Erik Hai
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Erik Hai
@erik-hai.bsky.social
Old punk. Figure skating fan. Firekeeper. Hem Neter Het-Heru. The four powers of the Sphinx: To Know, To Will, To Dare, To Be Silent. Tekeli li. Addicted to Band Maid and other great JRock. Hell, any great rock and roll.
Happy New Year!!
BAND-MAID / without holding back (Official Live Video)
YouTube video by BAND-MAID
www.youtube.com
January 1, 2026 at 11:09 AM
There's only one skater who's record this could be - Shimada Mao. All that gold... She has won every single international competition she competed in since her junior debut in 2022. The only competitions she hasn't won are some of her own Nationals.
December 29, 2025 at 5:58 AM
🇯🇵 Japan’s Olympic Team

Women:
Kaori Sakamoto
Mone Chiba
Ami Nakai

Men:
Yuma Kagiyama
Shun Sato
Kao Miura

Pairs:
Riku Miura/Ryuichi Kihara
Yuna Nagaoka/Sumitada Moriguchi

Ice dance (team event):
Utana Yoshida/Masaya Morita
December 21, 2025 at 10:07 PM
Russian Nationals was much easier to follow as there is a YT channel streaming and posting 1TV's broadcasts. Results are:
🥇 235.95 Adelia Petrosian
🥈 227.40 Alisa Dvoeglazova
🥉 217.73 Maria Zahaorova
4th 217.67 Anna Frolova
5th 215.74 Sofia Muravieva
6th 214.96 Dina Husnutdinova
December 21, 2025 at 9:33 PM
I was able to catch the last 4 skates of the JNats women's FS last night on someone's live stream. The final results are:
🥇 234.36 Sakamoto Kaori
🥈 228.08 Shimada Mao
🥉 216.24 Chiba Mone
4th 213.56 Nakai Ami
5th 212.00 Aoki Yuna
6th 211.73 Oka Mayuko
December 21, 2025 at 8:56 PM
I was able to watch the last 3 groups (of 5) of the women's SP at Japanese Nationals live. (Don't ask how...) At the end of the SP, the standings are:

1st 79.43 Sakamoto Kaori
2nd 79.33 Shimada Mao
3rd 77.50 Nakai Ami
4th 74.60 Chiba Mone
5th 73.20 Mayuko Oka
6th 71.36 Watanabe Rinka
December 19, 2025 at 1:07 PM
Earlier tonight, in the men's Free Skate, Ilia Malinin sets a new world record in the FS with this 7 quad program.
Ilia MALININ (USA) | Men Free Skating | Grand Prix Final 2025 | #GPFigure
YouTube video by Skating ISU
www.youtube.com
December 6, 2025 at 2:11 PM
Final Results from the women's competition at the Grand Prix Final in Nagoya:

🥇 222.49 Alysa Liu 🇺🇸
🥈 220.89 Nakai Ami 🇯🇵
🥉 218.80 Sakamoto Kaori 🇯🇵
4th 211.50 Amber Glenn 🇺🇸
5th 210.22 Chiba Mone 🇯🇵
6th 207.14 Watanabe Rinka 🇯🇵

Kaori actually won the FS.
Kaori SAKAMOTO (JPN) | Women Free Skating | Grand Prix Final 2025 | #GPFigure
YouTube video by Skating ISU
www.youtube.com
December 6, 2025 at 2:03 PM
I stayed up late to watch the senior women's SP and then went straight to bed. The results after the SP are:

1st 77.27 Chiba Mone 🇯🇵
2nd 75.79 Alysa Liu 🇺🇸
3rd 73.91 Nakai Ami 🇯🇵
4th 70.68 Watanabe Rinka 🇯🇵
5th 69.40 Sakamoto Kaori 🇯🇵
6th 66.85 Amber Glenn 🇺🇸

Here's Ami:
Ami NAKAI (JPN) | Women Short Program | Grand Prix Final 2025 | #GPFigure
YouTube video by Skating ISU
www.youtube.com
December 5, 2025 at 9:51 PM
What a finish to the junior women's Final! Six skaters. Six triple Axels attempted - 3 landed clean, 1 downgraded, 2 falls. Two twin sisters - 2 3As landed clean. Mao remains undefeated in international competition, and wins her 4th Junior Grand Prix Final. This must be a whole bunch of firsts.
December 5, 2025 at 9:58 AM
From the Grand Prix Final in Nagoya last, the results of the Junior Women's SP are:
1st 73.45 Shimada Mao 🇯🇵
2nd 68.21 Okada Mei 🇯🇵
3rd 67.93 Oka Mayuko 🇯🇵
4th 66.16 Kanazawa Sumika 🇯🇵
5th 64.06 Kim Yu-seong 🇰🇷
6th 60.02 Kim Yu-jae 🇰🇷
December 4, 2025 at 7:29 PM
I was only able to watch the last group of the women's SP at the Korean Ranking Competition live, but was able to catch the entire FS. Final results:

