Third spot Japanese men on Olympic team.

ranran · Apr 30, 2017

Hey guys, my first thread here but this thoughts has been bugging me weeks after world...

Before this, Japanese men always seems to have a complete 3 set or in Sochi case more than 3-set but this coming Olympic year it's quite different.

We know Yuzuru Hanyu and Shoma Uno is pretty much a 1-2 lock for Olympic team unless some crash and burn program that might change that (I dearly hoped not) but who do you think could take the third spot?

1. My personal favourite would be Tanaka Keiji to be the third man, when he's on he can deliver a marvelous program but when he missed things like what happened at world could happened... so it's still toss up...

2. As much as I love Tanaka Keiji... I feel like Takahito Mura deserve to go more if he did well next season or at the Japanese nationals, he was sideline for the past seasons and unfortunately didn't do enough on the road to Sochi so I really hope he can get together a set of good programs and has the chance this time.

3. Surprisingly among these 3 skaters in my list, Daisuke Murakami has the most potential to qualify for the Olympic team, he got the technical goods but he just need consistency and deliver a solid program like he did last season. Although among the three, his skating style is the least I preferred but as a whole package he has the goods more than the other two.

Added bonus: Since he has been absent from the scene most of the last season I can't evaluate how Sota Yamamoto could've done, but he has proven that he is driven enough to join the team.

Thoughts on third skater for Japanese men spot?

MaiKatze · Apr 30, 2017

I'm going with Mura. He's my favourite of the ones you mentioned (although I haven't seen Yamamoto skate as a senior) and the only one who can perhaps crack the Top Ten at this point. Tanaka hasn't delivered at 4CC and especially at Worlds. I don't know if it was nerves, but he couldn't skate to his potential. Mura is hit or miss. When he is on, he is a contender for medals in the GP events. But more than often he is not...on. Murakami I don't know how severe his injuries are. Let's see what next season brings.

jinabee · Apr 30, 2017

The fight for that third male spot (and the fight for the two ladies spots) is going to be tough. I would like to see Keiji go to the olympics but it will come down the performance and potential, even if whoever takes that third spot is unlikely to be a medal candidate the way both Yuzuru and Shoma are.

malo42 · Apr 30, 2017

Mura seems most likely at this point. Murakami is also a possibility but it's hard to say after him being out with the injury. Same with Sota but I don't even know if he'll be skating senior this year, if not then I don't even think he has a chance. Keiji is also my favorite but he worried me with how he performs at higher level competitions... then again Mura has also placed low at worlds more than once.

Whenever I'm posting about Japanese men I always say that I feel like there's a lot of them with the potential for a break out season but now so close to the Olympics I wonder if it's truly possible to come out of almost almost nowhere and earn a trip to the Olympics... I'm really not sure. BUT my favorite for a dark horse is Tomono, idk I just feel like he's ALMOST there. If he's able to land his jumps and maybe add another quad I think he could surprise everyone! But I'm not even sure he gets a GP spot at this point, if not it's pretty impossible. Other than him all the other juniors with potential are young enough to stay juniors and probably will.

Arriba627 · Apr 30, 2017

Seems like it has to be between Mura and possibly Dice, depending on how he is doing now. I was wishing someone had some news on him. As much as I love Keiji, I fear he's a bit of a head case. Maybe I'll feel differently after I see their programs for the upcoming season. Would also like to see Mura tame down his jumps a bit (and no fooling around with the 4A) so he doesn't keep injuring his ankle.

MaiKatze · Apr 30, 2017

Arriba627 said:
Seems like it has to be between Mura and possibly Dice, depending on how he is doing now. I was wishing someone had some news on him. As much as I love Keiji, I fear he's a bit of a head case. Maybe I'll feel differently after I see their programs for the upcoming season. Would also like to see Mura tame down his jumps a bit (and no fooling around with the 4A) so he doesn't keep injuring his ankle.

I think both Mura and Tanaka have not exactly helped their case or made a strong impression this season. They gave Tanaka the big competitions but that didn't work out. Mura has rough skates, even when the pressure is low, so I'm not sure who is the most logical choice. If Yamamoto does well he could be sent, but the Olympics are such a high pressure event and it does seem a bit much for his first big senior competition. Japan has to look hard at their Men's field. A lot of people are praising them, but what I saw at Japanese Nationals 2016 isn't very reassuring. Yuzuru and Shoma are still young, but they won't be there forever.

blackey · Apr 30, 2017

tbh given Mura/Tanaka's performance this year, I thought Sota is actually very promising IF HE WAS STILL HEALTHY.

But I don't even know if he's back on training or not..

Arriba627 · Apr 30, 2017

MaiKatze said:
I think both Mura and Tanaka have not exactly helped their case or made a strong impression this season. They gave Tanaka the big competitions but that didn't work out. Mura has rough skates, even when the pressure is low, so I'm not sure who is the most logical choice. If Yamamoto does well he could be sent, but the Olympics are such a high pressure event and it does seem a bit much for his first big senior competition. Japan has to look hard at their Men's field. A lot of people are praising them, but what I saw at Japanese Nationals 2016 isn't very reassuring. Yuzuru and Shoma are still young, but they won't be there forever.

