Rinka Watanabe brings back her “Roxanne’s Tango” SP, she felt the dynamic nature of the piece matched her skating style better
Rinka Watanabe overcomes unexpected challenges in her first competition of the season – Minato Aqlus Cup.
original source: Nikkansports dd. July 20th 2025
At the Minato Aqlus Cup held on July 20 in Nagoya, Rinka Watanabe (23) navigated through a series of mishaps during her season’s first short program (SP). Despite the hurdles, she delivered a performance that earned her 61.12 points and placed her third. Here’s a translation of her comments posted on Nikkansports.
Watanabe, who competed at the 2023 World Championships, initially planned to skate her SP to “Get Lost”, a piece from the movie “Moana and the Legend of the Sea 2.” However, two weeks ago, she decided to switch to her program from the 2022–2023 season, “Roxanne’s Tango.” She felt the dynamic nature of the piece matched her skating style better.
On competition day, she realized the CD prepared in the venue was for her original musical choice (“Get Lost”) and not “Roxanne’s Tango.” As the wrong music began to play in the arena, she quickly halted the performance, connecting her smartphone instead to retrieve the correct track just in time.
“During the six-minute warm-up, my body wasn’t quite moving as I wanted. The accident actually gave me the chance to refocus,” Watanabe shared with a slightly embarrassed laugh.
Her new SP to “Roxanne’s Tango” was entirely remade, with fresh choreography completed just two days before the competition. The performance was her first full run-through of the new version, making it a true test under pressure.
“Choreographer Kenji Miyamoto and I talked about how this turned out to be a truly great program. There’s still more refining and polishing to be done, but I’m looking forward,” Watanabe said optimistically.
Watanabe decided to participate in this competition partly because it takes place in Aichi Prefecture, her mother’s hometown. With her free skate scheduled for July 21, the skater – having just celebrated her 23rd birthday on July 19 – shared her mindset:
“I have no choice but to give my best,” she said with determination, accompanied by a bright smile.
Related topics: Rinka Watanabe
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