Yuma Kagiyama: “I’m not fixated on rankings or scores. Even if I make mistakes, if I feel I couldn’t have done any better, that’s my standard for satisfaction.”
Yuma Kagiyama approaches the World Championships with a new mindset, focusing on personal satisfaction rather than perfection or scores.
original source: Nikkansports 24th March 2026 by Daisuke Fujitsuka
Yuma Kagiyama (22) is heading into the World Championships with a determination to break free from perfectionism. Here’s a translation of his comments posted on Nikkansports.
“I’m not fixated on rankings or scores. As long as I’m satisfied, that’s enough.” One month after the Milan Olympics, in this season’s final event, what matters most to him is his own sense of fulfillment.
Right after the Olympics, he found joy in attempting quad jumps he hadn’t used this season, but he admitted, “My motivation fluctuated a lot.”
The turning point came during a period of solitude. In mid-March, his father and coach, Masakazu, accompanied other athletes on an overseas trip, giving Kagiyama more time to practice alone. As he asked himself, “How should I try my best?” he realized he had been too focused on big goals.
“Today, I’ll just try to get through the first half,” “I’ll focus on my spins.”
By intentionally savoring “small satisfactions,” he made a fresh start. “I gave up trying to make everything perfect. When expectations are too high, days when I can’t be satisfied just keep coming.”
Now, as he faces the World Championships, he knows that a perfect performance is required to reach the top, but he’s not obsessed with it.
“Rather than whether I made no mistakes, it’s about whether I gave it my all. Even if I make mistakes, if I feel I couldn’t have done any better, that’s my standard for satisfaction. More than perfection, I just want to give everything I have until the end.”
Related topics: world championship, Yuma Kagiyama
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