“It was the most painful treatment I’ve ever experienced, and I wasn’t sure if I could handle it. However, by the time I arrived in China, I didn’t even need painkillers anymore.” Shun Sato on shockwave therapy
Shun Sato Returns Victorious After Winning Second Cup of China Title
original source: Hochi News dd. October 27th, 2025
Shun Sato wins his second consecutive Cup of China title and reflects on overcoming injury as he prepares for the NHK Trophy and key competitions this Olympic season. Here’s a translation of his comments posted on Hochi News.
Following his victory, Sato expressed his happiness, saying, “I was able to approach the competition with the positive memories I had from last year, and I’m truly happy.”
Taking first place after the short program, Sato landed key jumps, including a clean quadruple Lutz, in the free skate, earning a total of 278.12 points to claim his second Grand Prix victory. After seeing the final score, his coach, Kunitaka Kusaka, was ecstatic. “I’ve never seen him so happy,” Sato recalled. “Even after the program, he told me I’d done well and really worked hard.” Reflecting on his performances in both segments, Sato said, “I was able to skate just as I had practiced, both in the short program and free skate.”
The road to his success wasn’t without challenges. Earlier this season, Sato struggled with a right ankle injury. Before the competition, he began undergoing new shockwave therapy to address the pain. “It was the most painful treatment I’ve ever experienced, and I wasn’t sure if I could handle it. It hurt even more than when I first got injured,” he admitted with a wry smile. However, he confirmed the treatment worked wonders: “By the time I arrived in China, I didn’t even need painkillers anymore, and during the competition, the pain was almost nonexistent.”
Sato’s next competition will be the NHK Trophy in Osaka, where he will face tough competitors, including reigning national champion Yuma Kagiyama.
“The NHK Trophy is an incredibly important competition leading up to the Japan Championships as well. Since the NHK Trophy will be held at the same venue as last year’s Japan Nationals, I want to deliver a strong performance as a kind of revenge for what happened last year,” Sato said with determination.
Related topics: Grand Prix of China, Shun Sato
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