“Even after my first GP Final win, I thought my free skate was great, but watching it before Worlds, I felt, ‘It’s just jumps.’ I started to wonder if this was really the kind of performance I wanted.” Shoma Uno on his career path and Olympic experience
Shoma Uno on his career journey and Olympic experience.
original source: sportiva.shueisha.co.jp dd 27th January 2026 by Oriyama Toshimi
As the Milan-Cortina Olympics approach in February 2026, Web Sportive publishes series of articles looking back on the achievements and struggles of Japanese figure skaters who competed in the 21st-century Olympics. This part traces the path of Shoma Uno, who competed at the 2018 Pyeongchang and 2022 Beijing Olympics and holds the record for the most medals won by a Japanese figure skater, with three including the team event. Here’s a translation of his comments posted on Web Sporttiva.
In his final junior season (2014–2015), Uno added the quadruple toe loop and triple Axel to his programs, making a dramatic leap forward. At the Japanese Junior Nationals that season, despite four falls in the free skate, he claimed his first title.
At the senior Nationals, Uno finished second behind Yuzuru Hanyu, ahead of Takahiko Kozuka and Tatsuki Machida. In his third appearance at the World Junior Championships, he became the fifth Japanese winner in five years, following Hanyu. At the time, Uno reflected:
“I tried not to think about the result at World Juniors, but with everyone’s expectations, I ended up thinking, ‘I have to win.’ I couldn’t land a quad in the free, but I managed to recover after mistakes thanks to my experience at the Japanese Junior Nationals, where I won despite a rough free skate. In the past, I would have panicked trying to make up for mistakes, but I realized I could rely on my SP lead. Afterward, I didn’t feel like I’d failed, but rather that I’d done well.”
Despite calls for him to be selected for Worlds after his second-place finish at Nationals, Uno said, “My injury was lingering, so I don’t think I would have been of any help.” He didn’t compete at Worlds, but did gain experience at the Four Continents Championships, finishing fifth with a personal best of 256.45 points.
After a fulfilling final junior season, Uno’s presence at the June 2015 “Fantasy on Ice” show ahead of his senior debut was striking – he exuded a new strength and aura, different from his junior days. His new SP “Legend,” performed at the show, also showcased a raw intensity, especially in the step sequence, raising anticipation for its completion.
“I want to try new quads, but what I lack for seniors is not just jumps, but expressiveness and skating skills. Until now, I only practiced expression a little in the off-season, but recently I’ve been dedicating more time to it.”
At his first snior Grand Prix (GP) event in the U.S., he placed fourth in the SP after putting his quad toe loop and triple flip–triple toe in the bonus-scoring second half, then came back to win the free skate and finish second overall for his first GP podium. At the next event in France, he set a personal best of 89.56 in the SP with only minor errors, and after the free skate was canceled due to the Paris terror attacks, he qualified for the GP Final.
At the GP Final in Spain, Yuzuru Hanyu set a world record with 330.43 points, and Javier Fernandez became the second skater to break 200 in the free. Uno fell on his second-half quad toe in the SP, starting fourth, but landed two quad toes and two triple axels in the free for a personal best of 190.32, finishing third overall with 276.79.
“I never expected to make the podium at the GP Final. I didn’t want a bad placement, but I was happy with my free skate. My six-minute warm-up was poor, but instead of panicking, I focused on each jump and was able to concentrate.”
At Worlds, Uno finished seventh overall, helping secure three spots for Japan at the next year’s Worlds alongside Hanyu. However, mistakes in both SP and free left him with 264.25 points.
“I’ve always been rewarded with good performances when I practiced more, but this time, despite all the practice, the result was disappointing. There must be issues beyond just training volume,” Uno said, expressing his frustration.
At the inaugural Kose Team Challenge Cup in April 2016, Uno landed the first quad flip in ISU-sanctioned competition. In the 2016–2017 season, Uno challenged himself with quad flips in both SP and free from the first Lombardia Trophy.
