Yuma Kagiyama: “I aimed for a performance I could be most satisfied with, rather than focusing on scores or placement. Because of the frustration I felt at the Olympics, that became my only goal.”
Yuma Kagiyama delivered a personal best free skate to win silver at Worlds, overcoming earlier struggles and ending the Olympic season with a performance he could be proud of.
original source: sponichi.co.jp dd. 30th March 2026 / Hochi News dd. 29th March 2026
Yuma Kagiyama delivered a personal best free skate to win silver at Worlds, focusing on satisfaction with his performance rather than scores or placement. He has now reached the podium in all five of his World Championship appearances. Here’s a translation of his comments.
After his performance, Kagiyama gave a powerful fist pump. He improved his free skate personal best from the Beijing Olympics four years ago by about four points, climbing from sixth in the SP to win silver. When he saw his score, tears welled up. Having faded to sixth in the free skate at the Olympics, he said with a smile, “No complaints, nothing more to say. I aimed for a performance I could be most satisfied with, rather than focusing on scores or placement. Because of the frustration I felt at the Olympics, that became my only goal. More than the result, I was able to deliver a performance I’m truly satisfied with,” he reflected.
At the Milan Olympics, he dropped from second in the SP to sixth in the free skate, earning his second consecutive Olympic silver. Knowing he could have reached the top with his usual performance, he said, “Because I was frustrated, I wanted to end the season with a performance I could be satisfied with. That’s all I focused on for the past month. I’m relieved to have finished in a way that satisfies me.”
“I was able to skate in my own style. More than the medal, that makes me happy.”
He also said he’ll be busy in April with “Stars on Ice” and other skating events, but added, “After April, I want to take a complete break – go somewhere without thinking about skating or even bringing my skates, and just relax.”
Related topics: world championship, Yuma Kagiyama
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