Wakaba Higuchi: “This is the first time I’ve won in the Grand Prix and I’m surprised but very happy. My motivation is different from last year, and my desire to deliver results has greatly strengthened.”

Posted on 2024-10-20 • No comments yet

 

Wakaba Higuchi on winning her first Grand Prix.

original source: Nikkansports / Nikkansports

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Wakaba Higuchi (23), the 2022 Beijing Olympic team silver medalist, achieved her first GP series victory. Here’s a translation her comments posted on Nikkansports.

With a score of 130.81 in the free skate, and a total score of 196.93 points, she came from fourth place in the short program to first, saying, “This is the first time I’ve won in the GP series and I’m surprised but very happy.”

Though she looked somewhat frustrated immediately after her performance, reaching the 130s for the first time since the Beijing Olympics, she expressed, “Being able to skate through to the end without dwelling on my feelings really made me feel the growth I’ve achieved,” revealing a bright smile.

“It wasn’t a perfect performance at all.” Wakaba also commented on some mistakes, “In practice, the 3-3 combination was looking good, so I don’t really understand what mistake I made that prevented me from completing the triple jump. However, I managed not to let it affect me and skated through to the end, which really made me feel like I’ve grown. I haven’t had a chance to review the footage yet, so I’m not sure, but it felt like I opened up too early and ended up doing a double. If it had been a 3-2, the execution might have been very good. But when it came to doing a triple, it felt like the timing was off.”

“I hadn’t actually practiced recovering that combinations at all,” she admitted. “I was only practicing the original planned content this time, which brought me next challenges. During the second half, I was contemplating where to add the 3-3 or what combination to attempt. It was fortunate that I managed to jump with the loop, though I originally planned to do a 3-3 with the lutz later on, but I spun too much and ended up going backwards. Also, I used a double toe in the three-jump sequence, and since it was a double, I thought about what combination I could do going for the final flip, but I decided it would be better to land it cleanly than to fail.”

Wakaba also shared that different rink size also added some challenges. “Especially since the size of the rink at the venue was different than usual. Jumps like loop or salchow, which are done on curves, required adjusting while being mindful of the boards’ position, so jumping combinations differently than usual was quite pressuring, but I think I managed it well by thinking through it.”

This season, with a major goal to perform well at the Nationals, she said with renewed determination, “My motivation is different from last year, and my desire to deliver results has greatly strengthened. This desire to deliver results has influenced my practice and allowed me to leave a mark in the competition.”

Her next competition is the third event of the GP series, the French Cup, starting on November 1. Looking forward to this competitions, she said, “I want to perform even better than today and make it onto the podium.”


 

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