At his second GP Final, Uno finished third. With Hanyu out due to influenza, Uno won his first National title with a four-quad free skate. At the Four Continents, Uno scored over 100 in the SP for the first time (100.28), landed a quad loop in the free, and finished third behind Nathan Chen and Hanyu. At his second Worlds, he was second in the SP with 104.86, and although Hanyu overtook him in the free, Uno scored a personal best of 214.45, finishing second overall with 319.31.
After the World Team Trophy, Uno reflected, “It was a fulfilling and enjoyable season,” and shared his motivation for the future:
“Raising the difficulty of my jumps mid-season was a good move. When I only had the quad flip, I struggled to put it all together, but adding the quad loop helped stabilize my other jumps. Next season, I want to keep pushing and have as many enjoyable competitions as possible.”
In the 2017–2018 Pyeongchang Olympic season, Uno lived up to his words, challenging himself with a layout of four types and five quads in the free from the first Lombardia Trophy.
At the GP, he won the Canada event with 301.10 points without a quad salchow, but was second in France after recovering from influenza with 273.32. At the GP Final, he included five quads in the free, but two quad toes in the second half faltered, and he finished second behind Chen. With Hanyu out due to injury, Uno won Japanese Nationals with four quads and 283.30 points, though mistakes persisted.
At Four Continents, Uno was second behind Boyang Jin, landing two quads in a second half and two triple axel combinations for 197.45 in the free and 297.94 overall.
“I’ve practiced recovering from mistakes, so I was able to do that in competition. I trained better in the second half of the season, and while I’m not satisfied yet, I’m happy I landed the second-half quad toe. I hope this is just the start and I can deliver even better performances.”
That confidence carried into his Olympic debut at Pyeongchang in February. While Yuzuru Hanyu arrived late due to a lingering right ankle injury, Uno remained calm, saying, “I didn’t feel any special emotions or nerves.”
On the first day of competition, Uno performed the team event short program (SP), beating Nathan Chen (USA) and Patrick Chan (Canada) to take first and contribute to Team Japan.
In the men’s singles SP, following Hanyu’s high score of 111.18, Uno landed his opening quad flip and delivered a clean, mistake-free performance. “What I did in practice was better, so it wasn’t a perfect skate, but I’m satisfied with what I accomplished,” he said, scoring 104.17 points and placing third behind Hanyu and Javier Fernandez.
The next day, Uno skated last in the free. Hanyu, competing with an injury, made only minor mistakes and scored a total of 317.85, while Fernandez’s only error was a popped quad salchow, finishing with 305.24.
Having watched all the performances, Uno said, “I kept calculating what kind of performance and score I’d need for each placement.”
“Thinking about the scores, if I had skated perfectly, I could have won, but when I missed the loop, I just laughed.”
“My skating wasn’t great from the start, so I wondered how it would go, but I managed to keep it to just one mistake.”
Uno scored 202.73 in the free for a total of 306.90, earning the silver medal behind Hanyu. Even so, Uno remained composed.
“I was happy because Coach Mihoko Higuchi was the happiest I’ve ever seen her, but I didn’t have any special feelings about the Olympics. I hadn’t been aiming for the Olympics, so it just felt like another competition.”
He also reflected on his string of second-place finishes at major events.
“I think I’ve consistently managed to avoid major mistakes and explosive performances, always holding onto second place. I was able to skate well given my condition, but watching Hanyu and Fernandez, I realized what I lack is not just jumping, but jumps that earn extra points. I want to work harder on that.”
A month later, at Worlds, Uno struggled with new skates and a painful right foot. He practiced only five minutes the day before competition and had to visit the hospital, but confirmed it wasn’t a fracture and competed anyway. Starting fifth in the SP, he delivered a determined free skate, landing six quads of four types and finishing second. After the free, Uno shed tears but joked, “That was just sweat.” He revealed his feelings:
“I trained a lot and worked hard, so I was frustrated with the result. I realized again how important Hanyu’s presence is. I want to get better and be as mentally strong as Hanyu. I’m not good at leading, but I want to be a role model for other skaters.”
