Wakaba Higuchi: “Having experienced Olympic stage, it stirs something inside me – the drive, the excitement. Continuing my career felt inevitable because of that dream.”
Wakaba Higuchi reflects on her comeback journey and sets sights on Milano-Cortina Olympic season.
original source: news.yahoo.co.jp dd. June 19th 2025
Wakaba Higuchi is entering her third season since returning from a hiatus, determined to secure a spot at the 2026 Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics. Reflecting on her past performances, she shares insights into her growth, her most recent season, and her ambitions for the upcoming year. Here’s a translation of her comments.
In mid-May, Higuchi joined an online interview while working on choreography for her new short program in Toronto, Canada. Despite finishing a rigorous 2022–23 season, which included her return to the World Championships after three years, she jumped straight into preparing for the new season.
Immediately upon returning from the World Championships in Boston in late March, Higuchi participated in an ice show on April 1. By mid-April, she spent a week in Los Angeles working on choreography for her free skate. After another round of ice show appearances, she finally allowed herself about a week without skating before traveling to Toronto. Reflecting on her schedule, Higuchi laughed: “I haven’t fully recovered. My body and mind haven’t had a proper break. It feels like I dove straight into creating programs without resting -choreographing quickly and then heading home.”
The lack of rest stems not only from her busy schedule but also the emotional intensity of last season, which culminated at the World Championships in Boston. “It was an incredibly focused season,” she said.
Higuchi claimed her first Grand Prix title at Skate America and stood on the podium at the GP de France, finishing second. She achieved fourth place at the GP Final, marking her return after seven seasons, and jumped from twelfth to third place at the Japanese Nationals. At the World Championships, she placed sixth upon her return – a result that held deeper meaning than just rankings or scores. One of the season’s highlights was contributing to securing three Olympic spots for Japan’s women’s team.
For Higuchi, this year’s Worlds brought her full circle. She recalled her first World Championships in 2017 when her 11th-place finish contributed to Japan losing a third Olympic spot at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games. Missing the team that year left her with lingering regret: “I felt responsible for reducing the spots that would have allowed me to challenge myself.”
Her memories of narrowly missing Pyeongchang made her determined this time: “Even in situations where I might have fallen before, I held on. I approached it with the mindset of ‘I absolutely need to land this.’ In the end, I think that determination showed through.”
Reflecting on her performance, Higuchi described a feeling she hadn’t experienced before: “There were times when mistakes or unmet scoring goals frustrated me in the past. But this time, I was able to deliver what I practiced exactly as I had practiced it. Even though there were technical issues, it felt like I was able to convey something powerful to the audience.”
The reception from the crowd moved Higuchi. After finishing her passionate free skate, she stayed kneeling at center ice to soak in the applause before slowly rising, her expression filled with satisfaction: “For the first time, I felt that my form and execution at Worlds were something I could be proud of. It wasn’t just about scores or rankings – it was the emotional resolution that made this competition so unique for me.”
Higuchi recalled the emotional turbulence of the 2018 World Championships in Milan, which came on the heels of missing the Pyeongchang Olympic team. There, she had pulled off an incredible free skate after an eighth-place SP. “I skated with a ‘let’s go for it’ attitude and ended up with a really strong performance and great score,” she said.
However, the praise she received was sometimes tinged with comments about luck rather than her skill, which deeply affected her: “There were voices suggesting that my performance benefited from favorable circumstances – that my medal depended on others not delivering their best. Those comments stayed with me for years.”
This year was different: “I gave everything – 120 percent – falling on spins but fighting through, and poured all I had into my jumps and every movement. Even if my placement had been lower, I would still have felt proud of my effort at this Worlds. It was the first time I competed not just for scores or results, but with a sense of personal completion since the moment I finished my routines.”
Since her return from hiatus, Higuchi has approached every season with the mindset that it could be her last. Her priority has become finding fulfillment in her skating rather than chasing rankings. She admitted: “I went into the World Championships intending for it to be my final competition.”
Yet the experience reignited her Olympic ambition: “If there’s another chance for me to compete at the Olympics, a stage I’ve dreamed of returning to, then I have to pursue it. Otherwise, I would never find peace with myself.”
At the 2022 Beijing Games, Higuchi became the only female skater to land the triple axel in both the SP and free skate, contributing to Japan’s silver medal in the team event. That accomplishment has fueled her desire to reach the Games once more: “Having experienced that stage, it stirs something inside me – the drive, the excitement. Continuing my career felt inevitable because of that dream. When everyone else is working hard, ending my season felt unfinished.”
Reflecting on her original plan – competing at Pyeongchang and Beijing before retiring in her fourth year of university – Higuchi smiled: “Things don’t always go as planned, and that’s okay. Even taking a hiatus was unexpected, but last season taught me the value in embracing these surprises.”
Winning her first GP title, returning to Nationals, and rediscovering personal fulfillment at Worlds have marked a season full of highs. “The countless unexpected events – both good and bad – helped me grow as a skater and person, pushing me beyond my own expectations.”
As she steps into the next Olympic cycle, Higuchi carries with her the lessons and emotions of her journey. “At 24, my skating reflects the sum of everything I’ve experienced – the sweet and the bitter. Heading into my new Olympic season, I see a new version of myself, different from who I was before Pyeongchang or Beijing, ready to take on new challenges and discover new horizons.”
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