Shoma Uno: “After 21 years in figure skating, I’ve become a skater who can finish his daily routine with a smile. I think I’ve come one step closer to being the skater that I wished to be when I was little.”
Shoma Uno held a retirement press conference.
original source: Nikkansports
Shoma Uno announced his decision to retire from competetive sport and held a retirement press conference on May 14th. Here’s a translation of his comments posted on Nikkansports.
Upon taking the stage, Shoma Uno expressed his gratitude, saying, “When I stepped onto this stage, there were many people who I am grateful to, and seeing them smiling made me very happy. Seeing so many people gathered here is a testament to the path I have been pursuing in figure skating until today.”
In the first half of the conference, Shoma looked back on his past performances. He revealed, “I used to get down on myself if I didn’t perform as well as I had practiced,” although he added, “After 21 years in figure skating, I’ve become a skater who can finish his daily routine with a smile. I think I’ve come one step closer to being the skater that I wished to be when I was little.”
“I never imagined I could become this kind of skater. I never imagined I could become a person who could speak like this in front of an audience. My encounter with figure skating was nothing but surprising. I never dreamed I’d get good results on the Olympic stage that I’d been watching on TV. Even 3 or 4 years ago, I never thought I could become a skater who won the World Championships.”
Uno, often described as a “hard worker” by those around him, said expressing his gratitude, “I believe that I have been blessed with the people I have met. I don’t have any self-starting actions, and I’m very much an indoor person. I’m happy when people call me a ‘hard worker’, but I think the wonderful results came from being able to fully express myself with the support of those around me, letting me freely grow as I wish. Until just recently when I was active, I was searching for and addressing issues, but now, looking back, I truly feel that I have come a long way.”
“I started thinking about it [retirement from competitive sport] two years ago. From there, I fully committed to skating while not being able to imagine my own retirement. After experiencing various things since then, I’ve come to this point,”said Uno answering the question when he decided to retire. “I told my coach Stephane (Lambiel) ‘I plan to retire after the next competition’ at the end of the Japanese Nationals in December.”
As for why he started considering retirement, he explained, “I have always tried to give my best every single day and aim to make each competition in front of me the best it can be. I felt lonely and left behind when hearing about the retirements of Yuzu-kun (Yuzuru Hanyu) and Nathan (Chen), whom I have been competing alongside. I started thinking about it from there.”
“I feel more positive than sad,” he added about his decision, “I am still going to keep skating, so I am not feeling sad. I am glad to receive messages saying that it’s sad, but I will keep putting my all into the next step.”
Shoma Uno looks forward to the challenges ahead, “It might become close to competitive skating, but I want to skate in a way that makes my daily practice enjoyable and allows me to skate wholeheartedly. I think I can do it freely. Whether it’s doing jumps or spins, it’s freedom. I think it matches my lifestyle.”
When asked about exploring a second career outside of skating, Uno replied, “I’ve finally reached that age. I’ve put all my efforts into figure skating and, of course, gaming (laughs), without planning for a new path. Now, I want to broaden my horizons and gain various experiences. I should say here that I’m excited about a variety of opportunities!”
Related topics: Shoma Uno
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