Sota Yamamoto | Page 21 | Golden Skate

Sota Yamamoto

Thank you so much Rainbow for translating the whole thing!
It's so sad to read his reflections on the injury, how he was torn between wanting to quit and missing skating. What does he mean by 'detour' in the last comment? Does he mean the mistake on that opening 3A? And I admit that I'm a bit lost as to the whole Sota-Ryota problem. Is there a particular reason why a newborn's face reminds one of grass? ^ ^
Onwards to Nationals, then! I hope Sota's health holds up. The coach and the Eurosport commentators were spot on, he's mesmerizing to watch. *fingers crosed*
 
I think what he meant by 'detour' is that he trained so hard that he sustained injury and re-injury, and it took him more than two years to be back to competition. IMy understanding is that his re-injury is stress fracture due to his practicing while he was still in pain and pushing himself too much. Looks like he realizes this now and is going through training to strength his body to prevent injury.

About his name, there is no logical explanation so I'm just going with my feeling. To me Sota sounds a little bit more old fashioned and subdued than Ryota. I believe he has 塩顔 (salt face) with single eyelids so his parents went for Sota. Also the image of green grass is refreshing and I assume his parents named him 草太 with the wishes that he would grow up straightforward and in good health.

About salt face here's my post on PH:
Three major categories of men's good looks among Japanese these days are:

▼ しょうゆ顔(shoyu face) - typical Japanese face with subtle facial features.

▼ 塩顔(salt face) - similar to shoyu face but with fair complexioned and clear smooth skin. Slender built. But underneath the fragile appearance are lean muscle and strong mentality. This duality appeals a lot to girls.

▼ ソース顔(sauce face) - like Worcestershire sauce that came from western world, this face is more western like with double eyelid large eyes, higher nose and large mouth. Darker skinned.

This site adds more categories such as ▼酢顔(vinegar face), ▼砂糖(sugar face)▼みそ顔(miso face)▼マヨネーズ顔(mayonnaise face), ▼ケチャップ顔(ketchup face), etc. The last ▼オリーブオイル(olive oil face) is for 速水もこみち because of his massive use of olive oil in his cooking show. I never heard of these categories other than the first three though.
https://matome.naver.jp/odai/2144177926661256801

Years ago macho type men with wild sauce face were quite popular among Japanese, but over the years what they like to see in men changed. Currently salt face men are the most popular among girls. Yuzu is a typical 塩顔男子(salt face man).
 
Here's the video clip about Daisuke and Sota thanks to surimi for referring it to me.
I only translated the Sota bits.
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6yud4z
from 0:37 to 2:19
Today is the day Sota Yamamoto came back.
Last year Sota Yamamoto made a comeback at the Japanese Nationals after suffering from injuries. He skated with all his might.
With a quad as his strength Sota Yamamoto was once expected to be one of the leaders of the next generation alongside Shoma Uno since they were juniors.
However he broke his right ankle upon falling on a triple axel during practice.
In addition he reinjured the same area after he made a comeback.
He was about to make a senior debut, but he was subjected to severe hardships again.
Sota: “To be honest I was depressed and wanted to quit skating.”
What supported him when he hit rock bottom was his love for skating.
He came back after enduring the unforgiving rehabilitation.
At the first competition he could only jump singles. But he was happy being on ice.
Sota: “I was really happy. I understand that my fans have long been waiting for my comeback.
I will work hard to be able to meet their expectations someday."
And there he is at the Japanese Nationals. He jumps triples successfully without a hint of his struggle three months before this.
His skating touched the heart of the audience, his skating mates, and himself.
*skipping Daisuke part

4:04 to 4:04
Now back to Sota Yamamoto who influenced Takahashi’s decision to make a comeback. He nailed a triple axel which was the cause of his previous injury.
Sota: “It took me a while but it started to sink in that I could finally make a step forward.”
Overcoming the fear.
At NHK Trophy last month he finally made a GPS debut after going through injuries.
Sota: “I’ll go for this year’s Japanese Nationals with the stronger resolve than the last year to get a good placement."
 
