Yuma Kagiyama: “It feels like somewhere deep down, I wasn’t fully believing in myself. I think that lack of confidence showed itself in my performance.”
Yuma Kagiyama about winning bronze at the 2025 World Championships.
original source: Nikkansports dd. March 31st 2025 by Wataru Matsumoto
Yuma Kagiyama spoke about his performance at the 2025 World Championships. Here’s a translation of his comments posted on Nikkansports.
“When I woke up this morning, I found myself wishing that yesterday’s events had just been a bad dream. But I realized I have to face reality head-on,” Kagiyama told the day after the free program. “Of course, I’m very frustrated with my performance, and I also feel like “I could have done more.” That said, we successfully secured three Olympic spots as a team, and I really want to tell everyone, “We worked hard together, and we did it.”
Speaking about the cause of the mistakes in the free, he mentioned: “There are still a lot of things I don’t completely understand. Up until the official practice right before the event, everything was going smoothly and seemed well-adjusted. I think perhaps, once the performance started, my thoughts shifted a little to factors outside the program itself like the importance of securing the Olympic spots rather than focusing solely on my performance.”
When interviewer asked “Have you ever competed while thinking about something other than your performance?” Yuma replied: “Not really or at least not much. But this season, I found it especially difficult to pull everything together during the free skate in several competitions. It feels like somewhere deep down, I wasn’t fully believing in myself. I think that lack of confidence showed itself in my performance.”
Yuma also told that they have a group discussion with the coaches after his performance. “Yes, we talked yesterday [with his father and coah Masakazu Kagiyama]. Actually, it was more of a group discussion with Carolina (Kostner), Lori (Nichol), and the others. We discussed what steps to take as we look toward Milan. Of course, I need to work hard in practice, but we also talked about my mental state, and I was advised that perhaps I should consider doing some mental training. I feel like I’m now looking forward and moving in the right direction.”
When asked about Ilia Malinin attempting a layout with seven quad jumps, Kagiyama said: “I actually haven’t had the chance to watch his performance yet. I was feeling pretty down yesterday, so I couldn’t really bring myself to watch other skaters. I was already thinking a lot — even since the short program — about “How can I catch up to him?” Heading into next season, I’m now considering adding the quad lutz and working hard on that.
Even after witnessing Malinin’s awe-inspiring performance, I still feel frustrated and competitive, and I think that’s a sign that I still have room to grow. I’m very aware that I can continue improving.”
“Is there anything you gained from this competition?” asked the interviewer. “I think I delivered a solid short program, and thanks to that, even with mistakes in the free skate, I was still able to achieve a certain level of results. Securing the three Olympic spots is what I consider the biggest takeaway for myself—it feels like the most significant accomplishment,” Yuma replied.
Without taking a break, Kagiyama plans to travel to Canada to begin working on choreography for next season. He is also preparing to compete in the World Team Trophy, which starts on April 17. “I want to channel all the frustration from this season into my performance,” he said.
Related topics: world championship, Yuma Kagiyama
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