Utana Yoshida & Masaya Morita

[synesthesia]

Utana and Masaya are scheduled to compete at two Challengers - the Kinoshita Group Cup and the Trialeti Cup. And since the results at the Kinoshita Trophy will be used to determine who gets sent to the Olympic qualifying event in September and UtaMasa are the only Japanese ice dance entrants atm, they will most likely also be sent to Beijing (unless there will be another entrant that places higher than them):

https://x.com/figure365/status/1947899525420749148

オリンピック最終予選に『ゆなすみ』『うたまさ』出場へ　『あずしん』は強化選手B指定を解除 - Deep Edge Plus

日本スケート連盟の竹内洋輔フィギュア強化部長は23日、東京都内で開かれた理事会後に取材に応じ、9月のミラノ・コルティナ冬季オリンピック最終予選（北京）にペアは『ゆなすみ』こと長岡柚奈、森口澄士組（木下アカデミー）、アイ […]

deepedgeplus.kyodonews.jp

In the final Olympic qualifiers, 'YunaSumi' and 'UtaMasa' are set to participate, while 'AzuShin' has been removed from the designated strengthening athletes B.​

​

On the 23rd, Yosuke Takeuchi, Head of the Figure Skating Strengthening Division of the Japan Skating Federation, spoke to the press after a board meeting in Tokyo, revealing that for the final qualifiers for the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics in September, the team representing Japan in pairs will be the duo 'YunaSumi', comprising Nagaoka Yuna and Moriguchi Sumitada (Kinoshita Academy), and in ice dance, the duo 'UtaMasa', consisting of Yoshida Utana and Morita Masaya (Kinoshita Academy).​

​

The selection criteria for the qualifiers decided at the board meeting stipulate that "the highest ranked team in the Challenger Series (CS) Kinoshita Group Cup among those qualified for the Olympics and entitled to participate in the final Olympic qualifiers will be dispatched". Mr. Takeuchi explained that since the ice dance team of Azusa Tanaka and Shingo Nishiyama has dissolved, “UtaMasa”, who will compete in the Kinoshita Group Cup, will (likely) participate in the final qualifying round.​

​

[...]​

The criteria for who will be dispatched to the Olympics state the following, making it likely that Utana and Masaya will be chosen to represent Japan at the Olympics in the team event (and in the individual event in case the spot is earned at the qualifying event), if nothing unforeseeable happens:

https://www.skatingjapan.or.jp/common/img/info/2025-26_FS_senkokijun_20250723.pdf

1. 25th Olympic Winter Games​

​

(3 spots for men's and women's singles, 1 spot for pairs)​

(If a spot is earned in the pairs or ice dancing events at the final Olympic qualifying event in September 2025, that spot will be added.)​

At the conclusion of the All-Japan Championships, the following selection method will be used to determine Olympic participants*1.​

​

[...] ​

​

(3) Ice dancing (if an Olympic individual spot is secured at the final Olympic qualifying event in September 2025)​

Selection will be made based on a comprehensive assessment of teams that meet any of the following criteria:​

A) The winning team and the second-place team at the All Japan Championships​

B) The team with the highest ISU World Standing at the end of the All Japan Championships​

C) The team with the highest ISU Season Best Score at the end of the All Japan Championships​

​

(4) Team Competition​

The team competition slots will be announced by the ISU after the Grand Prix Final for the relevant year.​

If a team competition slot is secured, ice dancers will be eligible to participate in the team competition regardless of whether they have secured an individual competition slot.
​

Furthermore, if an ice dance team does not secure an individual competition slot, the selection of the ice dance team will be determined based on the criteria outlined in (3) above.​

 

[synesthesia]

Utana and Masaya have permanently moved their training base to London, Canada to train with Scott Moir and Madison Hubbell:

カナダ拠点に「五輪枠を」　アイスダンス吉田、森田組 | NEWSjp

【ロンドン（カナダ）共同】フィギュアスケートのアイスダンスで昨季世界選手権に初出場した吉田唄菜、森田...