🥇 216.20 Shin Ji-a
🥈 204.99 Kim Yu-jae
🥉 201.78 Kim Chae-yeon
4th 201.65 Youn Seo-jin ❤️
5th 195.80 Lee Hae-in ❤️
6th 188.86 Kim Yu-seong
December 1, 2025 at 5:59 AM
And in the Republic of Korea, Kim Yu-jae was awarded 142.38 by the judges for this FS. Her sister Yu-seong seems to be struggling and did not attempt a 3A in her FS.
김유재 Yujae KIMㅣA조 여자 고등부 FS 5ㅣ2025-11-23 경기도회장배 겸 동계체육대회 경기도예선-2일차ㅣ수리고 1학년ㅣ8급
YouTube video by JewelskatersCross
www.youtube.com
November 27, 2025 at 9:07 PM
Meanwhile, in Russia Alina Gorbacheva who was in 1st after the SP at the recent Russian Grand Prix competition, fell to 3rd after the FS but landed this fine 4S, the best quad of the women's competition.
Алина Горбачева. Женщины. Произвольная программа. Омск. Гран-при России по фигурному катанию 2025/26
YouTube video by Фигурное катание
www.youtube.com
November 27, 2025 at 9:05 PM
Also from Japanese junior Nationals, Miyake Saki lands a gorgeous triple Axel in her FS.
www.youtube.com
November 27, 2025 at 8:47 PM
Just a few more or less random psots from skating events going on worldwide at recently. Here's Kushida Ikura's SP from Japanese junior nationals. Her dress is beautiful.
Japan Nationals Junior Women SP Ikura KUSHIDA 櫛田育良
YouTube video by garo
www.youtube.com
November 27, 2025 at 8:44 PM
The 6 women who qualified for the final are:
🇯🇵 Chiba Mone 30 pts
🇯🇵 Sakamoto Kaori 28 pts
🇺🇸 Amber Glenn 28 pts
🇺🇸 Alysa Liu 28 pts
🇯🇵 Nakai Ami 26 pts
🇯🇵 Watanabe Rinka 24 pts
November 22, 2025 at 7:29 PM
Final results from the final women's event of the Grand Prix series in Helsinki are:

🥇 217.22 Chiba Mone 🇯🇵
🥈 213.41 Amber Glenn 🇺🇸
🥉 193.21 Matsuike Rino 🇯🇵 ❤️
4th 190.38 Bradie Tennell 🇺🇸
5th 188.60 Madeline Schizas 🇨🇦
6th 180.17 Iida Karhunen 🇫🇮
November 22, 2025 at 6:56 PM
In entirely predictable fashion, Alysa wins Skate America in Lake Placid.

🥇 214.27 Alysa Liu 🇺🇸
🥈 210.96 Watanabe Rinka 🇯🇵
🥉 204.69 Anastasiia Gubanova 🇬🇪
4th 204.29 Lara Naki Gutmann 🇮🇹
5th 195.28 Starr Andrews 🇺🇸
6th 188.22 Kim Chae-yeon 🇰🇷

Here's Chae-yeon:
Chaeyeon KIM | Women Free Skating | Saatva Skate America 2025 | #GPFigure
YouTube video by Skating ISU
www.youtube.com
November 16, 2025 at 11:05 PM
My favourite short program skate from this weekend wasn't from the Grand Prix, but from Russia. Mura's delivery of Carmen here is the best I've seen her do this program yet. Sadly, she faltered in the free and didn't make the podium. Kaori's FS at NHK qualifies as my favourite FS.
Софья Муравьева. Женщины. Короткая программа. Казань. Гран-при России по фигурному катанию 2025/26
YouTube video by Фигурное катание
www.youtube.com
November 10, 2025 at 2:47 AM
I did not know Post-Melodic Nu-Metal was a genre. Zilqy is a new group with Miho from Lovebites and Toki from Aldious. Unfortunately Toki's departure from Aldious is probably the end of them as a continuing band. They had been struggling for several years after R!N had to leave as their vocalist.
【Zilqy】Carry On (Music Video)
YouTube video by Zilqy
www.youtube.com
November 10, 2025 at 2:39 AM
The final results from NHK:
🥇 227.18 Sakamoto Kaori 🇯🇵
🥈 200.00 Sofia Samodelkina 🇰🇿
🥉 198.97 Loena Hendrickx 🇧🇪
4th 198.82 You Young 🇰🇷
5th 186.69 Sarah Everhardt 🇺🇸
6th 183.31 Aoki Yuna 🇯🇵

Both the SP and FS were plagued by falls, there were few clean skates. Here's Kaori:
Kaori SAKAMOTO (JPN) | Women Free Skating | NHK Trophy 2025 | #GPFigure
YouTube video by Skating ISU
www.youtube.com
November 8, 2025 at 7:56 PM
Final results from Skate Canada International:
🥇 217.23 Chiba Mone 🇯🇵
🥈 209.77 Isabeau Levito 🇺🇸
🥉 203.09 Nakai Ami 🇯🇵
4th 195.07 Bradie Tennell 🇺🇸
5th 192.05 Lara Naki Gutmann 🇮🇹
6th 182.85 Aoki Yuna 🇯🇵

CBC only has Maddie's FS up at the moment.
Madeline Schizas finishes 9th at Skate Canada International
Madeline Schizas of Oakville, Ont., places ninth in the women's competition at Skate Canada International.
www.cbc.ca
November 2, 2025 at 3:05 AM
At the end of the short program at Skate Canada, the standings are:
1st 72.29 Chiba Mone 🇯🇵
2nd 71.80 Isabeau Levito 🇺🇸
3rd 68.11 Lara Naki Gutmann 🇮🇹
4th 66.55 Nakai Ami 🇯🇵
5th 65.55 Bradie Tennell 🇺🇸
6th 64.58 Aoki Yuna 🇯🇵
November 1, 2025 at 2:17 AM