And now, for the final combination.
A triple Lutz and a triple loop.
He lands it!
A flawless performance from Shinichiro Sonidori!
That's the kind of mental fortitude you need in a setting like the Olympics!
That was my first exposure to figure skating.
I'm Yuna Yagi, and I'm four!
Four, yeah?
Well, that makes you the exact same age as my son, Rioh.
She's adorable!
He was my idol. I was so excited just to meet him.
But then he took me on as his very first student
and taught me how to skate.
I couldn't have been happier.
You're a very graceful skater, Yuna.
I was so honored to have him as a coach that I knew I just had to be the best.
With that goal in mind,
no amount of training ever felt like too much.
And he was right there with me every step of the way.
She can already jump!
And she learned it just by watching.
What a talent.
I practiced harder and harder jumps
and memorized difficult choreography.
As silver medalist Shinichiro Sonidori's very first student,
I quickly became Meikoh Wind's number two athlete,
second only to Riina Kojoh.
Huh?
But it wasn't long after that
that Hikaru Kamisaki mastered all five types of triple jumps.
THE QUEEN'S LEAP
Oh, wow. Look. It's Inori!
- Huh? - Look how fast she is.
Way faster than the others.
Could it be? Are we all cheering on the same skater?
- What is it? - Huh?
Hmm. Nothing.
Warm-up time has ended.
All skaters, please return to rinkside at this time.
Huh?
Hey. Good job, Yotsuha.
Huh?
Yuna!
That was the worst I've ever done, Yuna.
Aw, that's not true.
You showed off a lot of good stuff. It really was beautiful.
And you should be proud of that.
Can I say something?
Uh, sure.
I feel like this has got to be destiny.
Hikaru's not here, and I think fate must have set it up,
so you would win the gold today, and you deserve the chance.
I think you train way harder than she does a lot of the time.
So, if you won, I...
Thanks, Yotsuha.
- But listen. - Huh?
I don't think this is a sport where you win just by trying harder.
So I don't expect anything going in today.
Hmm.
Okay, I'm gonna go get focused.
'Kay, good luck.
There you go. That's our Yuna.
She's mature, smart as a whip.
She's earned her spot as Meikoh's number three.
Being number 14 puts me second-to-last in the whole order,
so I've still got some time to kill.
"I'm so impressed by how hard you're working, Yuna."
Huh?
It's all thanks to you, Coach Shinichiro.
Thanks for cheering me on!
Huh? Shinichiro?
Take good care of Rioh for me.
Rioh's dad, Shinichiro?
"You always have been kind of a worry-wart, haven't you?"
Yes, it's true! My head is so full of anxieties and worries.
"But you've been practicing very hard.
Keep the panic away and you're gonna be just fine, okay?"
Wow, you think so?
"I have total faith in you, Yuna."
Thanks a bunch. I love you, Coach Shinichiro!
Okay! Let's go!
Uh...
A-Are you okay?
You...How long were you...
Did you... hear anything?
I love you, Coach Shinichiro!
KID FROM MEIKOH - RIOH'S DAD COACH SHINICHIRO
I love you! I love you! I love you!
No.
I swear, if you tell anyone...
How does she know that I'm lying?
Wait. It's you. From opening ceremonies.
The stress is giving me heartburn.
You sure it's not just the way you suck down food?
I'll go get you some medicine.
Thanks, Hitomi.
But it's a coach's job to stay calm and composed at times like these.
So I gotta keep it together.
Coach Akeuraji.
Hello. I'm sorry we didn't get the opportunity to really talk earlier.
I hope everything goes well for you today.
Yeah, ditto.
This man has never heard of personal space!
- Also... - Oh. Yes, sir?
I want to thank you again. You took care of my Rioh.
- I thank you. - Yeah! Happy to do it.
But you've already thanked me like a thousand times!
No, on the contrary, I've hardly thanked you enough.
Ah. Hello, Yuna.
Have you been preparing your--
What are you doing bothering Coach Shinichiro like this?
Go away and leave him alone.
Um, he's the one bothering me actually.
