's currently the best man in Canada, and scored as such, and he's not head to head with domestic and international pets.
Another comparison - in Germany, Sota made the same mistake in the SP (doubled his 4S), and also a small mistake on his axel. He still landed one point higher than here with a really solid 3A. So his wobble in the steps and some imaginary mistake in a spin make more of an impact than two visible mistakes, really? And the fact he was facing several skaters in Italy that undoubtedly get politicked to high heaven, wouldn't play a role at all, right... When there's a will, there's a way. But in his case, there's exactly zero will on the judges's side, and zero push from his Fed, which has been getting less and less invested in their skaters in general, it seems.
Also, Sota made similar mistakes at GP Finland - and his score was 7 points higher.

Okay, something nice for a change, as it will take me a while to stop fuming at the scores I'm seeing, and the lackluster commentary that accompanies it, which would make you think Sota somehow forgot to skate in the last two years.
Another version of his beautiful FS, this time on YT:

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.
www.youtube.com www.youtube.com

If anyone knows where to find the protocols, let me know please. I cannot find them on the results page.
 
Roman Sadovsky has outstanding spins but it's true that there's no reason why skaters like Sota Yamamoto, Kazuki Tomono or Shun Sato shouldn't get similar Components. And, yes, this Winter Universiades the spins scores have been indigent for Men, specially for some particularly beautiful ones.

Here are the detailed scores. Trigger warning: for those who have watched the skates, these protocols are infuriating:
skatingscores.com

Skating Scores: Latest Figure Skating Results, Scores, Rankings & Statistics

The best resource for Figure Skating scores and stats on the web.
skatingscores.com skatingscores.com

skatingscores.com

Skating Scores: Latest Figure Skating Results, Scores, Rankings & Statistics

The best resource for Figure Skating scores and stats on the web.
skatingscores.com skatingscores.com
 
^ Yes, the scoresheets are not for the weak of spirit. It's clear as daylight that the judges, ISU and JSF have an agenda, and Sota is not part of their elite club any longer, no matter what he does. Looking at the scores, one would think he almost fell of his 4F...

Sota has spoken about his long-term injury publicly for the first time:
https://digital.kyodonews.jp/deepedge/news/91079/
I don't know if anyone can view the rest of the article. It's paywalled and I can only see the headline:

Sota Yamamoto performs quadruple flip for the first time in an international competition, revealing problems with his right shoulder​

Hopefully he'll take a break in the spring and get the much-needed surgery done. His absence from Kassouya shows could indicate just that. There's no doubt in my mind that this issue needs to get sorted out ASAP as it's been bothering him even when he's just skating, not just when he's jumping. The injury is the main reason Sota stopped doing his beautiful donut spin, and perhaps he never will again. :( I just hope he gets all the care he needs, and can return to the ice in time to challenge the other top skaters next season. :pray:
 
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