news.jp

Canada-based ice dance duo Yoshida and Morita aim for Olympic spot​

July 26, 2025​

​

【London, Canada (Kyodo)】 Yoshida Utana and Morita Masaya (Kinoshita Academy), who made their debut at last season's World Championships in ice dancing, spoke to the media on the 25th in London, Canada, where they have been training since this spring. Looking ahead to the final qualifying event (September, Beijing) for the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, Yoshida expressed her determination to “secure a spot and compete in both the team and individual events at the Olympics.”​

​

They have moved their base from Uji City, Kyoto Prefecture, and are training under Scott Moir, who has won the Olympic ice dance event twice, and Madison Hubbell, who won a bronze medal. They are practicing intensively for over three and a half hours a day.​

​

This season's rhythm dance will feature music from the 1990s, while the free skate will be set to the Italian opera “Turandot.”​

 

[rabidline]

Good for them. I think Scott and Madi have been working with them in official capacity during competitions since last season (?). I wonder if the disintegration of Azushin helps with this move, since there are no more local direct competition coached by the main branch of IAM.

 

[synesthesia]

Good for them. I think Scott and Madi have been working with them in official capacity during competitions since last season (?). I wonder if the disintegration of Azushin helps with this move, since there are no more local direct competition coached by the main branch of IAM.

Madison and Scott (and Adrian Diaz) were involved with their choreography last season, but not in a coaching capacity.

And yes, Azusa and Shingo were with the main branch in Montréal, not with the London branch, so I don't think that their split had any particular influence on IAM London's decision to take on UtaMasa (or the other way around).

I guess what this mainly shows is that Utana's and Masaya's ambition is to improve and to benefit from Scott's and Madi's expertise as well as their influence (it's sad that the latter is such a strong factor in ice dance, but I think they were really disappointed with their result at Worlds).

 

[synesthesia]

Utana and Masaya took the bronze at Skate Ontario Sectionals, missing the silver by just over a point. I like the Turandot choreo very much, especially the OFT, the diagonal step sequence and the twizzle sequence, which all complement the musical nuances very well imo.

The execution of the twizzle sequences proved to be a bit of a challenge in both the RD and the FD this time, but the other elements were pretty nicely done. They still look a bit tentative, which is of course not surprising at this early stage. I'm sure they will improve with each outing - thankfully this time they have competitions scheduled in the early season, which will likely help them to settle into and adjust their programs according to the feedback they receive. However, they only have one competition left before the qualifying event in Beijing - let's hope the kinks will be sorted out by then.


A kind fan posted their performances on twitter :




RD protocol: https://skateontario.org/results/26AUGKW/26AUGKWSeniorDanceRD1DRO.pdf




FD protocol: https://skateontario.org/results/26AUGKW/26AUGKWSeniorDanceFD2DRO.pdf

 

[rabidline]

I always have wanted the OG Turandot program (the warhorse cut of Vanessa Mae's Fantasy everyone uses) to be done by an ice dance team, and Utana's and Masaya's FD is quite well made! Love the framework, and I hope as they settle they can bring the aggression they had in their R&J last season to the beginning of the program.

Funnily enough, the way they skated R&J was what made me think they can skate to Turandot... they have just the right vibe of contentiousness and aggression with each other for it (but that vibe wasn't quite right for R&J lol). Another couple that I thought can skate Turandot is Lajoie/Lagha.

 

[synesthesia]

Photos of UtaMasa's Turandot FD at the Kinoshita Group Cup:

【フィギュア】“うたまさ”吉田唄菜＆森田真沙也組は６位　五輪予選へ「満足のいく結果を」 - フィギュア写真ニュース : 日刊スポーツ

3月の世界選手権代表の愛称「うたまさ」こと吉田唄菜（22）森田真沙也（21）組（木下アカデミー）が、出場8組中で総合6位となった。新演目「トゥーランドット」を… - 日刊スポーツ新聞社のニュースサイト、ニッカンスポーツ・コム（nikkansports.com）

www.nikkansports.com

Partly paywalled Deep Edge Plus article:

うたまさ、強みであるスピード感が出ていない　オリンピック予選へ「自信を持って大きく滑って」　【木下グループ杯アイスダンス・フリー後】 - フィギュアスケート専門情報サイトDeep Edge Plus　最新ニュース・充実のコラムをお届け

