Youth Olympic champion Kagiyama seals silver in Beijing

Two years on from winning gold at the Winter Youth Olympic Games (YOG) Lausanne 2020, Japanese figure skater Kagiyama Yuma is back on an Olympic podium, having won silver in the men’s singles event at Beijing 2022.

The 18-year-old’s mesmerising free skate – which included an opening quad salchow – saw him earn 201.93 points to add to the 108.12 he scored in the short programme. His combined total of 310.05 was good enough to beat everyone in the field except three-time world champion Nathan Chen, of the USA, who wowed the judges – and the fans watching on – with another awe-inspiring performance, which included five quadruple jumps, to clinch his first Olympic title on 332.60 points.

Kagiyama’s compatriot Uno Shoma – who also previously starred at the YOG, winning silver at Lillehammer 2016 – finished third on 293.00 points to seal the bronze medal.

Afterwards, Kagiyama reflected on his development since winning Youth Olympic gold in Lausanne.

“The journey since the Youth Olympics has been very fulfilling; it has been a very rich two years,” he said. “Two years ago, when I was at the YOG, I couldn’t even imagine that I’d be here today. Looking at the last two years I can really feel that I’ve grown. Being able to get a silver medal and a good performance [in Beijing], is something that I’m very happy with.

Uno, who also won silver at the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018, has also previously highlighted how his own YOG experiences have benefited him in his career.

"It was a very enjoyable experience for me [in Lillehammer],” he said. “I think it is good preparation for athletes who want to compete in the Olympic Games. It was a good experience and I think in the future that experience will continue to benefit me."

Kagiyama and Ono now both have two medals from Beijing 2022, having already won bronze with Japan in the team event.