Wakaba Higuchi: “My goal is to bring back everything I’m capable of and compete at the top level again.”
Wakaba Higuchi about her first competitions after a 10th months break.
source: hochi.news
Figure skater Wakaba Higuchi, who is the representative for the women’s singles event at the 2022 Beijing Olympics, made her return to competition after a break of about 10 months. She performed her free skate to “Fix You/Paradise” and scored 115.35 points, placing third at the Aqua Cup.
She landed a double axel at the beginning, followed by a combination of a triple lutz and a triple toe loop. Although there were some issues with the rotation on the triple loop, she maintained a smile and completed the program with a sense of joy. After the finish, she took a deep breath and showed that she had given it her all, receiving a big applause from the audience.
Regarding her first competition since the Lombardia Trophy in September last year, she expressed a sense of fulfillment, saying, “There were some mistakes, but compared to previous competitions, I was able to skate with a feeling of enjoyment. Today’s goal was to have fun during the competition, and I’m glad I was able to achieve that.”
Last season, after the Lombardia Trophy, she announced her withdrawal from all competitions. It was later revealed that she had a stress fracture in her right shin, which took longer to heal, so she focused on treatment and took a break from skating to refresh her mind. She resumed full training in April, starting from a state where she couldn’t even perform double jumps. She mentioned the interesting sensation of gradually regaining her skills and feeling her own growth, saying, “It’s really fun to gradually become able to do things. I feel a lot of joy both emotionally and mentally.” She also expressed her enthusiasm, saying, “I feel like I’ve become a completely different person from before, so I want to push myself further and become a different version of myself.”
This season marks her comeback and a new start. Her goal is to “bring back everything I’m capable of and compete at the top level again,” although she doesn’t have specific expectations regarding which competition she will place in or at what rank. While she hasn’t resumed practicing the triple axel, which is her signature move, she mentioned discussing it with her coach, saying, “I was talking with my coach, hoping that I can do it. I want to take it slowly. Since the triple axel is included in what I could do during the Olympic season, I want to regain that level as well,” looking ahead to the future.
She is also planning to participate in the third event of the Grand Prix Series, the French Cup (November 3-5), and the sixth event, NHK Trophy (November 24-26).
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