フィギュアスケートのチャレンジャー・シリーズ（CS）、木下グループ杯最終日は7日、大阪府の関空アイスアリーナで行われ、アイスダンスの吉田唄菜、森田真沙也組（木下アカデミー）はリズムダンス（RD）に続いてフリーも6位とな […]

deepedgeplus.kyodonews.jp

Machine translation of the non-paywalled part:

The final day of the Challenger Series (CS) figure skating event, the Kinoshita Group Cup, took place on the 7th at Kansai International Airport Ice Arena in Osaka Prefecture. The ice dance pair Utana Yoshida and Masaya Morita (Kinoshita Academy) finished 6th in the free dance, following their 6th place in the rhythm dance (RD), securing 6th place overall with a total score of 161.06 points.​

​

The full comments from the Yoshida/Morita pair are as follows.​

​

　―Please share your personal feelings about the performance, including the score.​

​

Yoshida: ‘I feel we skated more freely than yesterday. While the score was quite low, I think it reflects our current level. We aim to steadily improve from here.’​

​

Morita: ‘We felt good about our performance, but the score didn't reflect that. It shows we still have significant room for improvement. Our priority now is to properly train for the competition in two weeks' time and raise our level.’​

 

[synesthesia]

Figure skaters competing in the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympic final qualifying tournament have arrived in Beijing, the host city. Pictured here are Utana Yoshida (left) and Masaya Morita, who spoke to reporters at the airport.​

【フィギュア】“うたまさ”ミラノ五輪枠獲得へ調整「すごく体も動いた」仲間からのエールもチカラ - フィギュア : 日刊スポーツ

【北京＝松本航】26年ミラノ・コルティナ五輪（オリンピック）の出場枠獲得を目指す愛称“うたまさ”の吉田唄菜（22）森田真沙也（21）組（木下アカデミー）が、多… - 日刊スポーツ新聞社のニュースサイト、ニッカンスポーツ・コム（nikkansports.com）

www.nikkansports.com

​

The official 30-minute practice session began at 9:40 AM (10:40 AM Japan time) at the venue. After going through the rhythm dance (RD), Yoshida said with a smile, "It's a really big venue, and the ice felt good. It still feels a little soft, but I think it will gradually tighten up. For the first practice, my body is moving really well, and I think I'm in good shape, so I'm looking forward to the real thing."​

​

[...]​

​

Before their departure, they received encouraging words of "Good luck!" from the ice dance couple known by the nickname "Ikuko," consisting of Ikura Kushida and Koshiro Shimada, as well as from the pair affectionately called "Ayuluka," comprising Ayumi Katogani and Lukas Honda. Morita vowed, "We have come to secure a spot for the Olympics. Of course, I want to focus on the results, but I also want to enjoy the experience," as they looked forward to the rhythm dance (RD) on the 19th.​

​

Practice photos:

フィギュアスケート・ミラノ五輪予選　公式練習で「うたまさ」ペアがリンクイン ［写真特集1/14］ | 毎日新聞

アイスダンスRDを翌日に控え、公式練習に臨む吉田唄菜、森田真沙也組＝中国・北京の国家体育館で2025年9月18日、猪飼健史撮影

mainichi.jp

 

[synesthesia]

Today's RD runthrough:




Good luck tomorrow!

 

[synesthesia]

UtaMasa are currently sitting in 4th after a strong RD performance (thank you for the video upload ):




Hopefully they can keep the position or maybe even improve by one place on Sunday.

__________​

Just saw this cute fan art on my timeline:

 

[synesthesia]

Apart from the unattended issue of not getting close enough to the boards at the end of their ChSt, they made no major mistakes in the FD - unfortunately that wasn't enough, though.

https://x.com/mainichiphoto/status/1969639820411748622

Utana and Masaya accept how they were evaluated and blame noone but themselves, identifying a series of small mistakes as well as a lack of quality in the execution of their elements as the reason for their relatively low FD score (I have my own thoughts about some of the judging, but will keep them to myself). However, they vow not to dwell on the result and are looking ahead optimistically :

うたまさ、質を上げればもっといいプログラムに　オリンピック団体出場へ「今後の試合で結果出す」　【オリンピック最終予選アイスダンス・フリー】 - フィギュアスケート専門情報サイトDeep Edge Plus　最新ニュース・充実のコラムをお届け