In the 2018–2019 season, Uno finished second at the Grand Prix Final. About the result, Uno said, “I wasn’t satisfied with my performance, but more than that, I feel sorry.”
“Last year’s GP Final was in my hometown of Nagoya, and I think it was a competition where people had high expectations. This time, too, I was expected to deliver. I was aware of that and wanted to meet those expectations, but I couldn’t with this performance. Last year, I said I wanted to enjoy the competition, but there will come a time when I can’t just enjoy it. Maybe I’m not at that age yet, but I realized that time will come. Hanyu always delivers great performances under pressure, and I want to be like that, so I’m putting pressure on myself.”
Uno spoke about this change in mindset. Two weeks later, at the All-Japan Championships, he sprained his right ankle during warm-up before official practice on the day of the SP but competed anyway, scoring 102.06 to take the lead. It was later found to be a severe sprain, and he could barely walk, but he said, “I decided to compete even if it meant a week longer to heal, since it wouldn’t affect my career,” and went on to win his third consecutive title in Hanyu’s absence.
“I think the things you achieve through struggle are more rewarding than those you do easily, so maybe that’s why I always want to compete no matter what,” Uno said, showing a bright expression.
Despite the sprain and difficult preparation, Uno started the 2019 Four Continents in fourth after the SP but set a then world record under the new rules with 197.36 in the free to win. He overcame the challenge with a strong desire to win.
At Worlds in March, he finished fourth, missing the podium for the third straight year, but at the World Team Trophy, he showed new ambition by attempting a triple axel–quad toe loop combination. He expressed his determination: “I want to keep the frustration from Worlds in mind and start fresh from here.” Uno reflected on the season:
“I felt I had to be an athlete, and even though training was tough, I kept going, believing that good performances would come after overcoming it. It was hard when they didn’t, but I have to keep trying. If I don’t, my performances will definitely get worse, so I have to keep practicing.”
In the 2019–2020 season, Shoma Uno parted ways with his longtime coaches Machiko Yamada and Mihoko Higuchi. However, his new challenge without a coach began with disappointing results.
At the Grand Prix Series event in France, he fell twice in the short program and started in fourth. Hoping to recover in the free skate, he fell on a quad and finished eighth overall – a humiliating result for Uno, who had always made the podium since his GP debut in 2014.
“When the France event, which I entered with the desire to win, ended, I thought about a lot of things. Honestly, I wondered if I should even compete for a while if things stayed like this. No matter how much I practiced, things never seemed to improve, but I kept practicing because I thought I had to. Still, nothing got better. That’s how it felt for a long time.”
As he became more focused on winning, he lost sight of the joy of skating. He began to think that telling himself to “have fun” was just an escape. But after hitting rock bottom, he realized, “Maybe it’s okay to escape sometimes.” He decided it was better to enjoy himself, no matter what others said, as long as he didn’t stop trying. This mindset began to grow after he started training with Stephane Lambiel.
“In the past, I often did things my own way and thought I’d be fine without a coach at competitions. But in practice, without a coach, I couldn’t smile or enjoy myself. That was really tough.”
Training with Lambiel and fellow skater Koshiro Shimada, Uno rediscovered the joy of hard practice. At the next GP event in Russia, with his coach present, he finished fourth but was able to smile again.
At the Japanese Nationals, Uno overtook a struggling Yuzuru Hanyu in the free skate to win with 290.57 points, achieving his fourth consecutive national title.
“I know, and I think everyone knows, that Hanyu is more talented. One of my big goals in skating was to beat Hanyu at least once. No matter how it happened, I wouldn’t have won if I hadn’t held on in the free, so I was honestly happy.”
