Shun Sato and Kao Miura came into the recent Japan Championships as virtual locks to make the team for this season's world championships and move closer to clinching berths on the Hinomaru's team for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy.
After Beijing Olympic silver medalist Yuma Kagiyama, the two young guns possess the most talent among Japan's male skaters. However, neither Sato nor Miura performed to their abilities at the event in Kansai.
The 20-year-old Sato finished a disappointing seventh, while the 19-year-old Miura came in eighth. Despite his showing, Sato was still tapped to be on the Japan squad for the worlds in Boston in April. Meanwhile, Miura had to settle for the Four Continents in Seoul in February.
Sato went into hyperventilation after his free skate on Sunday, December 22 and had to receive medical treatment. Miura has been struggling with injuries this season and that clearly played a part in his place in the final standings.
That being said, all skaters will tell you that injuries are part of the sport and must be dealt with and overcome. One needs to look no further than two-time Olympic champion Yuzuru Hanyu and all the physical issues he had to deal with during his competitive career.
Spots Appear Up for Grabs for the 2026 Olympics
The fallout from the results at the Japan Championships is that the door is now open for the expected three spots for Japan's men at the Milan/Cortina Games in February 2025. Coming into the current campaign, it seemed almost inevitable that Kagiyama, Sato and Miura would be the chosen three. But now the situation has clearly changed.
Tatsuya Tsuboi took advantage of the opportunity presented by Sato and Miura's performances and vaulted from 14th after the short program to take third place behind Kagiyama and runner-up Rio Nakata in Kadoma, Osaka Prefecture. The Japan Skating Federation's decision to send Tsuboi to the worlds instead of Miura was based on their results this season.
How Japan fares in Boston will determine how many places it gets at the Olympics, which could put pressure on Sato and Tsuboi, both first-timers at the senior worlds.
Placing 3rd at the Japan Championships Clinched Tsuboi's Berth for the Worlds
Tsuboi's bronze medal at the Japan Championships followed his third-place result at the NHK Trophy in November. The 22-year-old has been in the second tier of the men's field for years but still has the potential for growth. Results over the next year will determine if Sato and Miura are on the plane for Italy with Kagiyama, or if it will be Tsuboi and somebody else.
JSF training director Yosuke Takeuchi explained the reasoning for the decision to put Tsuboi on the team over Miura at the press conference.
"The matter was discussed in training committees and elsewhere," Takeuchi commented. "We evaluated him highly for his performance at this year's All Japan Championships, as well as his ability to consistently perform great routines, including at the NHK Trophy."
Tsuboi was grateful for his first trip to the senior worlds.
"Since I've been selected as a representative, I want to devote all my practice to skating for the three months leading up to the world championships," an elated Tsuboi remarked. "I want to perform my best at the world championships and contribute even a little to securing a spot in the Olympics."
Added Tsuboi, "I still haven't sorted out for myself whether I'm suited for this position in terms of ability. I felt a sense of responsibility that I absolutely had to do my best here."
Sato Looks Ahead to the World Championships
It is clear that Sato's victory at the Cup of China and bronze medal at the Grand Prix Final helped sway the selection committee in his direction, as his score at the Japan Championships was less than a point better than Miura's.
"I'm happy that the selections are out," Sato stated at the press conference for the worlds team before adding, "I'm sorry for causing concern to all my fans."
He then said, "I'm fine, so I'm going to do my best to perform well at the world championships."
Added Sato, "My selling point is my high level of difficulty in jumping. I ended up with a disappointing result at the Japan Championships.
Looking ahead to the world championships, Sato summarized his goals. "I want to secure a spot and at the same time do my best to aim for the podium," he told reporters.
Miura Announces He's Taking a Break from Skating
Miura's frustration with his predicament became clear late on the evening of December 24, when he posted a message on Instagram announcing that he would be taking the rest of the skating season off.
"Thank you for your support at the Japan Championships," Miura wrote. "As expected, I had strong feelings about this competition, and I thought about it more than ever before, practiced, and worked hard.
"However, the result did not go well and it ended in an instant, and it was a competition that made me realize that skating is difficult.
"I still can't process the situation, but I received encouragement from friends and others, and I was able to realize once again how blessed I am to have those around me," Miura continued.
"For the time being, I will take a break from skating for the rest of the year so that I don't come to hate it, and I will come back next year with a fresh mind and do my best.
"Thank you for all your support."
Selections Announced for Worlds, Four Continents, World Juniors
The JSF revealed the team selections for the 2025 World Figure Skating Championships, Four Continents Championships and World Junior Championships late Sunday night.
The teams are as follows:
World Championships (Boston – March 24-30)
Men
Yuma Kagiyama, Shun Sato, Tatsuya Tsuboi
Alternates: Kao Miura, Kazuki Tomono, Sota Yamamoto
Women
Kaori Sakamoto, Wakaba Higuchi, Mone Chiba
Alternates: Rino Matsuike, Rion Sumiyoshi, Hana Yoshida
Pairs
Riku Miura/Ryuichi Kihara
Four Continents Championships (Seoul – February 18-23)
Men
Tatsuya Tsuboi, Kao Miura, Kazuki Tomono
Alternates: Shun Sato, Koshiro Shimada
Women
Wakaba Higuchi, Mone Chiba, Rino Matsuike
Alternates: Rion Sumiyoshi, Rinka Watanabe, Mako Yamashita
Pairs
Riku Miura/Ryuichi Kihara, Yuna Nagaoka/Sumitada Moriguchi
Ice Dance
Utana Yoshida/Masaya Morita, Azusa Tanaka/Shingo Nishiyama
World Junior Championships (Debrecen, Hungary – February 24-March 2)
Men
Rio Nakata, Sena Takahashi, Shunsuke Nakamura
Alternates: Haru Kakiuchi, Taiga Nishino, Daiya Ebihara
Women
Mao Shimada, Kaoruko Wada, Ami Nakai
Alternates: Ikura Kushida, Mei Okada, Haruna Murakami
Pairs
Sae Shimizu/Lucas Tsuyoshi Honda
Ice Dance
Sara Kishimoto/Atsushiko Tamura
Legendary Choreographer Wilson Honored
Choreography giant David Wilson was inducted into the Skate Canada Hall of Fame on December 11. The creative genius to many Olympic and world champions, the 58-year-old Wilson thanked the people he credited with helping him get the honor in a Facebook post, writing in part:
I have been extremely blessed with a career that just seemed to happen, doing something I truly love and with so many amazing skaters over the years.
To be included in this incredibly iconic and influential group of people is truly humbling.
I am so proud to be Canadian and I believe we are, as a nation, most often times, the custodians of the sport, safeguarding its integrity and pushing forward its boundaries, regardless of winning or losing.
For generations, the whole world has come to us, quite literally, for guidance. I am both humbled and proud to be part of this legacy but most of all I am thankful to all the skaters, coaches and parents who put their trust in my abilities.
RELATED:
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- [ICE TIME] Exclusive: Legendary Choreographer David Wilson Calls for New Leadership at Skate Canada
Author: Jack Gallagher
The author is a veteran sports journalist and one of the world's foremost figure skating experts. Find articles and podcasts by Jack on his author page, and find him on X (formerly Twitter) @sportsjapan.
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