【北京共同】フィギュアスケートのミラノ・コルティナ冬季オリンピック最終予選最終日は21日、北京で行われ、アイスダンスの吉田唄菜、森田真沙也組（木下アカデミー）は合計167・63点で7位となり、4枠の国・地域別出場枠を逃 […]

deepedgeplus.kyodonews.jp

リンクサイド：うたまさ　枠獲得ならずも「落ち込んでる時間はない」　五輪最終予選 | 毎日新聞

フィギュアスケートのミラノ・コルティナ冬季オリンピック最終予選は最終日の21日、中国・北京の国家体育館でアイスダンスのフリーがあり、リズムダンス（RD）4位の「うたまさ」こと吉田唄菜選手、森田真沙也選手組（木下アカデミー）は98・49点、合計167・63点で7位だった。

mainichi.jp

At least they will most likely get to do the Olympic team event, so that's some consolation.

________________​

 

[Ziotic]

Apart from the unattended issue of not getting close enough to the boards at the end of their ChSt, they made no major mistakes in the FD - unfortunately that wasn't enough, though.

https://x.com/mainichiphoto/status/1969639820411748622

Utana and Masaya accept how they were evaluated and blame noone but themselves, identifying a series of small mistakes as well as a lack of quality in the execution of their elements as the reason for their relatively low FD score (I have my own thoughts about some of the judging, but will keep them to myself). However, they vow not to dwell on the result and are looking ahead optimistically :

うたまさ、質を上げればもっといいプログラムに　オリンピック団体出場へ「今後の試合で結果出す」　【オリンピック最終予選アイスダンス・フリー】 - フィギュアスケート専門情報サイトDeep Edge Plus　最新ニュース・充実のコラムをお届け

【北京共同】フィギュアスケートのミラノ・コルティナ冬季オリンピック最終予選最終日は21日、北京で行われ、アイスダンスの吉田唄菜、森田真沙也組（木下アカデミー）は合計167・63点で7位となり、4枠の国・地域別出場枠を逃 […]

deepedgeplus.kyodonews.jp

リンクサイド：うたまさ　枠獲得ならずも「落ち込んでる時間はない」　五輪最終予選 | 毎日新聞

フィギュアスケートのミラノ・コルティナ冬季オリンピック最終予選は最終日の21日、中国・北京の国家体育館でアイスダンスのフリーがあり、リズムダンス（RD）4位の「うたまさ」こと吉田唄菜選手、森田真沙也選手組（木下アカデミー）は98・49点、合計167・63点で7位だった。

mainichi.jp

At least they will most likely get to do the Olympic team event, so that's some consolation.

________________​

I think getting to do the team event will still be an amazing learning experience for them. And they are young, I’m sure they will work very hard to secure a spot in 4 years.

 

[cocteautwin]

They did very well in general I hope after some bitter feelings they will be proud of the work they put. It's very visible they worked very hard on RD and it looked amazing, my favourite of the entire event. I was very impressed how much sharper they were than just two weeks ago at challenger. Free dance needs a bit more time to develop and solve some technical levels but it will only get better.

 

[synesthesia]

A kind person shared Utana's and Masaya's RD + FD at the Trialeti Trophy (thank you so much ):



This was my favourite outing of their RD so far. They achieved good levels (on several elements better levels than some of the teams that placed ahead), leveled up on the performance aspect and displayed a lot of confidence. In my opinion, they would have deserved to break the 70-point barrier here.




Back to "Rise of the Phoenix". I thought this FD worked very well for them two seasons ago and they said they feel more comfortable with it than with Turandot, so I can understand why they went back to it. On the other hand it's a shame that their Turandot FD didn't get the opportunity to evolve (I'm sure the issue with the ChSt could have been solved). Maybe they'll bring it back next season? Anyway, to me it looks a bit like they haven't entirely settled back into this program yet (understandably) and, unfortunately, their FD score didn't improve this time.

 

[synesthesia]

Deep Edge Plus published an interview, conducted with UtaMasa after yesterday's official NHK practice revealing that they changed the composition of their RD (and switched their straightline lift for a rotational one), discussing their reasons for reverting to their "Rise of the Phoenix" FD, the increasing domestic competition and their renewed resolve to become stronger/improve their scores, as well as addressing the scary collision in practice between Utana and Charlène Guignard (Charlène has been seen wearing a bandage on her hand/wrist since then - I hope neither teams' performance will be affected by the event).

