Carolina Kostner: “What Yuma needs to do is not concern himself with Ilia. While skating, he should forget everything else and simply strive to do his best, and focus on trusting himself.”
Carolina Kostner about working with Yuma Kagiyama. Part 2.
original source: sportiva.shueisha.co.jp dd April 5th by Noguchi Yoshie
In the interview posted on Web Sportiva, Carolina Kostner spoke about her work with Yuma Kagiyama as part of his coching team and shared her aspirations for next season’s Milan-Cortina Olympics. Here’s a translation.
“Q: You joined Kagiyama’s team as a coach last season. What were your thoughts when you first received the request?
Carolina Kostner: I was very surprised when I received the coaching request. At the same time, since I had been assisting choreographer Lori Nichol, the request from such a talented and promising skater felt like something I had been waiting for, and it made me very happy.
Since around 2019, I had assisted Lori in choreographing programs for young skaters, acting as a bridge between her and the athletes. My experience as a competitive skater allowed me to understand their emotions and offer advice on how to approach their performances. Whether it’s how the skater feels leading up to a competition, how they connect emotionally with their program, or the process of fine-tuning the program during the season, having someone to facilitate communication between the skater and choreographer makes everything run more smoothly.
Q: Being an assistant choreographer is different from being a full-time coach who accompanies a single skater. What have you experienced in this new role?
Carolina Kostner: Taking on this role has taught me so much. In fact, being with Yuma’s team every day has made me realize that there are moments when no words are needed. Sometimes, simply being by his side and conveying through presence that “I’ve gone through similar experiences too” can empower the athlete and motivate them to keep pushing forward.
Q: During regular practice, what aspects do you focus on as part of your coaching role —performance, technique, or mental support?
Carolina Kostner: My role primarily involves skating technique, program choreography, and performance enhancement. When it comes to the mental aspects, I believe that true growth comes only when the athlete thinks through issues, struggles with them, and resolves them independently. Unless they overcome those challenges themselves, they won’t be able to use those lessons in competition. Motivation doesn’t change easily based on someone else’s words. However, I do try to provide moments of inspiration by engaging in conversations about various topics.
Q: What technical aspects have you been working on?
Carolina Kostner: This is now my second year with the team. I’ve become more familiar with how I can contribute and provide feedback to Kagiyama Masakazu-sensei (Yuma’s father and coach). Masakazu-sensei is truly exceptional when it comes to jump technique and skating skills — his instruction is first-rate. My role in the team complements his expertise by focusing on more detailed, nuanced areas.
Figure skating incorporates a wide range of intricate techniques, and when they flow naturally together, subtle nuances emerge in the performance. My focus is on refining those details. It’s such a meticulous process that having more than one set of eyes is invaluable. Together with Masakazu-sensei, we ensure no detail is overlooked, working with four eyes to carefully monitor everything.
Q: You mentioned that Kagiyama must think, struggle, and solve mental challenges himself. Do you share stories from your own experiences with him?
Carolina Kostner: Although Yuma and I grew up in completely different environments, as athletes, we share many commonalities. These include moments of feeling pressure, dealing with frustration, how we prepare for competitions, how we set goals, and how we make decisions. Because of these similarities, when I listen to Yuma’s thoughts or share my own experiences, there are moments of both discovery and mutual understanding. My hope is that these conversations ultimately prove helpful to him.
Q: Competing as Japanee the national champion likely comes with significant pressure and responsibility. You carried the weight of representing Italy alone for many years. From that perspective, how do you view dealing with the pressure of being a national champion?
Carolina Kostner: How someone handles pressure really depends on their personality and mindset —there’s no single definition of how a national champion should act. That said, there are certainly methods for dealing with pressure. However, Yuma just became the Japanese national champion this season, so I think it will still take some time before he fully feels the weight of representing his country.
This season had a lot of ups and downs, with both strong and challenging performances, which provided significant feedback to learn from. He’ll be able to calmly reflect on which techniques and mental states led to positive or negative outcomes. Through this process of reflection, Yuma will likely start to figure out how he wants to approach competitions as the national champion.
Q: So, this season has been a significant period of mental growth for him?
Carolina Kostner: Yuma is currently at a stage where he is transitioning from being a “child” to becoming an adult. He has started to think for himself not only in terms of technical aspects but also in terms of artistic expression. As a skater matures, they develop a sense of identity — a natural ability to say, “This is who I am, and this is what I want to express.” It is in those moments that a sense of responsibility develops, and the depth of their expression begins to transform.
Yuma is a highly skilled and resilient skater. At the same time, he is growing into a skater who possesses a creative and artistic sensitivity. However, at this moment, the balance between his technical ability and his artistry hasn’t fully aligned yet.
Q: At the 2014 Sochi Olympics, you had reached that balance and delivered an incredible performance, earning a bronze medal.
Carolina Kostner: Do you know how old I was at that time? I was 27 years old (laughs). It took a very, very long time to get there. Yuma is 21. There’s no need for him to rush.
Q: During the Sochi Olympics, you mentioned that you had “let go of desire,” which left a strong impression on many people.
Carolina Kostner: Desire does not bring results closer. When you’re younger, you tend to care about your competitors, worry about others’ opinions, and be sensitive to what people expect of you. Instead of focusing on your own path, you compare yourself to others and imitate them. But the key is to turn your attention inward.
Yuma is already at the stage where he can focus on himself. By concentrating solely on his own heart and deeply thinking about the kind of skater and person he wants to become, I hope he can approach the Milan-Cortina Olympics with that mindset.
Q: While you’ve said not to compare yourself to competitors, Ilia Malinin’s attempt to land “seven quadruple jumps” in the free skate has become a huge topic of discussion. At the same time, at last December’s Grand Prix Final, Malinin struggled with underrotations in his free skate, while Yuma claimed first place. What is your perspective on Malinin’s approach?
Carolina Kostner: As I always say, every competition starts from zero. Even if Ilia declares his plan to land seven quadruple jumps and successfully completes them in practice, the results won’t be clear until the competition ends.
What Yuma needs to do is not concern himself with Ilia. While skating, he should forget everything else and simply strive to do his best. He must completely let go of the desire to deliver a flawless performance and instead focus on trusting himself. When he does that, everything he has worked to build will naturally emerge from within him.
At the Grand Prix Final free skate, even though Ilia attempted seven quadruples, Yuma took first place. I believe that was because Yuma was able to skate without desire and with pure focus.
Q: The Olympics will be held in Milan, Italy. Regarding next season’s music selection, is there a possibility for a program that will delight Italian fans? For example, Shizuka Arakawa performed Puccini’s opera Turandot at the Torino Olympics and won a gold medal.
Carolina Kostner: (Laughs) We already have a great plan in place. But for now, it’s still a secret. Please look forward to it.”
Related topics: Carolina Kostner, Yuma Kagiyama
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