Carolina Kostner: “I always challenged myself to become not just an athlete, but also an artist. I tell Yuma, ‘Choreography isn’t just about movement – cherish the emotions that arise from those movements.’”
Carolina Kostner, coach to Yuma Kagiyama, reflects on his growth and their collaboration as they prepare for the Milan-Cortina Olympics.
original source: news.yahoo.co.jp dd. 16th December 2025, interview by Kazuki Suzuki
Carolina Kostner, former world champion and coach to Japan’s Yuma Kagiyama since 2023, spoke in an exclusive interview with Sankei Sports about his growth over the past two and a half years and her hopes for him in this Olympic season. Here’s a translation of her comments.
“His skating and expressiveness have definitely grown,” Kostner told.
The two first met at the 2019 All-Japan Junior training camp. As a coach at the camp, Kostner was captivated by the then-16-year-old Kagiyama.
Kostner: “There was absolutely no sound when he skated. His smoothness was exceptional, and he had a remarkable ability to generate speed.”
After Kagiyama won silver at the Beijing Olympics, they reunited in the spring of 2023 during a training camp in Italy, where Kostner began coaching him in expression. Soon after, she was asked to become his official coach.
Kostner: “I hadn’t planned to become anyone’s dedicated coach, so I was surprised. But when Yuma asked, I couldn’t say no.”
Since then, she has coached Kagiyama alongside his father, Masakazu, focusing mainly on expression and skating technique.
Kostner: “How can a program transcend the boundaries of competition? I always challenged myself to become not just an athlete, but also an artist. I tell Yuma, ‘Choreography isn’t just about movement – cherish the emotions that arise from those movements.’”
For this Olympic season, Kagiyama’s free skate is set to the Italian opera “Turandot,” famously used by Shizuka Arakawa at the 2006 Turin Olympics. To deepen their understanding of this piece from her homeland, Kostner and Kagiyama attended the opera together before the season, repeatedly reading through the story’s lines and lyrics to share its world view.
Kostner: “We’re doing our best to express the artistry of Turandot in four minutes and ten seconds. I want to create a program that unites skating and art, leading Yuma toward his dream.”
Kostner herself competed in four consecutive Olympics, winning bronze at Sochi 2014. The Milan Ice Skating Arena, the venue for next year’s Olympics, is where she last competed at Worlds in 2018. Drawing on her wealth of experience, she offers strong encouragement.
Kostner: “The Olympics bring pressure and are a high-level battle. But that’s what gives the Games their value. I hope Yuma can give his all, and I promise to do everything I can to guide him there.”
Related topics: Carolina Kostner, Yuma Kagiyama
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