うたまさ、他のカップルと接触も「大丈夫」　RDは構成変え「より結果残せるように」　【GP第4戦NHK杯公式練習】 - フィギュアスケート専門情報サイトDeep Edge Plus　最新ニュース・充実のコラムをお届け

フィギュアスケートのグランプリ（GP）シリーズ第4戦、NHK杯は7日、大阪府門真市の東和薬品ラクタブドームで開幕する。6日に公式練習が行われ、日本勢が取材に応じた。アイスダンスの吉田唄菜、森田真沙也組（木下アカデミー） […]

deepedgeplus.kyodonews.jp

Machine translation:

Utamasa, contact with other couple ‘no problem’​

Changes to RD structure ‘to achieve better results’​

[GP NHK Trophy Official Practice]​

​

The fourth event of the Grand Prix (GP) Series, the NHK Trophy, commences on the 7th at the Towa Pharmaceutical RACTAB Dome in Kadoma City, Osaka Prefecture. Official practice took place on the 6th, with Japanese skaters speaking to the media. Ice dancers Utana Yoshida and Masaya Morita (Kinoshita Academy) experienced an incident involving contact with another pair.​

​

The full comments from the Yoshida/Morita pair are as follows.​

​

​

　―How did the official practice feel?​

​

　Yoshida: ‘Well, the ice feels good and easy to skate on, and I feel we're moving well too. So, as the first day's official practice goes, I think it felt good.’​

　Morita: ‘Having finished the first day's official practice, and also from yesterday's unofficial practice, we were able to properly check the size of this stage, the size of the rink, the brightness, and confirm what we need to do. So, I think it's been a really good practice.’​

​

​

―You performed your free dance to the music today. Since the Kinoshita Group Trophy, I believe you've reverted to “The Firebird”. What was the reason for that?​

​

　Yoshida: ‘After failing to secure a spot at the Olympic qualifiers, we had a thorough discussion. We felt that to improve our scores for the remainder of the season, it would be better for our growth to take a programme we'd competed for an entire season and start refining it again from the middle, rather than starting from scratch. It's a programme we both really liked and are very comfortable with. We can skate it with more confidence than Turandot, so we changed it.’​

​

​

　―You've now competed once with the new programme. How did it feel?​

​

Morita: ‘At the last competition, we'd only had about a week to practise after the change, so our goal was simply to get through the skate. This time, however, we spent a lot of time refining it in Canada, making it easier for us to skate and ensuring we could earn GOE points. We want to make sure we show that properly.’​

​

​

　―What has the journey been like since the qualifying event?​

​

Yoshida: ‘We were genuinely frustrated after the qualifiers, but it didn't just leave us feeling defeated. Instead, it made both of us even more determined to prove ourselves. Having gone through that bitter experience, I believe we can become stronger together from here.’​

​

　Morita: ‘We gave our absolute best at the qualifiers, but since results matter in this competition, we considered how to secure better outcomes. That led us to change the free programme and significantly alter the rhythm dance's structure. We aimed to gain more points through these adjustments. We've had thorough discussions with our coaching staff, so we're really looking forward to it.’​

​

​

―Your determination for the NHK Trophy, now in its second consecutive year.​

​

　Yoshida: ‘For this competition too, we want to thoroughly enjoy ourselves as always, showcase our abilities to the fullest, and steadily improve our scores.’​

Morita: ‘Of course, we want to perform well at this NHK Trophy, but even before that, we'll keep in mind the importance of enjoying the skating itself and give it our all.’​

​

​

　―I believe there was contact during the earlier practice session. Are you both alright?​

​

　Yoshida: ‘We're fine.’​

​

​

　―What were you two discussing at that moment?​

​

　Yoshida: ‘We both mentioned being concerned as it seemed someone might have been injured. But we agreed to focus properly on our own tasks and see this practice through.’​

　Morita: ‘Yes, same here.’​

​

​

―Regarding your scoring targets for this competition. Your RD is approaching the 70-point range.​

