Sota Yamamoto

[KiraraChin]

Sota (alongside Kazuki) will be at the Kurashiki Figure Skating Club 15th anniversary event tomorrow (12 May) in Okayama.

@kurashiki_kansya_day2024 on Instagram: "メンバー紹介 Ｎｏ.9 山本草太さん、(^^) ようこそヘルスピア倉敷へ。 実は、以前、刑事君と相談して、草太さんに来て頂こうとしたことがあったんです。怪我で調整中だったので今は我慢となって、やっとやっと実現した今回の出演。本当に夢のよう❣️有難う❣️有難う御座います。 友野一希さん、初めてのご出演の時の盛り上がりは記憶に刻まれています。あれから飛躍の大活躍。 みんな行こうよと言ってくださった一希さん、再び私たちの

882 likes, 0 comments - kurashiki_kansya_day2024 on May 10, 2024: "メンバー紹介 Ｎｏ.9 山本草太さん、(^^) ようこそヘルスピア倉敷へ。 実は、以前、刑事君と相談して�...".

www.instagram.com

Also, Sota attended Shoma's Colantotte event today, alongside Kazuki, Koshiro and Rio Nakata... All the guys have a Colantotte sponsorship, does that mean that Sota has one as well?

 

[Arriba627]

Also, Sota attended Shoma's Colantotte event today, alongside Kazuki, Koshiro and Rio Nakata... All the guys have a Colantotte sponsorship, does that mean that Sota has one as well?

Yes, just saw that ColanTotte has signed Sota. Congratulations to him!

 

[KiraraChin]

I'm absolutely elated for Sota. Yes, he is part of the Special Group for funding, but having a sponsor on top of that must be such a relief. It's also a cool sponsor that he shares with his friends! It's perfect for him

Sota peformed 'Beat it' today at the Kurashiki event, here are some pictures of the performance + having fun with his BFF Kazuki

 

[KiraraChin]

Cross-posting from Kazuki's fan fest:


I also saw this pic of Sota and Kazuki Kushida holding each other's banners, very cute!

 

[surimi]

Thank you for keeping this thread going the last few days, @KiraraChin and @Arriba627 ! haha, Kazuki and Sota twinning in the same outfits! ^ ^
I'm thrilled for Sota's Colantotte sponsorship. Why, he looks like a model in that photo. Perhaps a clothes manufacturer notices, and starts sponsoring Sota too? That would be cool. I'm glad he has both special funding and a sponsor this year, making it easier for him to afford to go overseas to work with foreign choreographers. I may not be the biggest fan of the gala and the SP snippet at this point, but it's beneficial for Sota to work with high-profile choreographers like Richaud or Nichol, and try different styles. I hope I can watch Sota (and Kazuki) skate for several years yet I don't know who I'll cheer for in men once they're gone as no other male skater currently active has made me as invested as these two.

Here's some more choreo of Beat It at Kurashiki:


And a group number:


Sota also gave an interview several days ago, I think for Chunichi but I'm not sure as I cannot find the tweet yet.

 

[surimi]

More Twitter stuff!
By Colantotte, feat. Sota, Kazuki and Koshiro playing a game:


And Sota's post about Shoma's retirement:

Twitter translation:
[Well,] Shoma, thanks for all your hard work during your active career!! We often practiced and competed together since we were juniors, and I was always inspired by Shoma! Shoma's performances have a special atmosphere to them and I really love them.
The chances of meeting you may be fewer, [but] thank you for your continued support!

 

[KiraraChin]

I saw on Twitter that Sota will be doing more PIW shows on 13-14 July, in Kagoshima


And as for FaOI... He did his new EX and also some collaboration? I'm not sure with who tho, sorry! Does anybody know?

 

[TallyT]

Some clips of Sota at FAoI.

 

[surimi]

Sota posing in front of the merchandize stand at Fantasy On Ice Makuhari (both Sota and Kazuki merch in the shot - I approve ) :

Fans are praising his performances a lot, especially the one below.

@KiraraChin , according to fan tweets, it seems the collab was the first video Tally linked, where Sota is skating to a song called 'I Am Music' that a singer called Shirota was performing :] I guess it's from Mozart the rock musical? (rn I'm unable to play it with sound to tell)
Another fan says he jumped a 4T and 3F there.

