Becoming a skater who leaves memories—not just one who makes records
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Domestic debut of the quad flip
As Hanyu Yuzuru (ANA) successfully landed the quad loop and carved out a new piece of history in the figure skating world, the competitiveness of Uno Shoma (Chukyo University) also shone brightly in Japan on that same day.
On October 1, at Japan Open, Uno landed the quad flip and earned 198.55 points (for his free skate). Unofficially, he earned a personal best free skating (FS) score with a masterful performance—leading Team Japan to the win for the second year in a row.
His opening jump was the quad flip. Although he successfully landed the world’s first (quad flip) in April, this was his domestic debut (of the jump). The tension in the arena escalated. Uno’s jump was like a triple—soft with a beautiful landing. It was a beautiful quad flip that earned 2.00 in grades of execution. He fell on the next quad toe loop; however, he stayed focused for the remainder of the performance and landed his quad toe loop-double toe loop combination in the second half of the program, giving him an additional 10% to the jump’s base value.
“I was nervous about (the quad flip) so I’m really pleased I was able to land it. I messed up on the toe loop, but it’s a mistake I’ll learn from for next time. Other than that, I was able to land the rest of my jumps. Like last year, I was able to give a strong performance and not let the rest of the team down.”
He received 109.55 points for his technical score—an 11-point difference from second place finisher and World Champion Javier Fernandez (Spain). (Fernandez received 98.08 points.) Of course, it is only one early-season competition and may be too early to judge, still, the day where he stands at the top with Hanyu and Fernandez and becomes the fourth person in figure skating history to break the 200-point (free skate) barrier is near.
Learning from last year’s mistakes
The challenge for Uno this season is to control himself mentally heading into competitions. Last season, he persistently attacked his competitions without fear of making mistakes. At the All-Japan Championships, he went for an unplanned quad toe loop—taking everyone by surprise (it was unsuccessful and he came in second to Hanyu).
However, he ended at an unsatisfying seventh place in his World Championship debut. He couldn’t perform what he did in practice in competition. Although he understands the importance of being in attack mode, he is also keenly aware that in and of itself is not enough.
He demonstrated his change in mindset at Lombardia Trophy, his first competition of the season, in September.
“Without overthinking everything, I was able to be both serious in what I needed to do and to also have fun with it. If I’m not enjoying it, then it shows. Also, it’s not about not being nervous, it’s also knowing what are the good kind of nerves to have.”
Although he won, there are still issues to work out with his conditioning as he wasn’t able to give a performance he was satisfied with. Still, he was able to understand how best to approach a competition. He went into Japan Open with the same focus and was able to leave with strong results.
“I still don’t know what is the correct way. This is the season to experience and to figure out the best mindset for me when entering into a competition.”
The distance to Hanyu and Fernandez
He aims to further improve his artistry this season. The free skate he skated at Japan Open, Buenos Aires Hora Cero, is a tango. To hit its particular rhythm, you need a grasp of the music and nuanced stepwork. Uno has a reputation for having strong expressive power; however, at one time, he was embarrassed by his own expression. It’s not unrelated to his shy personality.
However, as he advanced to seniors, his embarrassment has faded as he competed with stronger skaters.
“The question is why did I even feel embarrassed (laughs). I knew I wasn’t good so there wasn’t a reason to be embarrassed. Lately, I’ve been thinking about how it’d be good to try things I’ve been wanting to do.”
Now, he says, “Working on my expression is fun,” with a smile. On that day, he earned 90.00 points for his program components score (PCS). PCS is comprised of five elements. The element most relevant to artistry is Interpretation—where he earned a full 10 points from one judge (9.04 points overall). However, Fernandez earned 94.12 points in PCS—with 9.57 for Interpretation.
Speaking of which, at last season’s Grand Prix Final, Hanyu, who earned the highest score in history, earned 98.56 points in PCS (with 9.93 for Interpretation). Uno said, “I don’t just want to be known for making records (with the quad flip). I want to be a skater whose artistry lives on in memories.” In order to do that, the key to improve would be to close the gap with the other skaters.
Uno: “I want to try the quad loop”
Hanyu has demonstrated he is currently the country’s top skater through his fourth consecutive national title. However, Uno’s swift climb gives rise to the possibility of breaking that streak. There’s no doubt that Uno landing the world’s first quad flip is a huge motivation to Hanyu. Landing the quad loop at his first competition of the season while coming off an injury more or less confirms it.
Uno and his quiet determination.
“I’m neither here nor there. Yuzu-kun is really incredible. He’s always been a skater I admire and respect. Yuzu-kun is the one leading Japanese men’s figure skating and I’m just clinging on; though, I’d like to one day surpass him.”
And he continues on—his words carrying the same fire and intensity as Hanyu’s.
“I want to try the quad loop, but right now I have the flip and toe loop in my layout and I want to perfect them. I’ll take on the loop when I’m no longer worried about the flip.”
Uno’s growth and Hanyu’s progress are intertwined. The effect they have on each other is unfathomable. Their next face-off would be as soon as the Grand Prix Final in December or the All-Japan Championships at the end of the year. The quad flip and the quad loop—only those two have them in their arsenal—it will surely be a fierce showdown.
Shoma Uno receiving a Guinness World Records certificate at 2016 Japan Open for landing the first quad flip in competition, completed at Team Challenge Cup in April 2016. (x)