​

Yoshida: ‘That's right. We'd certainly like to get into the 70s. To achieve that, we've made significant changes to the programme structure this time, so it remains to be seen how that translates into points.’​

　Morita: ‘For the free dance, we changed to this programme last time and have properly refined it this time. Naturally, expectations are high, but we've also been training with our own expectations, practising to ensure we can perform the programme as usual. We'd be delighted if that shows in the scores, even a little.’​

​

―Last week, the national ice dance qualifiers took place, with various couples competing. Did you see the results or footage, and what were your thoughts?​

​

　Morita: ‘I did get to see the free dance footage, but I missed the rhythm dance as I was just returning. I watched both the junior and senior free dances and thought it was incredibly exciting. The senior field especially has mostly new couples, doesn't it? So, it felt fresh, and the venue seemed absolutely buzzing – I thoroughly enjoyed watching it.’​

Yoshida: ‘I also watched it on FOD. Seeing both juniors and seniors competing made me think, “We want to compete against everyone soon too!”’​

​

-What changes did you make to the rhythm dance composition?​

​

Yoshida: "We [originally] had included a straight line lift in the first half, but we added a rotational lift to the exciting part in the second half, so I hope that will work well this time and lead to a good score."​

​

​

-The bottom score [on the protocol]. Or rather, the performance score.​

​

Yoshida: "The same for both the top [TES] and bottom [PCS]. Yes."​

​

​

　―I feel the pair of Kushida and Shimada are really improving. How do you view their presence?​

​

　Morita: ‘Well, they're both teammates and rivals, training on the same ice with the same coach. Seeing their performance at the Western Japan Championships made us realise we need to step up our game too. We see how hard the Kushida-Shimada pair train, which is incredibly motivating. We're looking forward to competing against them at Nationals.’​

　Yoshida: ‘I feel much the same. It's not just about those two, but there are many other teams too. Having more teams really motivates us to push ourselves harder. I truly hope ice dance teams continue to increase in Japan going forward.’​

​

​

-Regarding the collision, it happened from somewhere you couldn't see.​

​

Yoshida: "That's right. We were both facing away from each other, so I didn't even notice her coming, but the moment I turned forward, the other skater was probably facing away from me too, so we ended up colliding while facing backwards, so I'm a little sorry about that."​

​

​

　―So it was the women who collided.​

​

　Yoshida: ‘Did you collide?’​

　Morita: ‘No, I didn't collide. It seems that just the women collided.’​

__________________
​

Fingers crossed for UtaMasa to have a good competition and reach their goals!

________________​

 

[synesthesia]

Dang, what do they need to do to get over 70 in the RD? They were on fire!

 

[synesthesia]

Until the All Japan Figure Skating Championships 2025​

Just 5 days left ​

ꕤ ⑅ ┈┈┈ ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈ ⑅ ꕤ​

​

Ice Dance No.​

Utana Yoshida​

22 years old / Kinoshita Academy​

Partnered with Masaya Morita​

22 years old / Kinoshita Academy​

​

Current All Japan Champions #UtaMasaya Pair ‍​

​

This season they relocated to Canada to train under Olympic double gold medallist ​

#Scott Moir ​

Demonstrating the fruits of their labour ​

They set a new personal best in the Rhythm Dance at the CS Trialeti Trophy ​

​

They aim for consecutive All Japan titles to secure Olympic team event qualification ​

​

We want to enhance our polish ​

We want to strengthen our lifts for the All Japan Championships​

​

​

​

​

​

​

 

[synesthesia]

Congrats to UtaMasa on defending their national title and getting to compete in the Olympic team event (no surprise here as they are the only team with the tech min)! Their FD performance was much improved in all respects compared to their last outing (I'm only mourning the first version of their stationay lift - the new one seemed to be a bit of a struggle). They say having strong competitors domestically helps to motivate them and keep them on their toes:

https://x.com/AnythingGOE/status/2002676755719700900

https://x.com/nshokjA/status/2002642175868481748

 

[synesthesia]

I like the subtle new flourishes and the upgraded versions of their RD costumes - Utana's actually resembles a butterfly now :





Good luck tomorrow!

 

[synesthesia]

Congrats on the new PB in the FD :