NHK Trophy 2024: Kagiyama Yuma out to mark Grand Prix season debut with new personal best

The wait is over: a razor-sharp Kagiyama Yuma will come out with all guns blazing as he makes his Grand Prix season debut at the NHK Trophy 2024 on Friday (7 November).

“Yesterday, today, I’ve been feeling great in practise and I’m really excited about the meet,” the two-time Olympic figure skating medallist told reporters at Tokyo’s iconic Yoyogi National Stadium on the eve of the NHK Trophy, the fourth strop in the six-legged ISU Grand Prix series.

“We’re in the fourth competition now but it’ll be my first. I watched the first three events and it’s been very competitive. You always get a lot of good skaters for the NHK Trophy and I’m looking forward to skating among them.

“I’m coming into this in very good shape and want to get off to a good start with the short tomorrow.”

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Kagiyama Yuma: 'I trust the process'

Kagiyama is lacing up his skates for the first time since the Lombardia Trophy in September, when he finished runner-up to Ilia Malinin who once again smashed the men's single skating field by more than 20 points.

But Kagiyama’s current condition is night and day compared to what it was for the Lombardia. The smiles. The body language. It doesn’t take a sleuth to tell the 21-year-old is in excellent form, which he owes to a revamped training regimen and his diet.

Kagiyama needs the new level of fitness as he is competing in consecutive weeks. Once the NHK Trophy is over, he jets to Helsinki for the Finlandia Trophy.

“I’ve been really pushing myself physically,” he said. “I can’t say I’m 100 percent certain I’m going to win, but I trust the process.

“I was a little worried physically about competing back-to-back but I think I can manage by resting when I need to and spending my time away from the ice wisely.”

With his Japanese compatriot and three-time Olympic medallist Uno Shoma having called it a career, Kagiyama is widely considered to be the chief threat to Malinin, the man known as Quad God.

The 2024-25 season will be Kagiyama’s last opportunity to tinker with his programs, to see if there is any way of closing the gap on Malinin. For the NHK Trophy, he is unleashing a four-quad free skate featuring a flip, Salchow, and a pair of toe-loops.

It remains to be seen if that will be enough to thwart Malinin from cleaning up like the American did last season. But with confidence oozing out of his pores, Kagiyama makes one want to hope there just might be a slim chance.

For starters, he wants to top his personal best of 310.05, which he scored at the Beijing 2022.

“At Lombardia, I fell short of my goals there - 200 in the free and 300 overall,” said Kagiyama, who totalled 291.54 at the Lombardia Trophy.

“I couldn’t quite skate the way I had hoped but for the NHK Trophy, I’m determined to clear a 100 in the short and 200 in the free. I’m definitely going for a personal best.

“Of course, I’m out for the results but I try not to think too much about it. If I do what I should be doing in practise then the rest will take care of itself. First and foremost, I want to trust myself and have fun.”