Thank you so much for the translation!
I stumbled upon another pre-Nationals video today: https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6z48tb Most of it is a rehash of already existing footage on Sota's injury and comeback up to NHK, and on his old enemy the 3A, but there's some new footage as well, like the opening. No idea what's being said there though; not time enough to look into it, unfortunately.

Also - the video Rainbow linked above is a must-see for all big Sota fans. It's the only existing footage online of his Chuubu Block SP, I believe. All other videos only show his Chuubu FP so this one is a treasure. :)

eta for later use - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PMUNC4W3jI
 
Translation of the video surimi referred to:
*Sota eating Korean BBQ meat*

Sota:“I can eat 30 more slices hehehe”
He is restoring his energy by eating his favorite food, BBQ Kalbi.
Sota: “Each one of these competitions is a very important and happy event for me considering the incident that time.”

*Back to year 2016*
Two years ago he broke his right ankle while he was practicing the 3A. Afterwards due to his re-injuries and surgeries he was off the ice for one and a half year. He could not compete at the 2016 GPS which was supposed to be his senior debut.
Sota: “I was feeling down all the time. I could not jump.”
With a quad under his belt he was expected to be one of the top skaters in the next generation. His glory was gone and he felt frustrated that he could not even be on the ice. However last season with his bolts implanted ankle, he decided to make a comeback. He restarted his skating career with the single jumps. Gradually he was able to jump more difficult jumps and getting ready to compete internationally.
Sota: “I think the reason why I could not quit skating is my desire to skate again.”
Last month he finally made a debut at GPS after two years hiatus. His opening jump was a triple axel which had been the cause of his broken bone. He also successfully landed it in the FS. He did very well and finished 6th in this international competition.
Sota: “I was so eager to compete at this event that I was hasty and ended up taking a roundabout route, but I somehow reached my goal here. I want to keep achieving results that get better than before, so I want to continue working hard.”
Sota: “I’ll be practicing hard doing what I need to do so that I can show that my skating has grown.”
 
Translation of a tweet by Quadruple Axel Editorial Department:
https://twitter.com/AxelQuadruple/status/1075684143852281856
(After the Japanese Nationals Open Practice)
Sota: “I now have the feel of this ice condition, and I’m glad that I was able to practice as much as I wanted. I landed a quad just now (in the practice). I had landed a quad jump three times before and adding today’s quad ladings, total number of quad landing is five times. I started training the quad last week and landed on the third day. I think I have been able to focus on my training."
 
Am I the only one who's only gotten anxious over the 4T news? I know he needs to up his tech to skate against the GP elite, but think I'd prefer for him to give it a while, not to include it at such a crucial time, after only a week's training. One week is a very short time, and he's a nervous skater whose 3A and combos aren't stable yet. Neither did his 4T use to be when he was a junior; I remember the falls only too well, and one of those would now cost him dearly, with the new rules in place. I'd much rather see a clean performance that also has its merits. And most importantly: I don't care what Sota's final placement is. I just want him to be healthy. No more injuries please. Good luck! :pray:
 
It is Sota's old interviews but I translated his interview on the official NHK Trophy site. The videos are geo-blocked so in order to view the videos from outside Japan you need VPN.
https://www.nhk.or.jp/figure/entries/athlete.html?ev_id=5&at_id=105