Allow me to introduce you.
This is Yuna Yagi.
She was my first student after I retired.
It's a pleasure to meet you.
Wow.
Coach Sonidori's very first student?
Kind of like you and me, huh?
This is my first skater, Miss Inori Yuitsuka.
So nice to meet you.
I'm serious, not a word.
How can she read my mind?
I would have assumed that Rioh was the first skater you ever trained.
Originally, I planned to start his training once he turned six.
Of course, with Yuna starting so young, I decided not to wait.
Coach Akeuraji!
Oh! Well, hey, speak of the devil.
It's good to see you.
The personal space thing is a family trait, I see.
Hey, get away from him right now!
Good luck today, Coach!
I hope everything goes well!
Uh, thank you.
I'm not the one skating, but...
- Same to you, Yuna. - Thanks, Rioh.
And you do whatever. I don't really care.
Well, I'm gonna work harder than you can even imagine!
I'll have you know, I made a promise to Riina Kojoh
at the opening ceremony this morning.
I'm going to take the gold medal at this championship
- no matter what! - Inori.
Huh?
Listen, I know how bad you want to take that top spot today.
But so do I. So good luck.
Mmm.
You probably don't know this,
but Yuna... she was Meikoh's number two skater until Hikaru came along.
Setsuna Ashikaga's final score is 67.4.
She currently ranks in seventh place.
Well, well, well, well.
Only three skaters to go, and Manaka is still in first place.
She could actually run away with this.
But, of course, Shinichiro's kid is up next.
This is the guy who was gunning for an Olympic medal
long after the rest of our generation retired.
He's got drive.
And he's not gonna let us win that easily.
This has all gone about as I expected.
Rinna opening with a strong Lutz
made a lot of the other skaters want to pull out all the stops.
And now that last year's champion, Setsuna Ashikaga,
has fumbled her performance,
there's less competition when it comes to technical scores.
But I worry about that Inori Yuitsuka, Coach Akeuraji's skater.
She's progressed so fast
that all her past scores are immediately outdated,
essentially unreliable.
We'll need the whole package if we want to win.
And it'll need to be perfect.
So what should we do?
- Coach. - Hmm?
- Are you ready? - Yes, sir.
I think we should stick with the plan.
You keep that triple Lutz, double loop combination right up top.
That's the key to victory.
Right.
You've worked very hard for this. You'll be fine.
Believe in yourself.
I will.
Number 13, Yuna Yagi from Meikoh Wind FSC.
If there's one skater who can pull off Coach Shinichiro's choreography,
it's me.
Focus! The triple Lutz, double loop combination.
If I can land it, I get the gold!
We're live with Riina Kojoh, the ace of Meikoh Wind
and the young and up-and-coming genius, Hikaru Kamisaki!
I don't need kindness or pity.
I don't need people who blindly believe in me.
What I need...
...is the strength to make them turn their heads!
Triple Lutz into a triple loop.
- That is insane! - Ah!
Uh, can you clue me in? Why was that so crazy?
She landed a very difficult triple Lutz
and jumped a triple loop with no break to build momentum.
And in Novice, only one other girl can pull that off.
That's what put Hikaru Kamisaki on the map.
Hang in there!
I've gone off script, but I can't falter now!
I can't break down.
I need a convincing performance!
Breathe. Focus on your spin.
Don't let your gliding leg wobble.
Hook your blade and pull it up into a Haircutter spin!
Next, the triple combination.
Double axel, double toe, double loop.
Focus!
Ever since Hikaru showed up,
tons of skaters have lost confidence and quit the sport altogether.
They got anxious, discouraged, depressed.
But I won't run away, because I know what I can do.
They may not call me a genius anymore,
but I'm still an incredible athlete!
You don't know how powerless it makes you feel to be overtaken.
You don't know the agony of having to close that gap.
And if you don't know that kind of pain, I'll never let you be a gold medalist!
Yes! An extra 10%!
Wow, a bunch of people are standing up to clap for her.
Yeah, and that's called a standing ovation.
