Post by Admin on Jun 1, 2017 20:09:02 GMT
Mai Mihara from Japan finished her first season at senior level with two remarkable performances at the ISU World Team Trophy 2017. We interviewed the 17-year-old on the day of exhibition.
(Q= Interviewer Wei Xiong for ISU, M= Mai Mihara)
Q: The last competition of the season has finished, in retrospect, how do you feel about this season overall?
M: I’ve got the opportunities to experience a lot of different things this season, so I think it is the most enjoyable and the happiest season I’ve had so far.
Q: You competed for the first time at a team event, how different is it compared to individual competitions?
M: I felt very happy to be able to participate in this event as part of Team Japan. When I stepped on the ice, I saw my teammates cheering for me in the Kiss & Cry, which really gave me a lot of power. It also made me realize “ah, so this is how the team event feels like.”
Q: What about when you are sitting in the Kiss & Cry cheering for your teammate?
M: It is a lot of fun to cheer for your teammates, to think about some interesting ideas, and just to watch them perform from the Kiss & Cry with everyone in the team. I really enjoyed that.
Q: Did you feel the same pressure as when you compete at individual events?
M: For the Short Program, I just skated as usual without thinking too much. But for the Free Skating, I was the last one to skate for Team Japan and my performance would decide the overall placement. Everyone else from the team did such a good job to put us in the first place, so I thought “I must not make any mistake and waste their efforts” and that got me a bit nervous.
Q: Nevertheless you did a great job, and got 146 points! It is the fourth highest personal best Free Skating score for a lady. What was your fist reaction when you saw the score?
M: I was very surprised. I always wanted to exceed 140 points, but I couldn’t imagine to get a score as high as 146, so I felt really happy.
Q: You finished the event with such a strong note. What does it mean for you looking into next season?
M: Next season will be the Olympic season, and we will need to compete for a spot in the Olympic team. As the first step heading into next season, I felt very satisfied to be able to skate two clean programs in my final competition this season.