“When I retire, I don’t want to have any regrets. If that’s the case, I want to take on the challenge of jumping quads.” Rinka Watanabe works on quad salchow and will skate to Moana OST
Rinka Watanabe about preparation for the Olympic season.
original source: Nikkansports dd. May 5th 2025 by Daisuke Fujitsuka
Rinka Watanabe about spoke about her preparation for the Olympic season and programs she chose. Here’s a translation of her comments posted on Nikkansports.
Rinka Watanabe (22) has expressed her intention to return to her free skate program “Jin” from two seasons ago for the upcoming season, leading up to the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics.
Having had a breakthrough season with a victory at the Skate Canada Grand Prix and her debut at the World Championships, she plans to remake the program from that successful year.
Although continuing with this season’s free skate program, “Maria de Buenos Aires,” was also an option, she explained, “When I rewatched the video from Skate Canada, I envisioned myself giving it my all again,” prompting her decision. Watanabe has enlisted Kenji Miyamoto for choreography, stating with a smile, “It will feel like a renewal.”
For her short program she will use “Get Lost,” from the film Moana 2. She expressed her fondness for the piece after watching the movie, and Miyamoto will choreograph this program as well. “It’s a very up-tempo piece,” Watanabe noted. “The lyrics have a deep meaning, saying, ‘It’s okay to lose your way in life; there isn’t just one path.’ I think it will be an encouraging piece throughout the season.”
Watanabe is also working on mastering the quadruple salchow. She began practicing it in March and is showing confidence: “I have reached the point where I’m certain I can land it consistently with continued practice.” Depending on her progress with the salchow, she is also considering revisiting her original plan of learning the quadruple loop. While she emphasized that prioritizing the stability of her triple axel remains her top focus, she passionately shared, “The reality is that the future of my skating career is shorter than what I’ve had so far. When I retire, I don’t want to have any regrets. If that’s the case, I want to take on the challenge of jumping quads.”
With the competition among Japanese skaters being incredibly fierce, a heated battle for these spots is expected. Nonetheless, Watanabe remains determined to focus on herself and her goals. “I must practice with clarity about what I need to do to avoid being swept away by the competition. Without that, I can’t imagine myself competing at the Olympics,” she said.
Related topics: Rinka Watanabe
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