Rion Sumiyoshi: “The mental issues that used to prevent me from landing jumps have improved significantly. As I’ve competed more, I’ve become more consistent.”
Rion Sumiyoshi about start of the season and quad jumps.
source: tokyo-sports.co.jp
On the second day of the Tokyo Championships (September 23, Tokyo Daido Drink Ice Arena), her Short Program (SP) began with a double axel, followed by a triple flip – triple toe loop combination, and a triple lutz, which she landed successfully. She started in fourth place with a score of 65.40 and expressed relief, saying, ‘I finished without any major mistakes, so I’m relieved.’
She acknowledges that she achieved some success but believes there is room for improvement. Due to a recent back injury, she decided to avoid the layback spin in this competition. She calmly reflected, ‘I had to make small changes to all of my spins, which resulted in fewer points than usual. I also wanted to perform the steps with more energy, but I held back a bit.’
In terms of mental preparation, which was a challenge for her until last season, she has seen significant improvement, with fewer fluctuations compared to before.
‘The mental issues that used to prevent me from landing jumps have improved significantly. As I’ve competed more, I’ve become more consistent, which has given me confidence in competitions and a more established approach. It’s been great to have competed in so many events up to this point,’ she said.
For the Free Skate on the 24th, she stated, ‘Today, my jumps weren’t perfect, so I want to deliver high-quality jumps. I hope to put on a performance that allows me to showcase what I want to express as a total package.’ This season, Sumiyoshi seems to be a bit different from her previous seasons.
On the final day of the Tokyo Championships (September 24, Tokyo Daido Drink Ice Arena), she earned 123.13 points in the Free Skate, securing a comeback win with a total score of 188.53, starting from fourth place in the short program. She looked back and said, ‘I made some mistakes in my jumps, but I could see my growth in terms of mental resilience and switching my mindset.’
However, her quad toe loop, which she has been working on since last season, was double footed. She self-analyzed, ‘I had confidence today that I could do it, but during the actual performance, my confidence wavered a bit.’ Nevertheless, she expressed her determination to focus on building her physical strength for the upcoming Grand Prix Series events in France and Finland, stating, ‘I want to aim for a better placement than last year.’
In the previous season’s Grand Prix Series, she achieved third-place finishes in both events. The question now is whether she can break new ground with the quad toe loop.
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