Also, a Sota interview has been published recently! https://jbpress.ismedia.jp/articles/-/81068 It's revisiting his old injury and worries about the possibility of getting a new one, about his overseas choreo, gratitude to everyone around him for making things possible, and about his resilience and moments like his memorable Japan Championships programs that will stay with him forever. It's a very interesting interview, I'll post the autotranslation soon.

 

[KiraraChin]

Sota posted pics with Yuzu and Shirota

 

[surimi]

Here's the Sota article from last week, google-translated. Part 1 - about his post-injury comeback:

In the 2023-2024 season, Sota Yamamoto won Skate Canada. It was his first memorable victory in a Grand Prix series competition.

After the match, he said:

"I was injured, so I didn't think I'd be able to come back this far."

Yamamoto had previously suffered a serious injury and made a comeback after a break.

In March 2016, he broke his right ankle. In July, he appeared in "Dream on Ice" and seemed to be recovering well, but at the end of July, he suffered a stress fracture in the inner ankle of his right foot. At the end of October, he injured the same area again and underwent three surgeries. It was not an easy situation, but he returned to the Chubu Championships in September 2017. All of his jumps were restarted from a single rotation. Yamamoto looks back on that time.

"When I was injured, I thought I would rehabilitate and come back, but it recurred, and after that, it didn't heal easily, and even after taking MRIs for several months, the bone didn't form at all, and I spent my days without any change in the situation. I didn't want to think about it, but at the time I thought about retiring or getting a job."

The first fracture of his right ankle was just before he left for the World Junior Championships. The previous year, he placed third in the same championships, and had been on the podium at the Junior Grand Prix Final for two consecutive years, making him a promising young skater. This happened during that time. It's no wonder he fell into a negative state of mind. Yamamoto also says.

"Of course there were times like that. After my first injury, it recurred two or three times, and I had to have surgery, and it was very painful. There were times when I wanted to be alone again, and there were times when I became a little different from who I was before."

Even so, he didn't give up, and he continued to face skating, and he is where he is now.

There are still three bolts in his right ankle.

"When I practice more, I get more sprains. I land all my jumps on my right foot, and the bolt is in my right ankle, which is the part that takes the most strain. When I land, if I practice more, I get more fatigue and I end up twisting it when I come down. If I make more mistakes, I'll get a sprain first, and if I practice in that loose position, it's going to take a lot of strain. I still feel the impact, so sprains like that are pretty scary. When I got injured, it was because of the twisting movement and the impact. I'm being very careful about that movement, and I'm not just practicing more on the ice, I'm also doing more training to strengthen the muscles around."

On the other hand, I've heard people express surprise at the amount of practice Yamamoto has been doing for the past two seasons.

"It's true for all athletes, and in all sports, but I think it's a world where you really have to be on your toes with every single one. But if you want to get results, the amount of practice is important too. I've had many different seasons since my return, and I'm finally starting to understand what kind of practice and how much I need. So, that means the amount of practice will increase."

Even if you're working to build a body that can withstand it, there are still risks involved.

"Of course, it's scary. When and how will I get injured? But I'm also prepared every day that no matter what happens, I won't have any regrets. I don't know what the future holds, but I think I'm training and practicing in a way that I won't regret no matter what happens."

 

[DizzyFrenchie]

Sota Yamamoto was invited by Nagoya TV with Rika Hongo, in their Fantasy on Ice 2024 in Aichi rehearsal broadcast:
https://x.com/sky58361240/status/1796088548799471727?ref_url=

 

[KiraraChin]

Sota has been assigned to GP Canada and Finlandia Trophy!

 

[KiraraChin]

Sota seems happy with his assignments! He says he's in Canada for choreography... Does that mean he's free skate is being choreographed by David Wilson?

 

[DizzyFrenchie]

Sota Yamamoto, while starting Tour B of Fantasy on Ice 2024, was so kind as to post this selfie from Tour A with Yuzuru Hanyu:
https://www.instagram.com/p/C8OI1-9Oe8j/?img_index=1


Tour B starts with Kobe, and Sunday's show will be streamed live in Japanese movie theatres, and broadcast, I think on a Fuji TV channel?