World champion Shoma Uno skated last and delivered – registering the best free skate score of his career. His Japanese teammate Yamamoto Sota was second, Ilia Malinin of the U.S. third.
Shoma Uno just keeps getting better. The reigning world champion and three-time Olympic medallist will turn 25 years old next week and gave himself an early birthday present in the post-Olympic season, capturing his first Grand Prix Final title on Saturday (10 December) at the Torino Palavela in Turin, Italy.
Uno was sensational in the free skate, scoring a career-best 204.47 to win by some 30 points, registering a 304.46 to beat countryman Yamamoto Sota at 274.35, while American Ilia Malinin jumped from fifth in the short program to finish in third at 271.94.
Comments 1
I don’t follow ice skating ever but as with any sport I get captivated when fabulous and extraordinary excellence is on show. The past few years with both Yuzuru Hanyu and Shoma Uno have been a special time.
Watching Shoma perform free skate in the attached video was another Wow!
There are those moments with men interpreting and displaying great emotion that are just perfectly beautiful — sadly ungraciously spoiled with the constant chorus of squeaky yips from the audience each time his skates got to be more than six inches clear off the ice. No doubt those girls knew everything about skates but little of the most amazing performance art. Stuff your twirls girls – that guy is priceless and you obviously don’t know or care – yipping away enough to destroy any notion of anyone among you having brain power or hope.
Thinking of step changes in emotive performance – I think I’m right to say it’s predominantly something given by male performers. Even a couple of weeks ago I was again spellbound with a video of Michael Jackson’s Thriller from 40 years ago.