Shoma Uno, juniors steal show at Japan Championships
Last week's Japan Championships provided a mixed bag for skating fans. There was some very good skating and some not so good. It was great to see Japan's three male Olympic medalists (Yuzuru Hanyu, Shoma Uno, Daisuke Takahashi) all together in the same competition, but ...
Yuzuru Hanyu's return, Daisuke Takahashi's farewell headline nationals
Yuzuru Hanyu returns to the Japan Championships this week for the first time in four years. After winning the title four straight times (2012-15), Hanyu has missed the last three installments due to illness and injury. Coming off a disappointing second-place finish at the Grand ...
Olympic and world champion Alina Zagitova is taking a break from figure skating this winter, the Russian announced abruptly on Friday. The 17-year-old told the Russian TV program "Vremya" that she would not take part in the national championships later this month, which will make ...
Yuzuru Hanyu shows he is much more than a great skater
Yuzuru Hanyu's destruction of the opposition at the NHK Trophy last weekend came as no surprise. The two-time Olympic champion is fully healthy and back in top form as witnessed by his 55-point victory. What resonated to me even more than his skating, which was ...
Yuzuru Hanyu dazzles en route to fourth NHK Trophy title; Alena Kostornaia wins women's event
Yuzuru Hanyu won the NHK Trophy in decisive fashion on Saturday night, claiming the title by a whopping 55 points before a packed house at Makomanai Ice Arena. The superstar, who qualified for next month's Grand Prix Final with the victory, landed four quads in ...
Masakazu Kagiyama helping his son pursue an Olympic dream
A new star was born on Sunday night and his name is Yuma Kagiyama. The 16-year-old won the Japan junior title in Yokohama by a more than 37-point margin with a stellar performance in the free skate. Kagiyama exhibited poise and power in a thoroughly ...
Satoko Miyahara still formidable, but can she win in future?
Satoko Miyahara earned the silver medal in her Grand Prix season debut at the Cup of China on Saturday, finishing behind Russian teen Anna Shcherbakova. The 21-year-old Miyahara put on another classic performance, displaying beautiful line and edge, but was well behind Shcherbakova, who won ...
The story behind Shoma Uno not teaming up with Eteri Tutberidze
World and Olympic silver medalist Shoma Uno, who recently returned from a one-month training stint in Russia with renowned coach Eteri Tutberidze, did not become a full-time member of her team because he would not consent to requirements that were compulsory to joining it, ...
Yuzuru Hanyu draws Skate Canada, NHK Trophy for Grand Prix season
Two-time Olympic champion Yuzuru Hanyu will start his Grand Prix campaign at Skate Canada, the ISU announced recently when the GP assignments for the 2019-20 season were released. Hanyu, who trains in Toronto, will travel across Canada for the event in Kelowna, British Columbia (Oct. ...
Will Shoma Uno move to Eteri Tutberidze or Alexei Mishin after coach split?
Olympic and world silver medalist Shoma Uno announced on Monday that he was leaving longtime coaches Machiko Yamada and Mihoko Higuchi, who he has trained with since the age of 5. While the move should not come as a total surprise considering their extremely long ...
Rafael Arutunian looking forward to coaching teen star Marin Honda
Rafael Arutunian is going through a bit of deja vu right now. Some 12 years after taking on a young Japanese prodigy in Mao Asada, the Armenian coach is doing it again with Marin Honda. Arutunian, who led Nathan Chen to the world title in March ...
Ted Barton foresees rise in Japan skating, defends International Judging System
At last month's Grand Prix Final in Nagoya, Ice Time sat down with ISU announcer Ted Barton, whose voice is well known to Japanese skating fans, for a discussion on a wide range of skating issues, including the International Judging System. Barton handles the commentary ...
