“If you really have the mindset of an athlete, you should be able to fight for every single point. He still tends to play it safe in competition, and that’s not enough.” Masakazu Kagiyama on Yuma’s performance at the GP Final
Yuma Kagiyama and his coach Masakazu Kagiyama reflect on second-place finish at the Grand Prix Final.
original source: news.yahoo.co.jp dd. 16th December 2025
Yuma Kagiyama and his coach Masakazu Kagiyama reflect on second-place finish at the Grand Prix Final acknowledging both the lessons learned and the challenges ahead as he prepares for the Japanese Nationals and aims for Olympic selection. Here’s a translation of their comments.
“Despite leading Malinin by about 14 points after the short program, Kagiyama was overtaken by a roughly 45-point margin in the free. “I’m really frustrated with the result, the score, and the content, but I also gained a lot. I want to end this with a mix of confidence, frustration, and joy – about half and half,” Kagiyama said.
His father and coach, however, showed even more frustration. “Let’s become the best in the world,” he had encouraged before the free skate, but mistakes followed. “He’s still not fighting enough mentally. I think his artistry is coming through, but maybe he’s still lacking the mindset of an athlete,” Masakazu commented.
Masakazu was especially critical of the two combination jump errors: the opening quad toe loop–triple toe loop and the second-half flip–loop combination, both of which ended with a double instead of a triple. “If you really have the mindset of an athlete, you should be able to fight for every single point. He still tends to play it safe in competition, and that’s not enough,” he said. Having seen Kagiyama land his best jumps in practice, it was frustrating to watch him hold back on the big stage.
They held a meeting that night, and the next day Kagiyama reflected, “Combination jumps are a major source of points, so I didn’t want to make mistakes. I chose safety over risk. At that moment, I thought it was the best option,” he said, adding, “Precisely because the Final didn’t have anything at stake, it was most important to skate fearlessly.” He accepted his father’s words.
The GP Final was crucial for Olympic selection, and both Kagiyama and Shun Sato made the podium, bringing them closer to the Olympic team. However, Malinin’s world record 238.24 points in the free skate highlighted the gap at the top.
Confronted with this reality, Kagiyama admitted, “My own wall is incredibly high, and the distance to being the best in the world feels very far and difficult.” He now aims to build confidence at Nationals, where he seeks a second consecutive title. “I want to secure the first Olympic spot and win Nationals outright. If I don’t go all out, I won’t be able to compete at the Olympics,” he said, motivating himself to keep pushing forward on the ice.
Related topics: Masakazu Kagiyama, Yuma Kagiyama
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