I'm SO worried about Sota and would not want to be around when he does his first jumps. Seems like he re-injured his ankle just doing a double (or was it something even easier, can't remember). I just hope all these guys have tons of calcium in their diets! They need for some of their youngsters to be ready to "carry the torch". Agreed though - didn't seem like there was anyone who was hugely promising. But maybe it's not my place to say that, since I don't really follow Juniors all that much, in general. Things are already interesting and are going to get more interesting

MaiKatze · Apr 30, 2017

Arriba627 said:
I'm SO worried about Sota and would not want to be around when he does his first jumps. Seems like he re-injured his ankle just doing a double (or was it something even easier, can't remember). I just hope all these guys have tons of calcium in their diets! They need for some of their youngsters to be ready to "carry the torch". Agreed though - didn't seem like there was anyone who was hugely promising. But maybe it's not my place to say that, since I don't really follow Juniors all that much, in general. Things are already interesting and are going to get more interesting

You'll probably kick me for this Arriba, but when I first saw Shoma I wasn't impressed. There was a TV-show about Mao's rink and I just didn't get the hype around him. So tiny....too tiny. And for long did he not have the jumps he needed to be succesful...the 3A, so much trouble. So, maybe, just maybe there is some jewel in the making there who might not impress just yet, but will carry the torch sooner or later. I mean both Yuzuru and Shoma could go until 2022. Or even 2026, if they are crazy enough.

Jammers · Apr 30, 2017

Japan doesn't seem to have the depth in the Men like they had a few years ago. Beyond Hanyu and Shoma no one else really stands out or is a threat at this point internationally.

Arriba627 · Apr 30, 2017

MaiKatze said:
You'll probably kick me for this Arriba, but when I first saw Shoma I wasn't impressed. There was a TV-show about Mao's rink and I just didn't get the hype around him. So tiny....too tiny. And for long did he not have the jumps he needed to be succesful...the 3A, so much trouble. So, maybe, just maybe there is some jewel in the making there who might not impress just yet, but will carry the torch sooner or later. I mean both Yuzuru and Shoma could go until 2022. Or even 2026, if they are crazy enough.

Makes perfect sense to me. Somewhere there has to be a "diamond in the rough" in the making. And I think it's interesting that in Shoma's case, it may have been a blessing in disguise to not be able to get the jumps, because he had to work twice as hard on other things. Seems like I read somewhere that he started doing some type of off-ice training, and not all that long after that he got the 3A. Some of the guys at Nationals looked SO tiny! I love that they have some great role models to look up to and the amazing Japanese work ethic along with that to give them some inspiration.

truthbooth · Apr 30, 2017

How about Kazuki Tomono? I think he could be a dark horse for the team. He's all around solid, and he's got the 4S. Unless, of course, he's staying junior. I'm unsure of that.

charmblade · Apr 30, 2017

Does anyone have any updates on Daisuke Murakami's injury or if he's back training? I miss him.

CanadianSkaterGuy · Apr 30, 2017

My wish would be for Oda or Machida to return and slay. :love:

Crossover · Apr 30, 2017

I hope Mura has a great season, so that he can finally become an Olympian.

Machida has moved on from competitive skating although I miss him.

4everchan · Apr 30, 2017

I think Mura had a very bad break at Nationals last year and has shown more promise than the others. I don't know Sota's skating. I have seen his name a lot but I rarely follow juniors... so knowing that he was out for an entire season, I hope he doesn't push himself too quickly just to make the games.

Japan's 3rd man will be interesting to watch (go Mura) but the real bloodbath will be in the ladies.

Skater Boy · Apr 30, 2017

Obviously it will be a battle royale between Yuzuru and Shom for the first two spot. I will go with Mura for the third. But who knows.

Interspectator · Apr 30, 2017

Keiji or Mura have a headstart, but all the 3rd spot candidates are very injury prone or are already injured. I think whoever is healthiest by the time Nationals rolls around is going to get the spot.
Dice-prone to injury
Sota-coming off a bad broken leg
Mura-both ankles are vulnerable to sprains
Keiji- recurrent back injuries

I really enjoy watching all these guys so I hope that they can all make it through the season relatively uninjured. If the Olympics is not on the cards for them, there's 4CC and the Worlds after that they might snag a spot to if they perform well at Nats.

For the future of Mens FS in Japan though, Sota is our single hope. If he can regain hes pre-injury form. He was the only skater who had the right mix of technique, skating skills and jumps (only my opinion) of the young generation of skaters after Shoma. His SS in particular was very, very good. Keeping this in mind, I hope his team is very careful about his health, because for him, it's all about the next quad.

silverlake22 · Apr 30, 2017

I hope Mura because he's great when he's on, but he's so inconsistent it's hard to predict what he'll do.

Tanaka looked strong early this season but then really fizzled out by the end of it. If he can be consistent next season and not peak too early I think he has a good chance too.

kaeryth · May 1, 2017

If I'm being sentimental, I'd want Sota to go just so he could fulfill his dream of going to the Olympics with Yuzuru. I'm a sucker for those kinds of narratives. Realistically though, it's prolly gonna come down to who skates best during Nationals because none of them are consistent and we also have juniors turning seniors and we don't know how they'll perform as seniors.

Third spot Japanese men on Olympic team.

ranran

Zamboni time

MaiKatze

jinabee

malo42

Arriba627

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MaiKatze

blackey

Arriba627

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MaiKatze

Jammers

Arriba627

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truthbooth

charmblade

CanadianSkaterGuy

Crossover

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4everchan

Skater Boy

Interspectator

silverlake22

kaeryth

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