There is nothing greater in sports than watching a young skater come into their own. The years of hard work begin to bear fruit with results improving and the upward trend evident for all to see.
Such is the case with Tomoki Hiwatashi, the reigning world junior champion.
The 20-year-old Hiwatashi claimed his first medal at January’s U.S. Championships in Greensboro, North Carolina, taking the bronze behind Nathan Chen and Jason Brown, with a stirring free skate that saw the crowd give him a standing ovation when he finished.
In an exclusive interview in late January, Hiwatashi talked about his latest achievement.
“I’m just really excited about what I just accomplished,” Hiwatashi stated in a call from his training base in Colorado Springs, Colorado. “I have gotten a lot better than last year and am really happy.”
Hiwatashi has made a habit of surging at major competitions, having won the U.S. title at four different levels in his career, while also medaling twice at the world junior championships.
I wanted to know if there was a special motivation or reason for this.
“I guess I’m just not good at preparing myself for events early in the season,” Hiwatashi candidly remarked. “I kind of start peaking at this time of the year. It’s really just about preparation. I need to get better at that in the Grand Prix seasons. That will be my goal for next season.”
Damon Allen, who coaches Hiwatashi along with Christy Krall, feels his student has a special gear he calls upon when needed.
“Tomoki’s assets are his dynamic jumping abilities, great show stopping tricks like his amazing split jumps and cantilever,” Allen wrote in an email. “He has been able to demonstrate a great competitive spirit and can rise to the occasion when needed.”
Hiwatashi, who was fourth after the short program, landed two quadruple toe loops and seven triples in his free skate to “Petrushka.”
I wondered if Hiwatashi was making a push for the podium in his free skate or just wanted to give the best performance he could.
“I was just trying to do my best. I just really wanted to perform and give it my best and enjoy that moment of being there,” Hiwatashi commented. “I didn’t feel like I was able to do that at the Grand Prix series.”
The native of Englewood, New Jersey, came in fifth and 10th in his two GP assignments this season.
“I thought that competition – the nationals – may be my last competition of the year, so I wanted to really enjoy it,” Hiwatashi noted.
Making the moment even sweeter was the fact that both of his parents, who hail from Kobe, and one of his two older sisters were on hand to see him capture his first medal at the U.S. nationals.
Before the Four Continents, where he finished ninth, I asked Hiwatashi what elements he needed to improve on for the event.
“The first quad toe/triple toe – that jump was shaky on the landing (at nationals),” Hiwatashi noted. “I would like to do better on it at the Four Continents. The second triple axel was also a little shaky. I was going into it and I thought I shouldn’t be messing this up. But the thought of messing it up kind of affected it.”
Hiwatashi intended to stick with his programs this in Seoul.
“I’m not planning any changes to my programs at Four Continents. I just want to do the same thing I did at nationals and keep the consistency,” Hiwatashi said. “There is not much time between nationals and the Four Continents to make changes.”
It was clear the crowd on hand in North Carolina got behind Hiwatashi in both of his programs.
“I really appreciate the audience for doing that,” Hiwatashi said. “Especially for my short program (“Love Runs Out”), because with that music it is very important to have the crowd on my side. If I can do that and have people enjoy watching me, that means it is a successful program.”
Hiwatashi impressed in the second half of his free skate with a triple lutz/euler/triple flip combination.
“I have been working on it and the consistency has been good,” Hiwatashi stated. “I am confident now that I will be able to do it well.”
Some controversy arose at the end of the U.S. Championships after Hiwatashi was passed over for Vincent Zhou for the third spot (after Chen and Brown) on the U.S. team for the world championships in Montreal that were postponed.
Hiwatashi was magnanimous about not getting the nod, supporting the decision of U.S. Figure Skating in picking Zhou.
“I’m totally fine with it, to be honest. I didn’t do so well in the Grand Prix series,” Hiwatashi noted. “The only competition I have done well at this season has been nationals, so I really understand their decision to pick Vincent over me because of how great he did last year and how great he did at nationals.
“He is the world bronze medalist at this point. I feel like sending him is that right choice. If I were in their spot to decide who would go to the worlds, I would have probably picked Vincent over myself to.”
The blow was cushioned by Hiwatashi’s own expectations going into the nationals.
“I really didn’t expect to go to worlds. I’m excited to be going to Four Continents,” Hiwatashi commented. “I think deciding on the skater based on one competition is not correct. Because at times I have not been able to do what I wanted, and what people wanted me to do, I feel that their decision was the right choice to make.”
Hiwatashi’s attitude reflects both his class and upbringing.
“I’m excited for Nathan, Jason and Vincent to go out and do their best to get the three spots so I can actually go in that spot maybe next year,” Hiwatashi said.
Decision to go with Zhou explained
I asked legendary skating writer Phil Hersh for his take on the choice of Zhou over Hiwatashi.
“The world bronze had to be decisive,” Hersh declared in an email. “And Vincent skated very respectably at nationals on almost no training.”
Hersh thinks it might have been better for both Hiwatashi and Zhou to have one more competition before the decision was made.
“It seems as if it would be better if USFS asked both to go to the Four Continents and then made a decision, but there is no provision for that in the selection process,” Hersh noted. “Plus the Four Continents is so soon (after nationals) with a long trip it would be hard to draw conclusions from it.”
Hersh then explained the criteria the USFS uses to make calls like this one.
“The selection system in place values the previous year’s results as well as results of nationals and GP,” Hersh wrote. “Vincent skipped the GP series where Tomoki was 10th and fifth. In their other head to head this season, Vincent was third and Tomoki fourth at the US International Classic.
“Vincent was second and Tomoki fourth at 2019 nationals, and Vincent won not only world bronze but the Four Continents bronze (Tomoki was eighth),” Hersh continued. “That trumps Tomoki’s world junior title. If you look at the whole ‘body of work’ applicable, it’s easy to see why they took Vincent.”