After Official Practice (Nov. 8, 2018)
- This is your first time you compete at the NHK Trophy. What are your thoughts?
This is the event that is televised every season and I have been looking forward to it. I want to enjoy skating till the end.
- What have you been thinking about the NHK Trophy?
I have imagined this as a place where senior top skaters compete. I am here myself and I am hoping to be able to hold my own among many top skaters.
- Is this your first senior GPS?
Yes, that’s correct.
- Then how is it?
I have experienced a tense atmosphere at over competitions and while being nervous, I want to do my skating without getting flustered.
- What is your impression of this Hiroshima arena after going through the practice?
This is a big arena that accommodates a large audience, and I want to deliver the performance that reaches out to the far away audience.
- You practiced alongside the Olympians. How did you feel? Were you intimidated?
I was very much inspired by them during the practice, and I was motivated more.
- Uno senshu, who used to compete alongside you for medals in junior years, is here today for competition. How do you feel about it?
I feel more like being in the same championship as he is rather than competing against him. Uno senshu is already a top contender, and I would like to skate well at this competition to narrow the gap between us as much as possible.
- Do you pay attention to Uno senshu?
We are on the different levels and the placements we aim for are totally different as well, but during practice he inspired me a lot and I renewed my determination to do my best.
- You broke your right ankle. How is it right now?
I don’t feel pain and I just feel strange. I need to focus on the competition now that I’m here.
- When you land or launch a jump you use right ankle, and does it bother you? You said you feel something strange.
- The feeling of strangeness has never gone away, so I’ve come to live with it. I think clean launch or clean landing of a jump would not cause discomfort, so I am trying to do clean jumps.
- Do you mean that you don’t feel much pain when your jump is clean?
Clean jump is the one you land straight, while the other type is under-rotated jump. When your jump is under-rotated, you twist your ankle when you land. I think clean landing of jump causes less damage to my ankle.
- Tell us about your SP and FS. First, what can you tell us about your SP “Air on the G String”?
This is the music I wanted to use and I asked Mr. Kenji Miyamoto for choreography. I have the images of my skating to this music and he choreographed many moves to bring out the image. I want to deliver my interpretation fully at this event. This is the competition where I compete among top skaters and I want to try hard to do clean elements.
- What part of your SP you want to appeal to the audience?
The music is not dramatic and rather slow and does not build up, so each move is important. For example, my spin speed varies to accentuate one from another, and I need to do solid and big jumps. I have to execute a solid performance to compete among top senior skaters, so I want to do a strong skating which is good in all elements.
- Your FS is Nobunaga, the theme.
Yes.
- How is it?
There is a gap between SP and FS in that FS music is dramatic and easier for me to skate to. Many people have told me that this is a good program. So I want to skate well here so that they will appreciate my program.
- What part do you want the audience to enjoy?
Toward the end of the second half is the choreo sequence to accentuate the culmination of the program, so I want to convey my message to the audience by choreo sequence.
- Specifically?
Well, there are many Japanese style choreographic moves such as drawing a sword, and I need to express Japanesque moves clear enough to reach the audience. I need to feel the music while skating.
- You changed the layout a little from the Finlandia. Why?
The main difference from Finlandia is now I have two 3A. The planned layout at Finlandia was the same, but I popped one. This time at NHK, I want to do two 3A as planned.
- What is your ideal skating, and what is your strength?
Some people kindly tell me that my skating is good, but I’m not satisfied yet and I want to skate more beautifully. I want to skate that gains speed by one step and wish to perform a magnificent program taking advantage of my strength.
- Lastly, how do you feel about going for your first NHK Trophy?
I’m more or less a challenger, and not a contender who fights at the top level. I was happy to be assigned to this and I would like to enjoy skating feeling the joy of being in this championship, while striving for a good performance.
 
After SP (Nov. 9, 2018)
- Do you feel satisfied or regret?
About my overall performance I feel a sense of accomplishment and feel good. But I came to realize that I need to do better in order to get better scores.
- How did you feel about the big applause when you nailed the first 3A?
I very much focused on the 3A and I was relieved when I nailed it. From the beginning to the end the audience has clapped for me and I felt really happy.
- How about skating and expressions?
Although I regret that some moves should have been better, I think it was good overall.
- You said you wanted to enjoy skating. Your thoughts on going into the free?
Looking back on my SP I was able to enjoy skating, and I want to go for FS with the same feeling of having fun. My program has lots of elements such as spins and skating and I’m telling myself to go all out for what I want and need to do.

After FS (Nov. 10, 2018)
- Your hand is bleeding. Are you okay?
Bleeding is nothing for me. I’m fine.
- Why did you change your layout?
My first jump was planned to be a combo with a triple axel, but I popped into a single axel and could not make it a combo. Later I added 2T to get a little more score. Even though the added score is small, in figure skating every little score counts so I added it. During my performance I was a little shaken up (because of bleeding) and I ended up making some mistakes. Well, I’m feeling regret.
*wiping the sweat on his face with the towel wrapping his right hand*
- After injuries this is your debut GPS, you must have many feelings about this.
Yes. After all I enjoyed skating here. I had a feeling of tension and it became a good experience for me. I was not even a contender to go to the Finals so there was no pressure on me but I tensed up. But after going through this I am good to go to the next event. Thank you very much.
 
