“When it happened, I was like, ‘Seriously…,’ but the other skater immediately apologized, and there was no ill intent in the collision.” Kao Miura about collision at the official practice
Kao Miura about start of the season and collision with another skater at the official practice.
source: nikkansports.com
In the Tokyo Championships on the second day of competition in the Men’s Short Program, Kao Miura (18), who achieved two titles last season at the Senior Four Continents Championships and the Junior World Championships, made his appearance in the opening competitions of this season’s block tournaments.
Before his performance, during the 6-minute warm-up, he repeatedly grasped his left hip, wearing a concerned expression. Nevertheless, he executed the opening combination of a clean 4 salchow – 3 toe loop. However, the subsequent axel jump turned into a single. The final 4 toe Loop also had a poor landing. He scored 81.92 points.
After the competition, Miura revealed, “This morning, during official practice, there was a collision with another skater, and because of that, the pain persisted, and I competed in this condition. I was in the path of a skater moving at a high speed, and it put a strain on me. For now, I’ve heard it’s a muscle strain in my hip.”
At the Kiss & Cry while waiting for his score, he displayed a content expression. He nodded, saying, “Considering the situation I was in, I did what I could do,” repeatedly attributing his performance to bad luck. If he didn’t participate in this event, the road to the year-end Japanese Nationals would be closed. This challenging situation motivated him, as he expressed, “I have to participate to make it to the Japanese Nationals,” considering it his best given the circumstances. Despite the accident, he managed to achieve a score in the 80-point range.
In the Tokyo Championships on the final day of competition in the Men’s Free Skating, Kaito Miura finished in 3rd place with a free skate score of 145.41 points, bringing his total score to 227.33 points.
On the previous day, just before the short program (SP), he suffered a muscle strain in his left hip during official practice. As he was participating in the block tournaments that lead to the Japanese Nationals in December, there were concerns about his condition on this day as well. However, he showed a spirited performance.
Instead of simplifying his program, Miura even attempted the 4 loop, which he is still in the process of mastering. Although there were minor issues with the landing, he managed to complete it without falling. The result was marked downgraded, but he did not lose his resolve.
He also managed to hold himself back during the 4S jump in his second attempt. Additionally, he challenged three different types of quadruple jumps, all while nursing his injury.
Regarding his performance, Miura stated, “If you only look at the scores, it may seem negative. But there’s a sense of sealing the loop in a competition, and after the first loop, how to execute the other jumps is something you can only experience in a competition.”
He explained the decision to compete despite the injury, saying, “In consultation with the situation and the coach, it seemed possible. Of course, there’s pain due to the muscle strain, but if I don’t do it in the same way, the strain won’t get worse. Of course, I’ll be cautious, but I thought I could do it today. Tomorrow, I’ll go to a proper hospital, and while I’ll definitely undergo examinations, the coach said it doesn’t seem to be a severe case. It’s really a minor injury, so it should heal in less than two weeks. I’m not taking it negatively, and I plan to continue practicing little by little.”
When asked about his mindset when accidents happen, he replied confidently, “In the case of this muscle strain, of course, when the accident happened, I was like, ‘Seriously…,’ but the other skater immediately apologized, and there was no ill intent in the collision. I remain positive. Of course, there is pain, but it won’t significantly affect the quality of my skating, so I think I can continue as usual.”
The costumes, which were temporary during the summer, have been replaced with the official ones, and he wore them for the first domestic official competition. Next up is the Grand Prix (GP) series.
“With more and more international competitions ahead, I want to prepare for the upcoming season while taking good care of myself. This injury happened in a way that I couldn’t prevent, so I’ll aim to avoid injuries in the future. I don’t think my condition is bad, so I want to prepare for the rest of the season,” Miura said.
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