“While I am certainly happy about the ranking, the content of the performance wasn’t satisfying. The major feeling is that I finished without any sense of accomplishment.” Mone Chiba on winning silver at the Grand Prix Final
Mone Chiba about winning silver at the Grand Prix Final.
original source: Nikkansports / Nikkansports dd. 8th December by Matsumoto Wataru
Mone Chiba, who finished second at the the Grand Prix Final commented on her performance. Here’s a translation of her comments posted on Nikkansports.
Although Mone Chiba managed to surpass three time world champion Kaori Sakamoto, and stood on the podium in her debut, her words after the performance were filled with regret: “I’m disappointed,” she said. “I finished without any sense of fulfillment,” she stated. “It’s an individual sport, so I wasn’t performing with the aim to beat anyone in particular,” she added and explained that she wasn’t satisfied with her own performance, “When I get nervous, I can’t commit fully. I want to keep training so that I can deliver my usual power even when I’m conscious about it. I still can do better. It’s mostly about how to adjust to the time difference.”
A day after the free skate, Mone commented on her performance: “I still haven’t really felt the reality of winning the silver medal. I strongly wanted to perform better in the free skate and secure the second place. I want to be able to perform without any mistakes at Nationals. I fell on the loop at the World Championships, but this time, I managed to hold on, which was significant. However, when I’m nervous, I can’t jump with confidence. It’s natural to feel that way when nervous, but I need to be able to unleash my usual power even in those moments. I earnestly think I need to keep improving on that.”
“While I am certainly happy about the ranking, the content of the performance wasn’t satisfying. The major feeling is that I finished without any sense of accomplishment, and I want to leverage this experience for the next time,” Mone commented on placing on the podium.
“As the scale of the competition has increased, being able to rank higher compared to last year has been a proof that I’m becoming able to hold my ground where I need to. However, there are still many areas where I feel I’m not quite there yet, so all I can do is keep working hard (laughs),” she told.
The interviewer asked her whether she had thoughts like “if only my performance had come together” since the difference with the first place in points wasn’t too large, and she replied: “Yes, I had. Since I scored 139 points in the free skate this time despite making mistakes. I haven’t seen the level scores yet, but I wonder if I managed to earn enough on the lower end. Skating in the official practice at 7:30 today, and the free skate at this unusual time and condition, finishing without a fall was a significant achievement, I think.”
She also admitted the increased tension, saying “The tension was different from the NHK Trophy and China Cup, almost reminiscent of the World Championships. This was the same for both the short and the free programs. Being able to hold up and jump well in all but the loop today was a good aspect, I think. No matter the skating order, I want to keep gaining experience to be able to perform flawlessly.”
In the battle for the three spots for the World Championships team, she achieved one of the criteria for selection beyond the first candidate, placing “among the top two at the GP Final.” Now in a favorable position, she is determined to leverage this achievement, saying, “I want to make the most of this result. It’s a fierce battle in both juniors and seniors. I aim to skate flawlessly in both the short and free programs and do my best at Nationals.”
Related topics: grand prix final, Mone Chiba
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