I don't think he would add a quad to his layout yet. Read his interview at NHK Trophy site, and you will see that he has a healthy attitude to guard his not-so-completely-healed ankle. He is aiming for clean jumps to minimize the damage to his ankle so it seem unlikely that he will hastily add a quad to his layout until it becomes stable. I hope he will move forward slowly taking into consideration the condition of his ankle. He should peak at Beijing Olympics and he has a plenty of time.
 
Thank you so much Rainbow!
Not exactly the performance of the night this time for Sota. 10th after the SP, with a fall and a 2T in place of a 3T in his combo. Here's his SP: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DK2l2p1mnkw However, I'm glad he's in the top 10, and not that far from the top 6, at least not at the moment. Some of the others didn't have great skates either, so there's no shame in his 10th place. Sota himself doesn't seem to view it that way though, he looks close to tears to me in this brief post-SP interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jo9YeXwzHs Someone tell me he didn't outright say he'd try to include his 4T in his free. Not the best idea if so, I agree with you on this, Rainbow. What's rewarded is being clean, not a fall on a quad that was never stable in the first place. It might cost more than it's worth.

What's worth noting is that all his spins are level 4 now, and someone said they went through the protocols and Sota had the best spins of the field. Well done, Sota! Getting level 4 on the StSeq seems like a difficult task this season. Speaking of that, he seemed a wee bit sloppy on the sequence today. I wonder if there's an illness or discomfort in his leg, or if it's simply fatigue from intensive traning. He looked very exhausted after the program, much more so than after NHK.
Nevermind - let's hope Sota puts this behind him, and can skate on Monday with a fresh mind and a clear head. What wouldn't, say, Mitsuki do to swap places with Sota, just to be performing out there, I believe. May he just forget about results and Jfed and funding, and skate for himself and the audience. Go, Sota, good night's sleep and good luck in two days! Your fans believe in you and won't stop cheering for your just because of a tenth place. The number of Sota banners in the audience was heartwarming to see.
 
Translation of the video surimi referred to above. Sota interview after SP at 2018 JNats

- One year has passed and you are here at this year’s Japanese Nationals. After SP what are your thoughts?
Compared to last year I had more time, practiced more and raised my layout to a harder level, but I still ended up with lower scores than last year. I am feeling like “What have I been doing?” Because my scores are lower than last year, I would like to work hard going into the free.
- I understand that this year you have a strong desire to aim higher and grow more than the last year. How did you feel about coming to this Japan Nationals?
Yes, that’s right. I came here to achieve better results and to be placed higher. But I made some mistakes and this made me realize that I am really weak.
- But you still have free skate after this. Looks like you landed a quad in practice. Can you tell us your FS layout and what you are hoping to achieve in your FS.
Well, I came here planning to add a quad in the layout. But we still have two days till the FS and we’ll have two practice times, and I would like to decide after going through the practice.
- We are looking forward to it. Thank you very much.
Thank you very much.
 
Sota skating clean would be a beautiful Christmas present as here in central Europe, we celebrate today. I hope he can put all pressure behind him. Please skate for your fans and your own enjoyment, Sota. The scores aren't worth keeling over with fatigue, risking your ankle with the quad, or being in such anguish as after the SP. Cheering for you always. :pray:
 
Sota's interview after FS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYNSsp95Tz8

- After FS this year’s Japan Nationals is over. What are your thoughts?
The free program is over, and because of the popped jumps and whatnot I did not run out of energy, and that makes me feel more that I should have pushed myself a lot harder.
- But you nailed a quad which you could not do last year.
Yes. Today I challenged myself to focus on every element, but things like the new layout affected the overall flow, and I realized that I need to practice more to adapt to changes.
- This year Japan Nationals was in your home town, so I understand that you really received a big applause. How did you feel about that?
I was feeling that people were rooting for me, live or in front of the TV, people I know and their families. I wish I could have delivered much, much better performances. Their support made me really happy and gave me strength, and I want to show my gratitude by delivering better performances.
- With the experience you gained at this year’s Japan Nationals, what is your plan from now on?
I need to challenge more difficult jumps one by one, and I succeeded in one this time. So I’ll work hard with a goal to go for competitions with perfect or great performances.
 
