Yuma Kagiyama: “This season, I had to battle with my own feelings a lot, and honestly, things didn’t go well most of the time. But those experiences really paid off.”
Yuma Kagiyama returned to Japan after winning his fourth World silver medal, reflecting on his growth, inspiration from Kaori Sakamoto, and his ambitions for next season.
original source: Nikkansports 31st March 2026
Yuma Kagiyama (22), who won his fourth World silver medal in two years at the World Figure Skating Championships in Prague, which concluded on the 29th, returned to Haneda Airport on the 31st. Here’s a translation of his comments.
At the competition, he scored a personal best of 212.87 points in the free skate—the first time in four years – and totaled 306.67 points, climbing from sixth after the short program to the podium. He has now medaled at all five Worlds he has entered.
“This season, I had to battle with my own feelings a lot, and honestly, things didn’t go well most of the time. But those experiences really paid off, and I was able to perform without worrying about placement or scores,” he reflected on the factors behind his strong result.
He revealed that his father and coach, Masakazu, praised him, saying, “This was probably your best in the past few seasons.” Kagiyama added with a smile, “I do skate for myself, but I’ve always wanted to show my joy to those around me. So it made me really happy to see people close to me even happier than I was.”
He aims to carry on the legacy of being a leading figure. Regarding Kaori Sakamoto, who retired after this competition, he said with respect, “Her career is on a whole different level.” The “big sister” who is three years older finished with a personal best and her fourth gold medal. “Even if your technique is amazing, you don’t get that kind of huge applause unless people know how wonderful you are as a person. That’s why everyone loves Kaori-chan. I want to become an athlete like that too,” he said, clearly inspired.
During the off-season, Kagiyama plans not only to work on mastering quads like the Lutz and loop, but also to try his hand at choreography in his spare time. He is looking forward to new challenges next season.
Related topics: world championship, Yuma Kagiyama
Leave a Reply