“Her skating seemed so mature, I could hardly believe we are the same age. It was really nice to see her.” Hana Yoshida on competing with Alysa Liu again
Hana Yoshida on winning bronze at Skate Canada 2024.
original source: Nikkansports dd. 29th October by Katsube Kota / Nikkansports dd. 30th October 2024 by Daisuke Fujizuka
Hana Yoshida (19) who won a bronze medal at the Grand Prix Skate Canada, returned to Japan on the 29th. She commented on her performance and spoke about Alysa Liu. Here’s a translation of her comments posted on Nikkansports.
Despite climbing one spot from 4th in the short program and winning bronze, she reflected with some frustration, “I feel relieved, but I am really disappointed with my performance in the free skate. Physically I felt fine, but I couldn’t execute the jumps as I envisioned them.”
At this competition, Hana Yoshida competed with Alysa Liu, a bronze medalist at the 2022 World Championships who has returned to active competition this season. Remembering competing against Alysa with whom she has had a friendly relationship since their junior and novice days, Yoshida recalled, “Her skating seemed so mature, I could hardly believe we are the same age. It was really nice to see her.”
Hana also told that she enjoyed exploring the city of Halifax with the American team, saying, “I think they seem serious while skating, but when talking, everyone is very cheerful, and we are always laughing. We talk casually.”
She also told about her desire to practice English more, to the question about answering to journalist in English during a press conference. “Well, if someone asks me in English, I respond in English, and if it’s in Japanese, I respond in Japanese. That’s what I was thinking. Since I can speak English, if I’m asked a question in English, I can respond, and sometimes the nuances are different between Japanese and English. I want to speak in English as much as I can within my capability.”
This year she entered university, so she was asked whether her training changed, to which she replied: “The total amount of training time hasn’t changed much, but the time of day I practice has changed quite a bit. Before, I used to train mostly in the afternoon, but now it’s first thing in the morning and in the evening. I practice before going to university and then again when I return home.”
Her next Grand Prix will be in Finland, starting November 15. “In the end, I want to feel like I really gave it my all. I want to thoroughly do everything I can and give everything I have,” Yoshida told.
Related topics: Alysa Liu, grand prix, Hana Yoshida, Skate Canada
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