OLYMPICS: Figure Skating-Kagiyama keeps gold in sight after trailing Malinin in short programme

MILAN – Japanese figure skater Yuma Kagiyama remains focused on gold at the Milano Cortina Olympics despite finishing second in Tuesday’s short program, insisting that in sports, you never aim for second or third because anything can happen once competition begins.

Kagiyama, who won silver at Beijing 2022 and is a three-time world silver medalist, had been widely expected to challenge American favorite Ilia Malinin for the top score.

Earlier this week, Kagiyama had beaten Malinin convincingly in the team event short program, scoring 108.67 points. However, Tuesday’s performance was less convincing, as he scored 103.07 points, trailing Malinin’s 108.16.

“In sports, you never know what happens until it ends. So I hope to give my 100% during the free skate, and hopefully the result will come along,” the 22-year-old said after stepping off the ice.

“I was a bit frustrated with the triple axel where I made a small mistake,” he added, speaking through a translator. “My goal now is to perform a free skating program that I’m happy with.”

Kagiyama has often trailed Malinin in recent years, finishing runner-up to him at the last two Grand Prix Finals.

Off the ice, Kagiyama is known for his soft-spoken demeanor, which contrasts with his competitive edge. He grew up in a skating family and began training at age five under his father, two-time Olympian Masakazu Kagiyama. The early discipline has become a hallmark of his skating, noted for speed, precision, and control.

Asked whether he was frustrated by consistently finishing behind the American, Kagiyama said disappointment comes only when he feels he has not performed at his full potential.

“When I give my 100%, I’m ready to accept whatever the result is,” he said. He added that he is working to catch up with Malinin, whose quad-packed performances have wowed audiences.

“I’m trying to catch up by performing more aggressively, adding more quadruple jumps, and increasing my offensive power, so I really do want to catch up,” he said.

His free skate, a four-minute program set to Christopher Tin’s Turandot ending, is expected to be one of the highlights of the event—a tribute to the opera’s centenary in Milan, the city where it premiered.

Kagiyama said he hopes to connect with the audience through his performance.

“I want the Italian audience to feel, to see me enjoy being free, and also see how much I enjoy skating to this music,” he said. “I hope to transfer that feeling to them.”

-Reporting by Agnieszka Flak; Editing by Ken Ferris/Reuters