Shoma Uno Retires from Competition

Hello, this is Panda Gorogoro.
On May 14, figure skater Shoma Uno held a press conference to announce his retirement from competition.

Unfortunately, I was unable to watch the press conference in real time.

However, according to Tanegashima Pi-san, a prominent figure skating blogger I deeply respect, in their “Onazonazon” blog, it was a very cheerful press conference.

As just one fan, I was happy and glad to hear it.

As a men's singles figure skater, Shoma Uno was undoubtedly a top skater who defined an era.

His major competitive achievements include:

Shoma Uno is the only Japanese figure skater to hold three Olympic medals.
This is proof that he contributed to Japan's victories not only in individual events but also in team events.

Shoma Uno is also the first Japanese men's singles skater to win consecutive World Championship titles.

This is tied for the second-most in history.

In the 2022-2023 season, he won every competition he entered (Grand Prix Series, Grand Prix Final, All Japan Championships, and World Championships).

Additionally, in 2016, he became the first in the world to successfully land a quadruple flip.

While Shoma has achieved such brilliant records, his path was not always smooth sailing from his junior days.

It is a well-known story that during his junior years, he struggled to master the triple axel that other skaters could perform.

At that time, his senior, Takahito Mura, told him, “If you can't do a triple and a half, why don't you try practicing a quadruple first?” and when he tried it, he was able to do it.

It is also a famous story that after moving to the senior stage, he continued to finish in second place and win silver medals at both the World Championships and the Olympics, leading to him being whispered about as a “silver collector” behind his back.

After the PyeongChang Olympics where he won a silver medal, Shoma left the tutelage of Machiko Yamada and Mihoko Higuchi (who is now independent and the representative of LYS Figure Skating Club) in Nagoya, and for a time, it seemed as if he was lost.

However, after meeting his invaluable mentor, coach Stéphane Lambiel, he truly began to show his full potential.

His rapid rise after winning the World Championships immediately following the Beijing Olympics, where he won a bronze medal, is still fresh in our memories.

Precisely because we have seen his difficult times, we have been fortunate to witness the past few years of Shoma Uno's prime.

What Shoma Uno taught us.

It is that,

even if you are second, you can eventually become first.

That is what he taught.

During the era when he was constantly called a 'silver collector,' Shoma himself seemed completely unbothered by the harsh criticisms of those around him.

He once replied, 'I know how difficult it is to come in second place.'
he once said.

I have sometimes projected my own past onto Shoma.

In my past, there were several times when I always stopped at second place at crucial moments, and I writhed in frustration.

An athlete who could never reach the gold medal.

Even when described that way, Shoma always remained nonchalant, continuing to maintain a lighthearted attitude that he was simply doing what he needed to do.

As a result, I was influenced by Shoma Uno, and I began to think of my own life as a runner-up as,

'Who cares about that?'

I started to think that way.

When following Shoma's success, my own past failures and miserable experiences started to feel insignificant.

Shoma has finally become the world champion!

He is the best in the world.

The athlete who was constantly called a silver collector and a runner-up finally became number one right before my eyes.

You did it, Shoma, first place!

Even if you are a runner-up, you can become number one someday.

Now, I will do my best to aim for number one too.

Who cares about the past?

It's nice to live a life aiming for number one even after passing sixty, isn't it?

Shoma, thank you so much!

★Please also check out this article★

Thank you for reading until the end today.
Shoma Uno is expected to continue his career as a professional ice skater after retirement.
I wish him all the best in his future.