Japan Nationals kicks off the national championships of the Big Four - Russia follows next week and Canada and the US happens in January. As always, Japan will be showcasing the depths of its singles skating, but perhaps more so than we’ve seen in recent years, there is much more uncertainty over exactly who will be on those podiums. This season has been an inconsistent one for a few of its stars, but if there’s anywhere to really bring their best, it’s here - after all, the rest of the season will be determined by the results this week.
Japan Figure Skating Championships predictions
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Men Top 10 Predictions
GOLD Yuzuru Hanyu
SILVER Sota Yamamoto
BRONZE Shoma Uno
4. Keiji Tanaka
5. Kazuki Tomono
6. Shun Sato
7. Daisuke Takahashi
8. Yuma Kagiyama
9. Mitsuki Sumoto
10. Koshiro Shimada
So many storylines in this men’s event. It’s the first time Yuzuru Hanyu has been at Japan Nationals in four years. The winner of the last three, Shoma Uno, is having a rebuilding season and is at risk of not even making the podium this year. It will be the final Japan Nationals for Daisuke Takahashi in the singles event. Those three guys have won 12 out of the last 14 Nationals, dating back to 2005. But if you look at the roster and the up-and-down season that most of these guys have had, there could very well be 7-8 guys who have a real shot at the podium.
And besides Hanyu coming in as the heavy favorite, there’s really no other standout skater this season who would look like a podium lock. And that’s what makes for a truly intriguing battle for the men here.
Uno is potentially the guy with the most upside after the season that he’s had. Since his 4th-place rebound at Rostelecom Cup, he’s had another month to train with Stephane Lambiel and rebalance himself for Japan Nationals. Takahashi has not competed since taking silver last year, and has been injured during this season while turning his focus to ice dance.
If you look outside those three, the other three veterans that come to mind are Sota Yamamoto, Keiji Tanaka, and Kazuki Tomono. All of them have shown signs of brilliance this season, but none of them have been able to put down a clean competition. And what about the two who were just turning some heads on the junior scene? Shun Sato just won the Junior Grand Prix Final with an incredible free skate, and weeks before, Yuma Kagiyama won Japan Juniors with an incredible free skate. Both could make some waves here this week.
Ladies Top 10 Predictions
GOLD Rika Kihira
SILVER Satoko Miyahara
BRONZE Kaori Sakamoto
4. Wakaba Higuchi
5. Yuhana Yokoi
6. Mako Yamashita
7. Marin Honda
8. Yuna Shiraiwa
9. Mana Kawabe
10. Tomoe Kawabata
Similarly for the women, Rika Kihira comes in as the heavy favorite for gold, which would complete her medal cabinet after bronze two years ago and silver last year. There are also three former champions and medalists here who have been up and down this season - all of them are more than capable of getting on that podium.
Let’s start with last year’s surprise champion, Kaori Sakamoto. She made her huge leap two years ago when she took silver on her way to the Olympic team, and last year, with Kihira and Satoko Miyahara coming in as favorites, skated two of the performances of her life to win gold. This season has been less than stellar, with the short program being the source of issues for her. Her success this week may very well depend on that.
For Satoko Miyahara, she won four Japanese titles before taking bronze last year behind Sakamoto and Kihira. She’s relocated to Toronto to train this season in hopes of upping her technical content in the future - but coaching changes always take time, and her somewhat inconsistent season has shown that.
But perhaps the skater with the most under-the-radar momentum is Wakaba Higuchi - a three-time medalist at Japan Nationals. She likely won’t be back to 100% yet this week, but watch for her to be the potential surprise of the competition. And then you have names like Yuhana Yokoi, Mako Yamashita, Marin Honda, and Yuna Shiraiwa - and all of them are very known names on the international scene.