Yuma Kagiyama soars to first national title
2024-25 Japanese Nationals: Men
Olympic silver medalist Yuma Kagiyama soared to his first national title at the 2024-25 Japanese National Championships on Saturday in Osaka, Japan, with over 33 points to spare. In a very surprising twist of events, the rest of the podium witnessed unexpected results with Rio Nakata taking second place and Tatsuya Tsuboi claiming third. Both skaters edged out some of Japan’s top skaters in the Men’s field.
Yuma Kagiyama
After claiming three bronze medals in 2019, 2020 and 2021 and a silver in 2023, the Kagiyama’s victory was a statement that firmly solidifies his position as the new face of Japanese men’s skating.
The 21-year-old opened his short program to “Sound of Silence” with a quick quadruple Salchow. He followed it up with a strong quadruple toe-triple toe combination, earning a solid +2.99 GOE (Grade of Execution). However, he took a fall on his final jump, the triple Axel, which was deemed underrotated by the technical panel. Despite this unexpected misstep, he quickly rebounded in a beautiful step sequence. He showcased a graceful Ina Bauer and knee slide before his final spin.
Kagiyama scored 92.05 points in the short program, placing him in the lead with a slim 2-point advantage over junior skater Rio Nakata.
As the final skater to take the ice for the free skate, Kagiyama began his Spanish-themed program with a massive and flowing quadruple flip, landing right on point with the music. The jump was executed with stunning fluidity and a beautiful knee bend, earning +4.71 GOE from the judges. The three-time World silver medalist kept it going with another clean quadruple Salchow and quadruple toe-triple toe combination, maintaining the momentum and setting the tone for the rest of the skate. He made only a few minor errors that did not really affect his performance: a slight step out on the landing of his quadruple toe and a small stumble during his Axel sequence in the second half of the program.
The step sequence was the highlight of the program, demonstrating Kagiyama’s precision and sharpness in his skating. The audience applauded in sync with the accelerating music during the different turns. This element received a perfect +5 GOE from all nine judges without exception, highlighting the quality of Kagiyama’s skating skills.
At the end of his performance, the 2024-25 Grand Prix silver medalist sank to the ice, as the audience erupted into thunderous applause, while his father, Masakazu Kagiyama, and coach Carolina Kostner watched on with pride. He finished first in the free skate with 205.68, earning 111.70 points for the technical score and 93.98 for the components score. Winning in both segments, he claimed the gold with a total score of 297.13.
With this new title in hand, Kagiyama has secured himself a ticket for the World Championships in Boston next March. But before he sets his sights on the World stage, he has been assigned to compete at the next Universiade Games and Asian Winter Games, respectively taking place in January and February 2025.
Rio Nakata
Nakata captivated the audience with two exceptionally solid performances. To the surprise of many, but certainly deservedly, he claimed the silver medal at the men’s event with a score of 263.99 points at just 16 years of age.
In doing so, the 2024 Junior World silver medalist outshone several senior skaters who were expected to contend for the podium, a remarkable achievement for the young talent. Finishing second in both the short and free programs, this was only his third appearance at the senior National Championships. Having placed 26th and 17th in his previous outings, this medal is a reflection of Nakata’s growth as a skater over the season.
In the short program, Nakata debuted a fiery quadruple toe-triple toe combination for the first time in competition. The jump (quads are prohibited in the short program at junior-level competitions) was smoothly and quickly executed and without hesitation. The element earned a solid +2.17 GOE. He also looked fearless going into the triple Axel and the triple flip in the second half of the program and also received level 4s on all of his spins and footwork. The 2023 World University Games silver medalist raised his fists after striking his final pose, and in the Kiss&Cry, looked surprised as he received a score of 90.13.
Nakata was the only junior skater in the final group for the free skate, but he made an immediate impression by opening his program with a challenging jump: a quadruple Loop. He executed it with positive GOE (+1.05). He had previously already landed the jump in practice. He skated to Pirates of the Caribbean—the same music his father and coach, Makoto Nakata, had performed to in his career. The 16-year-old impressed in the rink with a clean performance, which also featured a quadruple toe and two triple Axels.
At the end of his skate, Nakata collapsed on the ice as he received a long-standing ovation from the crowd. He scored 173.68 in the free skate and 263.93 overall. This is the first time since 2019 that a junior skater has made it to the podium in the men’s event at the National Championships.
