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Post by Admin on Jan 31, 2018 19:03:54 GMT
Kaori Sakamoto earned a dramatic come-from-behind victory at the Four Continents Championships in Taipei on Friday. Japan swept the Four Continents podium, with Mai Mihara taking silver with 210.57 points in total and Satoko Miyahara — top in the short program — settling for bronze with 207.02 points. Sakamoto and Miyahara have been named to Japan’s Pyeongchang Olympic figure skating team. Sakamoto, who was in second place in the short program, earned 142.87 points in the free skate to finish with 214.21 and secure her first title. Sakamoto, 17, grabbed the title because of her ever-growing skills. Her two combination jumps were high and dynamic, earning her execution bonuses. Attracting spectators’ attention, she successfully landed all seven jumps. She celebrated after finishing her performance.
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Post by Admin on Oct 6, 2018 18:51:30 GMT
Mai Mihara earned the silver medal in her season debut at the Nebelhorn Trophy on Saturday with two solid performances. The 19-year-old was runner-up to Olympic champion Alina Zagitova at the Challenger Series event in Oberstdorf, Germany. Zagitova won with a total of 238.43 points, while Mihara tallied 209.22 as she tried out her two new programs in competition for the first time.
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Post by Admin on Oct 7, 2018 19:35:27 GMT
Mihara moved up from third place after the short program to come in second. Looking lovely in a pink and white outfit, the Kobe native received positive grades of execution from all seven judges on all her elements to “It’s Magic.” The new piece was choreographed by David Wilson. Though she only received level threes on her step sequence and layback spin, it was still a good showing for the first time out. Mihara landed six clean triple jumps in her free skate to “The Mission” while earning level fours on two of her three spins and step sequence. She also had a nice spiral. Her only miscue came on her final jump when she doubled a planned triple salchow.
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Post by Admin on Jan 23, 2022 20:14:47 GMT
Japan’s Mai Mihara has navigated a rocky road the past couple of years. A star on the rise in the 2018-2019 season, Mihara captured four medals on the international stages including the Winter Universiade title. But shortly after that season ended she was diagnosed with juvenile arthritis.
Though many would have hung up their skates given the situation, Mihara persevered, determined to return to the sport she loves.
At 2020 NHK Trophy, her first competitive appearance in 21 months, Mihara finished fourth. A month later, she skated into fifth place at the All Japan Championships.
This season she has been on fire. At her first event, the Asian Open Figure Skating Trophy — the Challenger Series stop in Beijing — she claimed the title, defeating her long-time training mate Kaori Sakamoto by 1.30 points.
When an injured Rika Kihira withdrew from 2021 Skate Canada International, Mihara was assigned to replace her. She finished fourth in Vancouver with a new personal best score for the free skate, and her combined total of 210.01 was a 6.43-point improvement over her first outing in Beijing.
Mihara then went directly to her originally assigned Grand Prix competition, Gran Premio D’Italia in Torino, Italy, where she again finished fourth with a new personal best in both the free and combined scores. She closed out that competition with 214.95 points.
“Doing back-to-back competitions was the first time for me and I was nervous. Overall, I skated more lively,” the Kobe native said. “I am still not at the level of the top skaters in the world or Japan. I want to keep up and catch up to them.”
At the All Japan Championships in late December — the qualifying competition for the 2022 Olympic Winter Games — Mihara finished in fourth place and was not named to the team that will compete in Beijing.
Competing at the Four Continents Championships in late January, Mihara won the short program over two strong South Korean rivals, Haein Lee and Yelim Kim. “At the end of the year, I was very disappointed not making it to the Olympics, but I wanted to participate in Four Continents and I was really looking forward to it,” said the 22-year-old.
“This is my fourth Four Continents. I have been on the podium at the last three (gold in 2017, silver in 2018 and bronze in 2019). I want to get back on the podium so I can combine that with my future plans. My aim and goal is for the gold medal — not the small gold medal I have around my neck right now — the larger one. I hope I can do everything that I plan to do and overcome all the regrets and bitterness I felt at nationals.”
Last to skate in the free, Mihara delivered a solid performance to “Fairy of the Forest,” executing six triple jumps and two level-four spins. As she went into the final spin, she lost her balance and was unable to complete it. But that mistake made no difference, and once again Mihara posted a personal best score of 145.41 for the segment and with 218.03 points in total waltzed off with her second Four Continents crown.
At the post-event press conference Mihara was beaming behind her mask. “I am incredibly happy now. I was just so nervous today before the program, maybe because I was skating last. I was crying even before I went on to the ice; I was trying not to cry but tears were welling up. I was asking myself what I was going to do, but then I said to myself there is no choice — I just have to go and do this. At the end there was a little bit of a glitch on the spin and I really regret that, but there were no major mistakes.
“Thanks to all the fans and the audience for supporting me so I was able to perform well today.”
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Post by Admin on Jan 24, 2022 17:45:40 GMT
Women Free Skating | ISU FC Figure Skating Championships 2022 | Tallinn | #FigureSkating
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