Sota will be in Nagoya Figure Skating Festival (Jan. 5, 2019)
http://www.chunichi.co.jp/event/figure/03_player.html
This Nagoya based ice show features many Nagoya skaters and other skaters from JSF as well. Due to the schedule conflict with 2019 Intercollege FS Competition (Jan. 4 - 7, 2019) Sota will not participate in the Intercollege competition.

The concept of Nagoya FS Festival is, unlike the big shows with international top skaters in gorgeous setting, that this is the exhibition event to an opportunity to local talented junior skaters to skate with some of the top senior skaters. In 2014 many of the Olympians participated in this event. Fans can give presents to the skaters directly.
Sota was in this Nagoya Festival from 2013 through 2015, skipping 2016, 2017 and came back in 2018.
 
Thanks for the info! How awesome for the fans, to be able to give presents to skaters in person. :agree2:

I've stumbled across two lovely Sota fanart pieces from Twitter's Amaru - LP https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DtqlOscU4AAbYh2.jpg and SP - https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Dvgh962UwAU4mDf.jpg This artist is just awesome. It makes me glad she likes Sota enough to draw him ^ ^
And apparently, Chuunichi Sports published a brief article on him, though I don't think it lists anything we don't know yet? (blindly guessing) https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DvnhHVWUcAA4Jj4.jpg He says he wants to become stronger and grow as a skater?
 
Translation of Chunichi Sports article surimi referred to above, published on 12/30/18. The article is mostly a recap of the same story but I translated the whole thing.

On the 24th the Japan National Championships opened. After SP Sota Yamamoto looked frustrated and said “I was confident but it didn’t do me anything.” He had overome serious injuries and he finally was able to bring back his jumps to the level before his injury. He was determined to skate well but fell on the opening triple axel, and made some more mistakes afterwards and finished with 71.95, which was even lower than last year.

He won a bronze medal at 2015 Junior Worlds. When he was a junior he landed 2 types of quads and competed with skaters such as Shoma Uno who is a silver medalist at PC Olympics, but he broke his ankle in March 2016. He underwent multiple surgeries due to re-injuries and was off the ice for one and a half year.

During his injury he was impatient seeing his rivals his age active at the forefront. He said “I was feeling left behind.” He went to the Japan Nationals having planned additional jumps of different types and having done more training and practices in order to eliminate a cause for concern. In this competition where his true strength was evaluated, he wanted to get results more than anything else. “Building confidence is one thing, but it meaning nothing if it does not bring out results,” he said with his strong resolve.

Two days later he went into the FS. “I won’t flinch. I will stay focused and go all out,” he said resetting his mind. In front of his fans in his hometown Osaka, at the beginning of the program he landed a quad toe loop jump for the first time since his comeback. Although he made some jump mistakes later, he looked refreshed because apparently he was feeling a sense of accomplishment having shown that his skate was coming back.
“I want to grow more, be stronger, and get better results.” A fire in him did not go out. After SP he clearly expressed his disappointment but now I realize that his word shows that he expects for himself and believes in himself more than anyone else.
 
Sota turns 19 today! Wishing him all the best! Best of health and luck, and may we long see him in competitions. Amazing how much he achieved in just a year since his return to skating!
I've found two lovely pieces online to celebrate Sota's special day. Here's a video compilation -also features Shoma- of his career achievements so far, up to the return of his 4T at Nationals: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRx970kRvzw And the great Twitter fanartist Amaru/Charlotte drew Sota to celebrate his birthday: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Dwep0OxU8AUBOYi.jpg
Also, it might be less than a week now before we know where Sota gets assigned next. If I'm not mistaken, last year the announcement about him going to Coupe du Printemps was made mid-January. :party:
 
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