All-Japan Figure Skating Championships 2023: World champion Uno Shoma holds off Kagiyama Yuma to retain title
Kagiyama passed Yamamoto Sota for second with the best free skate of the day, but Uno clinched his sixth national title to book his place at March's ISU World Championships.
Figure Skating
Uno Shoma claimed his sixth men's singles national title at the All-Japan Figure Skating Championships 2023 on Saturday (23 December).
Carrying a healthy lead from Thursday's short program, the reigning world champion's 193.35 in the free skate - second on the day to Kagiyama Yuma's 198.16 - gave him a winning total of 298.04 at the Big Hat in Nagano.
Beijing 2022 Olympic silver medallist Kagiyama took silver with 292.10 ahead of Yamamoto Sota (287.00).
Uno’s six championships leave him tied for second on most all-time titles along with Honda Takeshi and a certain Hanyu Yuzuru, although Sato Nobuo's record of 10 looks out of reach.
“I’ve been skating at this competition for a really long time,” said Uno, who turned 26 last week. “There is such rich history here and I can’t say enough about the achievements of those before me.
“To win this six times in a sport where the names and faces are constantly changing is nothing short of gratifying. In all the times I’ve competed, I can’t recall it ever being so tight.”
Uno's win saw him clinch an automatic berth at March's ISU World Championships with Kagiyama and Yamamoto having to wait until Sunday when the full team for Montreal is announced.
Uno admitted to feeling the heat after Kagiyama and Yamamoto delivered in their performances, under-rotating his quadruple Lutz and quad toeloop.
But the two-time defending world champion held it together elsewhere for a six-point victory, although he was fully aware that he will have to improve in order to defeat Grand Prix Final winner Ilia Malinin and secure a hat-trick of titles.
“I think it will be the most difficult championships in the last three years,” Uno said. “If I don’t have the best skate of my career, I know I won’t be able to win it.
“If I play it safe I’ll only manage second or third. But to beat Ilia, I will have to have a proper plan in place and prepare beyond well.”