The Japanese Shoma Uno is the new figure skating world champion. The 25-year-old Olympic bronze medalist from Beijing beat compatriot Yuma Kagiyama on Saturday (March 26, 2022) in Montpellier, France, with a perfect freestyle. Vincent Zhou won bronze from the USA, who improved to the medal places after sixth place in the short program. the only German starter Nikita Starostin turned 22
Due to injuries, two top athletes were missing with Olympic champion and 2021 world champion Nathan Chen from the USA and the Japanese superstar Yuzuru Hanyu WM in Montpellier.
Uno shines with five quadruple jumps
World champion Uno was already leading after the short program. The lead built twice WM-Second in the freestyle with five quadruple jumps even out. With 312.48 points, he finished well ahead of silver medalist Kagiyama (297.60), who had already won silver at the Olympic Games. Kagiyama was also able to convince in his freestyle. Since he was only three clean of his planned four quadruple jumps, he could not attack compatriot Uno.
Starostin: Many penalties and rank 22
The only German starter among the 24 freestyle finalists, Nikita Starostin, was unable to achieve his best performance. The 13th of the European Championships was WM-22. The 19-year-old was able to “stay” by Oliver Tompsett only landed a few jumps cleanly. Starostin was deducted in almost every element, with 131.93 points for his freestyle he remained well below his personal best (142.28). Nevertheless, he improved from rank 23 in the short program a place.
“Am very disappointed”
“I’m very disappointed. For the next season I have to work more on the jumps”said the third of the German championships. “To get closer to the top of the world, I need quadruple jumps”he promised for the future.
Olympia 2026 as a goal for Starostin
Great future goal for the native Russian, who is in Belgium with the brother of WM-Silver medalist Loena Hendrickx trains, the Olympic Games remain in 2026. At the Winter Games in Beijing in February, he was not yet allowed to start for the German Skating Union because he does not yet have German citizenship.
Emotionally touching: The run of the Ukrainian Schmuratko
Like Starostin, the Ukrainian Ivan Schmuratko also makes a lot of mistakes – the 20-year-old only came in 23rd. Nevertheless, the Ukrainian champion was joined for a few minutes after his performance to the solemn classical music of Ludivicio Einaudi standing ovation celebrated. Schmuratko touched with his story. After the beginning of the war of aggression from Russia against Ukraine, the athlete from Kyiv was able to WM do not train, only came to Montpellier from the Ukraine on a very cumbersome route.
After the music had faded away, he remained on the ice for many seconds in a crouched position and before getting up ran his hand almost lovingly over the ice again. In this way, he provided the most moving moment of the freestyle.
Schmuratko: “We have to stop this madman”
Asked after the competition if he had a hard time running his freestyle, Schmuratkin said: “The word heavy and ice skating don’t go together in the same sentence in today’s world – at least for me. It’s hard to get a message whether friends or family members have been murdered or are dead or you can’t find them. No, it wasn’t hard to walk. Anything in life is possible. But once someone’s dead, you can’t change that.”said the Ukrainian to journalists in Montpellier.
A flaming appeal followed: “The world should change its values and we Ukrainians have been showing for a month what real values mean. In the 21st century it is surreal for people to think about war. We all have to do everything we can to stop this terror. We have to stop this madman stop who lets people murder”said Shmuratko, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Regarding his personal future, Schmuratko said in a statement read by commentator Daniel Weiss in the Sportschau live stream that he would like to stay and train in Europe. He wants “do everything possible to help my country from here.”