Yuma Kagiyama: “I was able to imagine what the situation would feel like. I imagined in advance that Ilia would skate clean, receive a standing ovation, and that I would then step onto the ice. Because I had prepared mentally for this, I stayed calm.”
Yuma Kagiyama about his short program at the 2025 World Championships.
original source: Nikkansports dd. March 28th 2025 by Daisuke Fujizuka
Yuma Kagiyama (21) a three-time silver medalist started strong in second place with a season-best score of 107.09 points. Here’s a translation of his comments posted on Nikkansports.
When asked by reporters post-competition if he finished with a decisive performance, Kagiyama replied with a smile, “Yes, that’s right. Yesterday, during the draw, I ended up being the last skater, and I was able to imagine what the situation would feel like. I imagined in advance that Ilia would skate cleanly, receive a standing ovation, and that I would then step onto the ice. Because I had prepared mentally for this, I stayed calm. I approached it with determination and gave it my all, doing exactly what I wanted to do. It’s been a while since I updated my season-best score — it had been difficult to surpass 106 points. I think changing the music arrangement also helped, allowing for a more powerful performance. I’m really happy today.”
A reporter noted that with the salchow, his axis seemed to tilt slightly in the air, but Kagiyama still landed it and asked what helps to land those jumps. Kagiyama answered: “It’s not necessarily a good habit. I’m sure I gave the audience a few heart-stopping moments during the performance, and I feel bad about that. But I had this mindset of, “By any means necessary, I will land every single jump!” I managed to hold my ground, and that was a positive takeaway. As a result, though I didn’t reach the maximum four points, I still earned a solid score with positive grades of execution and climbed in the rankings. I think that was good.”
Speaking about support on the arena, Yuma told: “There was a message on the arena’s screen, and it felt like it was encouraging me, saying, “It’s time for everybody to stand up.” I approached each element calmly, handled everything steadily, and gave 100% effort all the way through to my spins. I think it all went well.”
As for the atmosphere in the arena before his performance, Kagiyama said: “Well, I’ve been in this kind of situation several times before, so I was able to handle it. Realistically, I don’t often expect Ilia to make mistakes. However, I tried not to focus on other skaters’ performances or the crowd’s reactions. I maintained my own pace, stayed calm, and focused. Starting with the first quad toe loop, I landed it, then moved on piece by piece, step by step. I want to give myself credit for that.”
“The most important thing is to execute 100% of what I aim to do. On top of that, I’ll target season-best scores and securing three Olympic slots. I believe (Shun) Sato and everyone gave their all, so I’m determined to focus on what I need to do for the free skate and do my best,” he added.
Speaking about 3.32-point gap between him and Malinin, Yuma admitted: “Of course, the program layouts are different to start with. To catch up to Ilia, I’ve always thought I need to aim for even higher GOEs. Today, the salchow was a bit risky. I realized that if my jumps were even better, the score would have been higher. But honestly, I don’t think the gap is too bad.”
Related topics: world championship, Yuma Kagiyama
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