Mone Chiba: “I think there will be Russian skaters who will be able to do quads one after another, and currently, I don’t have the confidence to beat them. I really feel that I need to start including quadruple jumps as well.”
Mone Chiba about Japanese Nationals.
original source: sportiva.shueisha.co.jp dd.25th December 2024 by Yoshimi Oriyama
In the interview posted on Web Sportiva, Mone CHiba talks about her performance at the Japanese Nationals. Here’s a translation of her comments.
Before the Nationals, Mone told, “Past results don’t matter. I don’t want to be overconfident or underconfident; I simply want to perform the best I can right now.”
During the short program where she placed third, there was a minor mishap where she nearly started in the wrong position. After her performance, Chiba commented, “I was more nervous than I thought, and felt like ‘Whoa, I need to calm down.'”
“This season, I had four consecutive competitions every two weeks, but I’m gradually getting the hang of coming back home and then heading to the next competition within a week,” she sad, reflecting a positive attitude before Nationals.
However, some mistakes emerged during the free skate: she fell on salchow and all her jumps in the second half received under-rotation calls. Her score for the free skate was only 130.97, placing her seventh. Her total score was 205.69, which was only enough for fourth place overall.
With red eyes, Chiba appeared in the mixed zone and said, “I didn’t think I would cry, but during the TV interview, I felt a bit tearful,” and then reflected on her free skate performance:
“Even in the official practice, I felt quite fatigued in my legs, and I wasn’t able to skate as freely during the run-through practice. Comparatively, I was able to skate better during the actual performance, but the speed was still lacking. I realized that, like Kaori Sakamoto, I need to be able to perform big, gliding skates on any kind of ice surface regardless of the conditions. As competitions continue, I’ve realized the importance of managing fatigue and maintaining strength.
The good performances and results I had in the GP series and the GP Final make the mistakes in the free skate at Nationals resonate deeply with me, and I felt a strong sense of frustration. But as I took off my skates and changed clothes, I started to feel my mind moving towards the next competition. I also started to feel determined to include a quadruple jump next season. I realized how important the strength gained from frustration truly is.”
Chiba, who was checking the Russian Nationals held almost simultaneously with the Japanese Nationals through the news, mentioned that her awareness of quadruple jumps had also intensified.
“I think there will be skaters among Russians who will be able to do quadruple jumps one after another, and currently, I don’t have the confidence to beat them, but I believe that a year from now, I must constantly be prepared and confident to represent Japan and compete in the competitions I aspire to. Of course, it’s crucial to practice in a way that avoids injuries and to stabilize other triple jumps, but I strongly felt that I need to start incorporating quadruple jumps as well.
If I’m going to include quadruple jumps, it’s important to make the triple jumps more effortless. I also need to build more muscle strength to withstand the landings. I have gotten a bit stronger since revising my training during this off-season, but I feel I need to become much stronger to incorporate quadruple jumps into my programs, so I will start training from tomorrow.”
Related topics: Mone Chiba
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