“Well, he might said this in good form, but deep down, I truly feel it. I think he only has eyes for Ilia right now. To make him consider me, first I have to beat him once. But that’s damn hard.” Kao Miura about Yuma Kagiyma not considering him a rival
Kao Miura on winning bronze at Skate America and Yuma Kagiyama.
original source: Nikkansports / Nikkansports / Nikkansports dd. 21st October 2024 by Daisuke Fujizuka
Kao Miura (19), won bronze at the 2024 Skate America GP with a total score of 278,67 points. Despite not being in perfect condition with his left leg, he achieved his fifth consecutive podium finish in the GP Series. Mira commented on his performance, not attempting quad loop and discussed his chances for the GP Final. He also commented on Yuma Kagiyama not considering him as a rival. Here’s a translation his comments posted on Nikkansports.
“There are some aspects I regret, but I’ve done the best I could at this moment. After landing, I realized one of the jumps was underrotated, but even amidst these challenging conditions, I think I deserve some praise for pulling everything together as much as I could,” said Miura commenting on the results of the compatition.
In mid-September, Kao Miura developed pain in his left thigh and faced the free skate at Skate America after taking pain relievers. “The performance felt like I was enduring through it overall. But since I went into today assuming I would have to endure, my goal was to avoid any major mistakes. I think I managed to do that.”
“There was some pain in the toe, but there was no time to worry about that. I focused on giving everything I truly could, determined to jump the toe no matter what. I think I managed to make that. Since I landed the 4-3 combination with the second toe, it turned out alright in the end,” he said answering the question of whether he felt pain during his performance.
“I held out on the loop until the last minute, but since I couldn’t even try one during the six-minute warmup, I realized my condition wasn’t good at all and decided to leave it out. If I had included it, the performance wouldn’t have been cohesive, so I think it was the right choice,” he commented his decision not to attempt quad loop at this event.
Commenting on his changes of getting to the Finals, Kao honestly told, “It’s going to be tough as it stands. It seems a bit challenging unless the other Grand Prix events get quite messy. Ilia, Adam, and Yuma are almost certain to go, so it’s a competition for the remaining three spots. In my case, I think it would be tough unless I take first place at the NHK Trophy, at least second. It’s critical how much I can compete against Yuma in his Grand Prix. If I don’t go in with the assumption that I’ll beat him, the Final will be tough. Although I’m satisfied with today’s result, there’s a sense of regret more so about that. Rankings are crucial, and that’s where it feels dangerous.”
“The quality of my performance was very good. Aside from the placement, I was satisfied — it was fair, though not about the scores, but simply for the sake of ranking and making it to the Final. That’s where it’s going to get a bit tougher from now on,” he told, explaining that he was frustrated with the placement, since his goal was to be second at Skate America.
When asked about what would it take to beat Kagiyama, Miura answered, “A flawless performance is a must. Plus, I must skate with real resemblance, not struggle like I did, and perform true composed jumps and skating. What to do — it’s a bit risky. I really messed up.”
He was also asked about Yuma Kagiyama’s words about rivals. During this competition, Kagiyama mentioned that he doesn’t think of Miura as a rival. “Well, he might say things in good form (laughs), but deep down, I truly feel it. I sense that he really doesn’t regard me as such. He seems to barely consider me at all,” Kao said with a smile.
“No, not really, even during the junior days. As of now, there hasn’t been a time when he thought of me as a rival. I kept thinking ‘from now on, from now on,’ and before I knew it, I got this old. Next year I’ll be 20. It’s about time he started thinking of me that way. But that means I need to work harder, as I’m still not there yet,” he answered to a remark abut them competing since juniors.
Answering the question of what does he think he’s lacking to compete with Kagiyama, Kao said, “Of course, it involves skating skills and elements, the ability to consistently perform well in competitions, and other things. But given his personality, he [Yuma Kagiyama] probably only looks upwards, never downward. I think he only has eyes for Ilia right now. To make him consider me, first I have to beat him once. But that’s damn hard, really hard. It feels like I can’t manage unless I win once.”
“What if you win at the NKH Trophy,” the interviewer asked. “No, no, no, no. It’s probably impossible. Honestly, I feel the technical difference right now myself, and not out of pessimism. Given that, anything can happen during competitions, that’s true, but even leaving that aside, there is still a significant gap, in my view. How to bridge that gap will depend on how I tackle training from here on.”
“During this tournament, Mr. Malinin was second in the free skate,” noted the interviewer to which Kao Miura replied, “But it’s still early in the season for him. His program will continue to evolve. By the end of the season, a triple lutz – step out will turn into a quad lutz—Euler—triple flip. Today, he kind of fell out of it, and made two mistakes, so he was doing a really confusing combination at the end, but that was probably something he added abruptly, including a 4S—3A. It’s unthinkable.”
Related topics: Kao Miura, Yuma Kagiyama
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