Shun Sato: “Honestly, it was tough. My heart felt like it was about to jump out. I was so nervous I wanted to run away.”
In the men’s singles short program, Shun Sato finished ninth and reflected on his performance afterward.
original source: news.yahoo.co.jp / Nikanspors / Hochi News dd. 11th January 2026
Shun Sato placed ninth in the men’s short program at the Milano-Cortina Olympics, reflecting on his performance and expressing determination to enjoy and finish the free skate strongly. Here’s a translation of his comments.
He earned a Grade of Execution of 2.63 points for his opening quadruple lutz, but the planned triple toe loop following his quadruple toe loop became a double. “I felt like I over-rotated a bit,” he said, biting his lip. Despite feeling intense nerves – “Honestly, it was tough. My heart felt like it was about to jump out. I was so nervous I wanted to run away,” he said.” – he scored several points higher than his self-evaluation. “It’s really disappointing not to skate in the final group for the free skate, but I’ll reset my mindset. I want to absorb various things from other skaters and connect them in a positive way,” he said, shifting his focus to the free skate.
“I thought my score wouldn’t be that high, but it was better than I expected. I made a mistake on the triple in the combination, but I think I was able to skate with a lot of enjoyment.”
In the team event final, Sato delivered a flawless free skate, scoring a personal best of 194.86 points and helping Japan win its second consecutive silver medal. After his skate today, he commented, “In the team event, having all my teammates cheering for me was really reassuring, but skating without that today felt a bit lonely. Still, the fans’ support gave me strength, and I think I was able to skate freely from the opening Lutz to the end.”
Looking ahead to the free skate on February 13, Sato said, “I just want to give it my all in the free skate, enjoy myself, and finish these Olympics in a good way.”
Related topics: Olympic Games, Shun Sato
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