We've just witnessed something incredibly special.
Another young lady who can land a triple Lutz into a triple loop.
Another prodigy.
How many times did I fall? How many are they going to count?
I thought we agreed that you'd stick to the plan.
I'm sorry, Coach.
- That's all right. - Huh?
You're a little rebel, huh?
You're not mad?
- Hmm... - Mr. Sekoma!
Look, I made it to level six!
Congratulations.
Thank you.
- But I don't want to stop there. - Huh?
I'm going to enter the Chubu Block event right away.
And if I do well enough there, the All-Japans are next.
Hmm...
- So, uh... - Hmm?
What are we thinking, boss? Can Inori win?
Hmm. It's hard to know.
Every one of those girls wants to leave their best work out on the ice.
They're betting on their hours and hours of practice to carry them through.
At a certain point, it all boils down to their passion and their drive,
and how much more brightly Inori can shine compared to the others.
So I couldn't say.
- But... - Huh?
GOOD LUCK, INORI YUITSUKA!
Ah.
From Meikoh Wind FSC,
Yuna Yagi's score is 80.03.
She currently ranks in first place.
- She did it! - She did it!
We should update your program after this, use more of those jumps.
And next time, you'll score even higher.
Okay.
Huh? Uh...
Here. Congrats, princess.
Thank you. These are beautiful.
I know the difference in our talent and experience.
I've taken it all in stride and worked so hard to catch up.
I've done my best not to be beaten.
But it's true
that the girls in Novice A are all exactly as good as I knew they would be.
I got a question for ya.
Do you think she'll try a big jump combination
at the beginning of her routine like the last skater?
I wish I could answer that.
The last update she gave me on her jumps was after she earned her level six badge.
She can do a triple Salchow.
But that's worth fewer points than the triple Lutz.
So, even if she executes it to the same level,
she'll still get a lower score for it.
Plus, Manaka, who's currently in second place,
didn't include any high-level jumps in per program.
But her second-half combination scored a 10% bonus.
Gotcha. She can perform it perfectly and still not take the lead.
Of course, I have to assume
that she and her coach must have known this was a strong possibility.
- Here you go. - Oh... Huh.
Is this for me?
See, generally in singles figure skating,
successful execution of high-difficulty jumps is considered the gold standard.
But the accuracy and grace of those jumps and other performance elements
can also strongly contribute to a good score.
But that can't make up for not having harder jumps in her program.
Well, not necessarily.
The GOE, or Grade of Execution,
could actually make all the difference in the world.
Take the double axel, for example.
Anywhere from a 10% to a 50% bonus could be added to the base score
based on factors such as the skater's form during the jump itself
or how well they hold their posture on landing.
Now, adopting a program that relies heavily on GOE bonuses
is a strategy taken more often by senior athletes
who are well used to their jumps.
However...
Coach Akeuraji's entire background as a skater
is in ice dancing.
You don't jump at all in that discipline,
so the standards for judging skating skill are way higher than they are in singles.
So if I had to guess,
they'll probably use that to their advantage.
Wait a second.
That's it. I'm sure of it.
This is Inori's secret weapon.
This is our ace in the hole!
It's showtime.
It all comes down to trusting that she can skate as she always does
without letting her mind waver.
Self-confidence, determination, courage.
That's all I need to drill into her now.
But what should I say? How do I get her to believe in herself?
Inori, listen.
Huh?
Today, I'm going to make a gold medalist out of you.
You're going to win this.
You think so?
I do. But you need to think so too.
The most important factor here is your resolve, Inori.
Every athlete in this place is working hard, striving for first.
But unless you're willing to risk it all, you'll never take home the gold.
Inori, please.
Please hear me.
If you listen to what I'm saying and believe in yourself,
you'll have the strength to push forward.
Don't you dare hesitate!
You have everything you need to take the gold.
You've got this.
Number 14, Inori Yuitsuka from Lux Higashiyama FSC.
Then trust in me. All right, Coach?
Do you believe in me?
You know I do.
Then I've got this.
Yeah, you do!