In the 2021–2022 Beijing Olympic season, Uno declared he would attempt a layout with five quads: loop, salchow, flip, and two toe loops.
“I still think the success rate is low, but I want to reach a level where I can compete with the world, even if I fail, and grow throughout the season.”
He won the NHK Trophy with a personal best of 290.15 points and was second to Hanyu at Nationals with 295.82, earning his second Olympic spot.
At the 2022 Beijing Olympics, Uno placed second to Nathan Chen (USA) in the team event SP, helping Japan win silver. In the men’s singles, with Hanyu injured and trailing after the SP, Uno delivered a determined free skate with five quads, scoring 293.00 points and finishing third overall behind Chen and Yuma Kagiyama, earning medals at two consecutive Olympics.
Uno accepted the result with humility:
“A lot happened over these four years, and two years ago I wasn’t in a position to be here. Still, I’m happy to have made it back to this stage. No matter how I skated, third place is the result of these four years.”
Yet, his attitude toward the Olympics remained unchanged:
“For me, every competition is special. The Olympics are just another event with a different environment. Now that they’re over, I just want to get back and start training for Worlds. I believe I can still improve and want to get even better.”
At the 2022 World Championships, with Chen and Hanyu absent, Uno set a personal best of 109.63 in the SP and 202.85 in the free, totaling 312.48 points to win his first world title by nearly 15 points over Kagiyama.
With Hanyu and Chen retiring after Beijing, Uno dominated the 2022–2023 season, winning every event he entered, including his first GP Final with a personal best of 204.47 in the free skate.
However, he also faced internal battles. As he aimed for consecutive world titles, he found himself searching for answers.
“I kept making the same mistakes in practice. Usually, I can figure out the cause, but nothing seemed to change no matter what I tried. I realized I just had to accept it and do my best with what I had.”
He even twisted his injured ankle again during official practice before Worlds, forcing him off the ice. Still, he led after a clean SP with 104.63 points and narrowly beat Junhwan Cha (Korea) in the free, scoring 301.14 points under the new rules to win his second straight world title.
Reflecting on his back-to-back world championships, Uno said, “If I did it again, I don’t think I could repeat those performances. I did everything I possibly could.”
At the same time, his perspective on skating began to shift:
“Even after my first GP Final win, I thought my free skate was great, but watching it before Worlds, I felt, ‘It’s just jumps.’ I started to wonder if this was really the kind of performance I wanted. Competing at the top and getting results is important, but I also want to be a skater who is confident in my expression. When I wasn’t at the top, I never thought about that – I just focused on results. Now that I’ve achieved my goals, I think it’s okay to think about what’s next.”
With a renewed focus on expression, Uno entered the 2023–2024 season. It was a year when the next generation, including Ilia Malinin (USA) with six types of quads including the quad axel, made their mark.
Uno finished second to the new generation in three GP events, including the GP Final. At the NHK Trophy, where he lost to Yuma Kagiyama, he was first in the free skate, but all four of his quads were judged a quarter rotation short.
“Stephane (Lambiel) was happy, and I thought it was a good performance, but the quad calls were really strict. But scoring is subjective, and I don’t feel upset about the under-rotation calls. I just know I can’t do better jumps than I did today. If this is the new standard, then this is my limit.”
In later competitions, judging was less strict, and Uno won his sixth national title. At Worlds, he led after a perfect SP with a season-best 107.72, but two falls and under-rotations on his opening quads in the free left him fourth overall, missing the podium. In May 2024, he announced his retirement.
While many skaters retire after an Olympic season, Uno’s decision to retire with two seasons left before the next Olympics was surprising. Unlike earlier in his career, when he was driven to catch up to his seniors, he realized that to achieve the results he wanted, he would have to pursue a different kind of skating than what he truly desired.
Now, as a professional skater, Uno creates and produces his own ice shows with like-minded friends, fully enjoying and pursuing his own vision of figure skating.”
Related topics: Shoma Uno
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