Nikkan Sport “We Love Sports” Mai Mihara
Mai Mihara smiles even without making onto the podium, but behind that is effort.
Ladies single skater Mai Mihara (19yo, Sysmex) smiled from the bottom of her heart. On December 23rd, at All Japan Figure skating Championship’s Ladies FS (Osaka, Touwa Medicals Ractab Dome), she skated to “Gabriel’s Oboe”, which she’s been using for 2 seasons. She landed all the jumps cleanly, which gained her positive GOEs, and skated gracefully and brilliantly. On her return from the pursuit to the world of angels, she was rewarded with standing ovation from the audience, while she did her gut pose.
1 month ago, after her FS performance, she broke into tears at the K&C of the 6thevent of GP series, where she took 2ndplace after Rika Kihira. When she arrived in Japan through Kansai International Airport, she explained the reason for her tears straightforwardly: “89% of my feeling is frustration...”. She gave too specific a number, and steeled up for a smile, “Maybe about 9 parts (out of 10). Looking back, that’s a competition where a lot of regret still remains.” She was bitter about the unsuccessful 3S leading up to the STSQ, and that was why she commented to the press after All Japan Championship: “I think that was my best performance in 2018. There was some tension, but I was able to acquire happiness and gratitude.”
All Japan Championship is something more than an annual competition. It’s a high-level championship. The champion was Kaori Sakamoto, who scored 228.01 points, followed by runner-up Rika Kihira with 223.76 points and in 3rdplace was Satoko Miyahara with 223.34 points. Mai Mihara earned 220.80 points and finished in 4thplace.
Although comparison with other scores at other ISU authorized competitions is not possible, since this is not one of their official events, at their authorized championships, there are only 3 people who have surpassed 220 points. Reflecting to that, Mai Mihara earned remarkably high score, but she wasn’t on the podium. Although I could only imagine her frustration in my mind, I was relieved somehow by her positive words: “There’s nothing I could do except becoming stronger and stronger.”
It’s been 1 year since she failed to make it to PC OLP team. Unknown to many people, she has constantly making effort, little by little. At All Hyogo Championship, I had the rare opportunity talk to her after the SP: “Today, when you took your starting pose, I think you said “Yosh!” (Let’s do this). Also, as the vocal started, I heard quite clearly. It was so nice to sing along as you skated, right?”. I wasn’t expecting her surprise: “Ehh…Did I really sing!?”, she asked.
For this season’s SP – “It’s Magic”, Mihara has used a song with a kind of vocal that “she hasn’t worked with before”. At the season debut at September’s Nebelhorn Trophy, during the 2ndhalf, after landing her 3F, she hummed along with the “It’s magic” part, while in All Hyogo, she stopped singing only before entering jumps. She explained like this: “I try so I pour my emotion into the melody. When there’s emotion in the melody, I could alter the way I want to communicate with the audience. From now on, I must concentrate on jumps, and other elements, and I want to become a skater who is charming in other aspects as well.”
I wasn’t able to know how it was (with her) after the All Japan Championship, but I can understand her commitment as a skater.
For own sake, after the All Japan Championship last year, in order to evolve further, she’s been making effort to take on opportunities to challenge herself. In the 4 Continents Championship in January, 2018 where she finished 2nd, she answered journalists in English. Although a translator was present, she wasn’t afraid to make effort to convey her own thoughts using her own words.
“With my English level, I can communicate on daily topics, but I haven’t been able to use technical skating terms. However, when talking to Bell-chan (Mariah Bell,USA), I could manage in English somehow. As a university student, beyond learning English academically, I want to use it in skating situations. In order to be able to get along with foreign skaters, I want to work harder.”
I didn’t see it with my own eyes, but after the reversal victory of Kaori Sakamoto in All Japan Championship Ladies single free skate, on the arena’s jumbotron, the scene of Mihara happily celebrating along with her training mate was shown, then she silently left the backstage of the medal ceremony, where the 3 medalists were waiting. After that, the team representing Japan at March, 2019’s World Championship in Saitama was decided. Arenas filled with light hardly differ, the strength for closing the distance made up by accumulating effort little by little, is no one else’s but Mai Mihara’s.
Matsumoto Wataru for Nikkan Sport- “We Love Sports” column.