“I was shocked beyond words. My shoelace broke during the flip jump. ” Nobunari Oda’s Journey to the 2010 Vancouver Olympics
Nobunari Oda’s Journey to the 2010 Vancouver Olympics and Two Encounters with Retirement
original source: sportiva.shueisha.co.jp dd September 17th by Oriyama Toshimi
This article recounts the highs and lows of Japanese figure skater Nobunari Oda’s career leading to his appearance at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics. Here’s a translation of an article posted on Web Sporttiva.
Nobunari Oda rose to prominence in December 2005 at the Japanese National Championships, held to determine the sole representative for the 2006 Turin Olympics. Leading up to the competition, Japan had lost its chance for two Olympic spots at the World Championships earlier that year. Takahiko Honda, who had long led Japanese men’s figure skating, was injured during practice and withdrew mid-performance. Daisuke Takahashi needed an eighth-place finish to secure two spots but faltered under pressure, finishing 15th. The result left Oda and Takahashi battling for just one coveted Olympic spot.
Oda delivered a flawless short program, showcasing his triple axel and pulling over five points ahead of Takahashi, who faltered on the same jump. In the free skate, Oda stumbled on his opening triple axel combination but completed the rest of his program cleanly, scoring 146.20 points – for a total of 226.10, his personal best at the time. An emotional Oda broke into tears in the kiss-and-cry.
Takahashi also faltered in his free skate, turning a planned quad into a triple and singling his triple axel. Despite recovering from these mistakes to earn 148.60 points in the free skate, his total score of 223.12 fell just shy of Oda’s by less than 3 points.
The victory, however, turned bittersweet for Oda. It was later discovered that his three-jump combination had been scored incorrectly. The loop in his triple axel–combination was downgraded for under-rotation, nullifying the subsequent triple Lutz due to jump repetition rules. Oda’s final score was revised to 218.70, granting Takahashi the victory at 223.12 and the Olympic spot. Overwhelmed, Oda was seen crying and did not appear before media following the announcement.
Despite the loss, Oda’s near-tie with Takahashi earned him a spot at the Four Continents Championships and the World Championships. Oda shone at Four Continents, winning gold, and entered his senior debut at Worlds with great confidence. After leading his qualification group and achieving a clean short program for a personal best of 78.25, he faltered in the free skate due to jump errors, finishing fourth overall. His performance helped Japan reclaim two World Championship entries for men, signaling the beginning of a resurgence in Japanese men’s figure skating.
The 2008–2009 season marked a turning point as Oda began working with renowned coach Nikolai Morozov. With Takahashi sidelined due to injury, Oda claimed the Japanese National Championships and secured a critical spot at Worlds, where Japanese skaters needed to earn three Olympic spots.
Reflecting on the competition, Oda said:
“This was the third time I’ve been penalized for mismanaging the number of jumps – it’s something I clearly need to work on. But landing the quad at Worlds with the Olympic spot on the line was a huge personal achievement for me. Still, I need to improve my artistry to match the top skaters.”
Oda’s setbacks and perseverance shaped his growth as a skater and a person. His remark summed up his love for the sport: “After missing an entire season, I realized that skating is the most important thing for me.”
Unlike his first senior season when he narrowly missed qualifying for the 2006 Turin Olympics, Oda approached the 2010 Vancouver Games with hard-earned experience and determination. During the 2009–2010 season, Oda maintained excellent form alongside Japan’s top contender Daisuke Takahashi, who had returned from injury.
At the Grand Prix circuits, Oda showcased consistency. His early victories included the France Cup, where he delivered a victorious free skate despite skipping the quad jump due to morning physical discomfort.
“I was nervous about competing against strong skaters like Brian Joubert (France) and Tomas Verner (Czech Republic), but once the competition started, I focused only on performing my best,” Oda said after capturing gold.
At the China Cup two weeks later, Oda defeated Evan Lysacek (United States), securing first place and earning a ticket to the Grand Prix Final. In the Final, he began strongly in the short program, scoring 87.65 points to place third, just 2.30 points shy of the leader. Despite mistakes in the free skate, Oda overtook Takahashi, earning silver and solidifying his place on Japan’s Vancouver Olympic team.
“To compete against the best skaters in the world, I believe the quad is essential. Though I’ve landed it in practice, I want to approach it with greater confidence during competition,” Oda shared.
Oda debuted at the Olympics with a solid short program, skating after a heated field that included Evgeni Plushenko (Russia), Daisuke Takahashi (Japan), and Lysacek (United States). While he landed his opening triple Axel and maintained composure throughout, a lack of clarity on his lutz edge and Level 3 circular and straight-line steps kept his score at 84.85 points, placing him fourth after Lysacek’s 90.35 finish.
Entering the free skate, Oda faced mounting pressure. Lysacek topped the leaderboard with a clean, quad-less skate, pushing Oda to far exceed his previous personal best of 163.33 points to medal. Oda began with a triple lutz instead of a planned quad toe loop, landed his triple axel-triple toe loop combination but struggled with a shaky landing, and fell during a triple loop in the second half. Adding to his challenges, his shoelace loosened mid-performance, forcing him to pause and retie his skates.
The deductions for the fall and the interruption (three points total) brought his free skate score to 153.69, with a combined final score of 238.54. Oda narrowly missed the podium, finishing seventh.
“I was shocked beyond words. My shoelace broke during the flip jump, and the loop jump was undone because of it. It’s frustrating to end on such a note, but I acknowledge that my inability to deliver a quad consistently is my own responsibility,” Oda reflected tearfully.
Oda hoped to redeem himself at the 2010 World Championships but faltered severely, placing 28th in the short program after a series of single-jump errors. His season of resilience, however, began to flourish in 2010–2011. At the Grand Prix Final, Oda successfully landed his first quad toe-triple toe combination in competition, earning second place. He also secured silver at the Japanese Nationals and finished sixth at the World Championships, continuing to push boundaries with his quad technique.
However, injuries cast a shadow over his progress. In the 2011–2012 season, left knee issues limited him to two Grand Prix events, and he failed to qualify for the World Championships. The following season, he missed both the Grand Prix Final and Worlds again.
During the 2013–2014 season, Oda saw flashes of brilliance. He began his campaign by delivering his career-high score of 262.98 points at the Nebelhorn Trophy, successfully landing quad toe jumps in both his short and free programs. After narrowly qualifying to compete at the Grand Prix Final due to Takahashi’s withdrawal, Oda earned third place and showcased his resilience.
However, at the Japanese Nationals, he finished fourth behind Yuzuru Hanyu (gold), Tatsuki Machida (silver), and Takahashi (bronze)—missing his chance to compete at the Sochi Olympics. The following day, Oda announced his retirement at the Medallists on Ice gala.
Remarkably, Oda returned to competition nearly 10 years later, resuming competitive skating during the 2022–2023 season. He stunned fans by winning the Western Japan Championships and qualifying for Nationals, where he delivered a strong short program featuring a quad toe-triple toe combination. Despite falling in the free skate, he earned an overall fourth-place finish, proving his enduring passion for figure skating.
At the age of 37, Oda retired for the second time, leaving behind a legacy of bold performances and an ability to inspire audiences with both his skating and emotional openness.
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