Nakata’s silver medal at the National Championships comes just three weeks after a disappointing third-place finish at the Junior Grand Prix in Grenoble, where he had been aiming to defend his title. In a short time, he seemed to have managed to recalibrate his mindset and regained his confidence.
As the newly-crowned Junior National champion, the skater from Chiba has been assigned to the 2025 Junior World Championships taking place in Debrecen, Hungary.
Tatsuya Tsuboi
Tatsuya Tsuboi was the event’s biggest surprise, catapulting from 14th place after the short program to claim the third spot on the podium. Building on the momentum from his bronze at 2024 NHK Trophy, Tsuboi made an incredible comeback that shook up the entire men’s event.
This bronze medal at the National Championships marks a turning point for Tsuboi. It will open him doors in the fiercely competitive world of Japanese figure skating.
But things did not go as planned for the 22-year-old at the start of the competition. In the short program, he struggled with a series of costly mistakes that left him well behind the leaders. He stepped out of his intended quadruple Salchow combination, though he executed a triple Lutz-triple toe combination instead later on. But the major mistake happened on the triple Axel, where Tsuboi completely got the timing and takeoff wrong. This resulted in a pop and thus earned him no points on this element. He scored 73.94 points.
Tsuboi attacked his free skate to I Pagliacci in the third group. He skated a strong and clean performance, receiving positive GOEs on all of his elements. His only mistake being a little step out in between the quadruple Salchow and the triple toe on the opening combination. His skate included another smooth solo quadruple Salchow and two triple Axels.
Leaving yesterday’s performance in the dust, Tsuboi put his fist up in the air at the end of his skate. He looked excited in the Kiss&Cry as he scored 173.37 in the free skate, with his technical score reaching 93.09 points.
The 2022 World Junior bronze medalist was leading the event up until the final group of skaters. However, after major errors from other top skaters and a brilliant comeback free skate, he ended up securing his first medal at the National Championships. He scored 247.31 overall. This achievement sets the stage for future opportunities on the international circuit.
In a field brimming with talent, this achievement not only elevates his profile but also sets the stage for future opportunities on the international circuit. After securing the bronze, Tsuboi has been assigned to compete at both the 2025 Four Continents Championships and 2025 World Championships.
Nobunari Oda
Another unexpected, but more than welcome surprise, came from Nobunari Oda. The 37-year-old made his return to the national stage for the first time in eleven years, finishing with an impressive fourth place with 234.68 points.
Oda’s journey back to competitive skating is nothing short of inspiring. After announcing his comeback in 2022, he began testing the waters in domestic competitions, slowly finding his rhythm again.
In the short program, Oda skated to “Samba Popular”, choreographed by himself. He nailed a great quadruple toe-triple toe combination that had the audience cheering, then seamlessly followed it up with a flawless triple Axel and triple Lutz.
From the moment he stepped onto the ice, Oda’s performance ability shone. He used the rink as his personal stage, bringing the rhythm of the samba to life with every glide. He connected with the audience, drawing them into his performance. The skater burst into tears of as soon as he reached the Kiss&Cry. He scored 84.53 points for fifth place.
The 2006 Four Continents Champion fell on his opening quad toe in his free skate to “Angels” by Robbie Williams, choreographed by Benoit Richard. However, he quickly got back on track, landing the remaining jumps. The only mistakes were an under rotation on the quadruple toe, a “q” call on his Salchow, and an edge call on his flip. As he took his final bow on the national stage, the arena erupted in warm applause. He placed sixth in the free skate, earning 150.15 points.
Oda felt grateful to the fans, his family, staff, and everyone who supported him at the venue at his last National Championships. His fourth-place finish marked a significant milestone in his career and shows that he still has the heart and skill to compete at the highest level of competition with the new generation of skaters.
Kazuki Tomono placed fifth overall (233.95) ahead of Sena Miyake (233.49) and Shun Sato (230.80).
Kao Miura, Koshiro Shimada, Sota Yamamoto placed eighth through 10th, respectively.
Sato will join Kagiyama and Tsuboi at the 2025 World Championships. Miura, Tomono and Yamamoto have been listed as alternates.
Miura and Tomono will also join Tsuboi at the 2025 Four Continents Championships, with Sato and Shimada as alternates.
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