“In the Loop” is a column by Valerie Fang dedicated to the sport of figure skating.
The 2023 International Skating Union (ISU) Four Continents Championships took place last week at Colorado Springs’ Broadmoor World Arena. As its name suggests, this annual championship features skaters from four of the five continents represented by the Olympic ring: the Americas, Asia, Oceania and Africa. Welcome to the recap of this year’s 4CC.
Japan and South Korea unsurprisingly dominated this year’s game. Miura Kao and Sato Shun snatched the gold and bronze medals in men’s singles. South Korea’s Lee Haein and Kim Yelim took the top two spots in women’s singles when the rising star from Sendai, Chiba Mone, won the bronze, securing her first medal in a major senior competition. The pair of skaters, Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara, also made history by bringing the first ISU Championship Pairs title to Japan.
Similar to so many other sports, recent years have marked the transition between generations for figure skating. Last week, both veteran skaters and young breakout stars put on memorable programs and even achieved new career heights. Let’s take a look at the three best programs.
3. Watanabe Rinka’s free program (Music: “Jin” by Yu Takami, Seiko Nagaoka, Kan Sawada)
If it wasn’t for the popped Lutz jump near the beginning, Watanabe probably could have medaled. However, this momentary lack of confidence didn’t undermine the fact that Watanabe is one of the best young female figure skaters from Japan. Her opening triple axel had a stable axis, smooth landing and decent ice coverage, which said a lot about her jumping skills. Watanabe’s choice of music and costume also helped her performance stand out by putting an emphasis on cultural representation. If Watanabe can make her jump combos even more consistent, we can expect her to score higher at Worlds next month.
2. Miura Riku and Kihara Ryuichi’s free skate (Music: “Atlas: Two” by Sleeping At Last)
The Japanese pair has remained unbeatable in international competitions this season. Their long program exemplified the merging of artistic presentation and technical prowess. Music was not simply an accompaniment in their performance, rather it remained an integral part that let their hope, love and a shared deep bond shine through. Every movement and element on ice was a perfect fit for the song’s melody and rhythm. What also touched me was what happened right after the end of the program. Due to the thin air in Colorado Springs, the pair collapsed on the ice but lifted each other up moments later. They gave their all and were rightfully rewarded.
1. Keegan Messing’s free program (Music: “Home” by Phillip Phillips)
For those four and a half minutes, all the stars aligned and Messing owned the arena. This free skate simply brought me to tears, especially being right behind the boards clearly hearing the crisp sound of his blades gliding across the ice and seeing how his smile grew increasingly contagious as the music reached its climax. Messing channeled his love for both the sport and his family, and he was truly enjoying himself with every fiber of his being. And the authenticity of it all was what made this program emotionally engaging. Combined with his short program on Thursday, this free skate helped him win his first ISU international championship medal in his last season as a competitive figure skater.
We will see Miura, Kihara and Watanabe again soon at Worlds next month. Messing will also be there for the last competition of his amateur career. The United States’ Ilia Malinin and Isabeau Levito will have their eyes on the prize, but the reigning World Champions, Uno Shoma and Sakamoto Kaori, will put in every effort to defend their titles. In short, Worlds in Saitama will feature the fiercest battles in figure skating, and we will love it.
“In the Loop” runs every other Tuesday.