“I chose to take a break because of the injury and my mental state was just unbearable… I thought I would just fade away instead of just resting, so coming back was a surprise even to myself.” Wakaba Higuchi on her come back and Skate America

Posted on 2024-10-30 • No comments yet

 

Wakaba Higuchi about her come back and winning Skate America.

original source: number.bunshun.jp dd. 25th October 2023 by Akiko Tamura

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In the interview posted on Sports Graphic Number Web, Wakaba Higuchi (23) spoke about winning her first Grand Prix event. Here’s a translation of her comments.

23-year-old Wakaba Higuchi won her first GP event, Skate America in Allen, Texas. Since making her Senior GP debut in 2016, this competition marked her 14th GP event.

“I never aimed to win this competition; my goal was simply to make it into the top three, so aiming higher wasn’t something I considered. It felt almost unbelievable,” Higuchi expressed her joy.

Since making her international senior debut at the age of, she has achieved significant results: a silver medal at the 2018 World Championships, contributing to Japan’s team silver at the 2022 Beijing Olympics, and finishing fourth in the individual event. Despite these accomplishments, her record in GP events included two silvers and three bronzes, but a title had eluded her. She reflected on the reasons, saying:

“I think I was able to compete with a strong desire to win in my first season,” she paused, searching for the right words. “The GP series is crucial for making it to the Finals. I began to think about how to preserve my strength to reach the Finals without giving my all before then. So my focus shifted from winning to just making it to the Finals.”

“For this competition, or rather, my goal for this season was to skate both the short and free programs from beginning to end with ease… That was one reason I managed to complete my performance despite some mistakes, and I think luck was about 70% of it,” she said.

“In practice, the 3+3 combination was going well, so I don’t know what mistake caused me not to be able to execute the triple jump after the lutz, but being able to skate through to the end without dwelling on it made me feel like I’ve truly grown,” she reflected on her performance.

When asked how she felt about hearing the Japanese national anthem from the top of the podium for the first time, she said with a smile, “I was not used to it at all… I have always heard the anthem somewhat by chance, so standing on the top of the podium because of my own results felt very fresh.”

The season following the Beijing Olympics was spent recovering from an injury, and although she returned last season, she finished a discouraging 12th in the Japanese Nationals and even contemplated retirement.

“I chose to take a break because of the injury and my mental state was just unbearable… I thought I would just fade away instead of just resting, so coming back was a surprise even to myself,” she shared. The person who brought her back to the ice was her coach, Koji Okajima.

“Sensei sent me a message asking, ‘When will you come to practice?’ At first, I just went to the rink, and then occasionally sensei would ask, ‘Are you coming to practice tomorrow?’ And the kids I practice with would also message me, asking when I would come to the rink, so it felt like I had to go,” Higuchi laughed as she recounted. “At first, I did it reluctantly, without any motivation, but then I started to find it interesting…”

One turning point was the National Sports Festival in January this year, where I finished fourth overall. “It felt like a competition that made me think the next season might be even better. The feeling of increasing my motivation after the competition was something I hadn’t experienced in a long time, and that has carried over into this season,” she reflected.

When asked in a press conference whether her first GP event victory had motivated her for the upcoming Olympics, Higuchi answered: “If this competition had been the last of the season, I might start thinking about the next season, but since it’s still the first competition…I’m not at all satisfied with the results or performance this time, and I think it was a competition that set me up for the next one. Rather than focusing on the Olympics, I’m still thinking about achieving results this season.”

Next, she competes in the GP France, where her results will determine her progression to the Finals. Then, in December, she has set her sights on the Japanese Nationals, which she has marked as a goal for this season. “I really do want to win, and at this stage, it still feels far away, but I’ve never achieved that before, so it has become one of my goals.”


 

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