Happy Higuchi Wakaba just might be ready to roar again at top of figure skating elite
The rejuvenated Beijing 2022 silver medallist is coming off her first career Grand Prix victory at Skate America and is eyeing to punch her ticket to the Final this weekend at GP de France.
Figure Skating
Higuchi Wakaba is back. But is she here to stay?
Eight years after making her ISU Grand Prix Series debut when she was a tender 15-year-old, Higuchi produced her first career win on the elite figure skating circuit at the 2024 season-opening Skate America two weeks ago.
It was her 14th Grand Prix event. The Beijing 2022 Olympic silver medallist had two silvers and three bronze until she skated to a 196.93 in Allen, Texas, for her first podium finish since the 2021 Grand Prix de France.
“I won a Grand Prix Series event for the first time in my life and right now, I’m shocked,” a radiant Higuchi told reporters after making the breakthrough.
“But I am really happy. I have the Grand Prix de France in two weeks. I want to perform even better then and be on the podium again.”
Higuchi Wakaba - Don't call it a comeback
Once upon a time, Higuchi was arguably the most talked about female skater of her generation - more than current three-time world and national champion Sakamoto Kaori.
Higuchi began to generate buzz when she won consecutive bronze medals at the junior worlds in 2014-15 and 2015-16. She made the podium at the senior Japanese nationals when she was still a second-year junior high school student, a feat that hadn’t been accomplished since 2004 by a certain Asada Mao.
Higuchi - who has a cult following overseas for her classical style of skating - then won the Lombardia Trophy challenger series event on her full-time senior debut and placed third in her maiden Grand Prix competition, which was also in France. While she missed out on one of Japan’s two places for the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics, she won silver at the world championships during that Olympic season.
With a triple Axel in her arsenal and her globally acclaimed free skate "The Liong King", Higuchi made the cut for the Beijing 2022 Games. She finished fourth behind her good friend and bronze medallist Sakamoto, and helped her country to their first-ever medal in the team event, which was later bumped up to a silver and presented to her this year in Paris.
After coming home from Beijing, Higuchi experienced sharp pain in her right shin yet still skated through the worlds with it (she placed 11th). When the season ended, she revealed that she had been diagnosed with a stress fracture.
Higuchi tried competing in 2022-23 but after ending up ninth at Lombardia, she decided to sit out the remainder of the campaign. It was mental as much as physical. Burned out, retirement crossed her mind.
When Higuchi returned for the 2023-24 season, she seemed to be a shadow of the prodigy she used to be. Fifth at the Grand Prix de France, ninth at the NHK Trophy. To top it all off, 12th at the nationals.
But as she laboured, Higuchi rediscovered her love for figure skating. She didn’t mind the results, starting her summer work earlier than usual for the penultimate Olympic season. Receiving her reallocated team medal at the Paris 2024 Games was also huge, reigniting her mojo.
After winning the Tokyo regionals last month, Higuchi said she was in better shape than she was for Beijing - and it showed at Skate America. Her goal for 2024-25 is to win the nationals in December in Osaka.
Milano Cortina 2026? Maybe a tad early for that conversation, but this season's Grand Prix Final? That is definitely within reach and if Higuchi grabs it this weekend in France, things could get really interesting in the coming weeks, particularly in Japan.
“If today were the last competition of the season, I’d probably be thinking about (Milano Cortina), but it’s the first one,” Higuchi said after her Skate America triumph. “I’m not the least bit satisfied with my skate but it is something I can build on. At the moment, I’m thinking about how I can get results this season, not so much the Olympics.
“To be honest the word ‘Final’ hadn’t registered with me at all. But now, I’m thinking if I can continue what I’m doing it might lead to something. I just want be confident without putting too much pressure.”
Is Higuchi Wakaba in the midst of an official reprisal?