Wakaba Higuchi: “I’ve learned not to rush through things and take them one step at a time.”
Wakaba Higuchi about start of the season.
source: nikkansports.com
In the Women’s Short Program (SP) on the second day of the Tokyo Figure Skating Championships, Wakaba Higuchi marked 68.09 points in her third event of the season, as she welcomed the new season after a long break.
As her name was called at the venue, cheers erupted from the audience. She executed the opening double axel with ease, followed by a combination of triple jumps, the lutz and the toe loop. Her performance emphasized her piercing gaze, meticulous facial expressions, and a powerful skating style. As she reached the final part of her program, she skated with strength. However, towards the end, just before her finishing pose, she lost her balance and fell. Despite the minor mishap, she received hearty applause from the audience.
After the competition, she expressed, “I’m disappointed that I fell in the spin at the end, but I think I had good movements and expressions.”
During the previous season, she had taken a complete break from competitions after October. After experiencing a life away from figure skating, she resumed training in earnest in April of this year and completed her second event at the Tokyo Summer Championships last month. This competition marked the first gate leading to her goal of the Japanese Nationals.
Reflecting on her current mindset after the break, she noted, “I’ve learned not to rush through things and take them one step at a time. I didn’t have this sense of dealing with things one by one before.” She aims to tackle everything that comes her way, including any setbacks, with composure. She stated, “I want to work hard to reach a point where I can express it as ‘being able to do it with ease.’
In the Women’s Free Skate of the Tokyo Figure Skating Championships, Wakaba Higuchi, who returned to the new season after a long break, finished in 4th place. After starting the Free Skate in 2nd place following the Short Program, she received a score of 105.68 points, with several mistakes in jumps and other elements, resulting in a total score of 173.77 points.
She reflected on her performance with a sense of regret, saying, “I think I was able to skate with energy from start to finish compared to the competition a month ago, but I couldn’t shake off the mistakes in my jumps.”
As she took her starting position, the music did not begin playing. The timing of the music didn’t align as expected. Despite trying to stay positive, she couldn’t shake off the disappointment of her recent troubles with the lutz jump during the last six minutes of practice. When her second triple jump turned into a double, she couldn’t fully focus on the performance and expression aspects of her routine.
With the results from this competition, she secured her spot in the East Japan Championships, which will overlap with the schedule of the upcoming Grand Prix Series third event, the French Cup in November. While she has achieved her goal of securing a sport at the Nationals, where she aims for the podium, she emphasized her desire to make various improvements, particularly in the Free Skate. She aims for stability in her jumps and overall practice quality, saying, “There are many areas I want to work on in the Free Skate section. This applies to the jumps as well. I want to practice so that I can perform consistently.”
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