Yuka Sato 佐藤 有香 (JPN) - 1994 World Figure Skating Championships, Ladies' Free Skate

[detectiveonline]

No really, with a program like this you can't even now win a single competition !! No creativity, no originality, no sparrow !! no footwork ! one little combination ! a missed triple jump !!!

HELLO! someone can explain to me how she had this score ?????

[3Axel1996]

@detectiveonline Rules were different 17 years ago. Hello! Sports advance, rule change. Heck 17 years before this performance, women were bairely doing 2 triple jumps. You cannot apply today's standards to the past. Back in 1994, this was difficult. The footwork Sato did moved across the diagonal twice as fast as the footwork done these days. You try replicating it successfully, then we'll talk about lack of difficulty.

[slater4cc]

When she landed her triple flip you can see her coach in the background jump up with excitement!

[macerface]

just watched bonalys performance before this, there was no question yuka had won. she might not have had the technical difficulty, but she had so much more grace, better lines/positions, and presence than bonaly. it was very unsportsmanlike for her to act the way she did in the medal ceremony, she should have been happy for yuka.

[detectiveonline]

Is that what you call a footwork ?? two steps and much speed ??

[3Axel1996]

@detectiveonline Yes for 1994. The standards for footwork didn't change until 2000 when the Russians such as Yagudin & Plushenko revolutionized the sport. But no matter how difficult the footwork, it is also not easily to zip across from one end of the rink to the other in a matter of 3 seconds doing the footwork that Yuka Sato did. It would be more impressive had you seen it in person. But that's the sacrifice, you either had the complexity in steps or the speed, not both.

[snofagun1814]

yuka's final spin was better than surya's entire program pppppp lolols

[KatrinchenOnIce]

Figure skating changed a lot! But I'm not sure if I like it or not...

[Dylvente]

I agree with your comments in the description about the footwork. I actually think the technical mark, as well as the artistic, should go to Sato based on skating skills in general, such as that great footwork. Is that not technically demanding and difficult? Bonaly wins on the jumps, but Sato wins on everything else.

[rickram1961]

Yuka's skating is absolutely first rate all the way! Her skating is light and airly as well as simply breathtaking all wrapped up in one!

[oofahman]

She is just so cute! :)



[angeltcgirl]

what a great skater and now a great coach

[marcelpauldesbellons]

surya bonaly was so robbed!!!!!!!!!! there was nothing creative in that program. sato's win was an antifrench antibonaly victory !!! a shame for skating!!!!

[oofahman]

@marcelpauldesbellons aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah, SHADDUP, sore loser...

[jhecht424]

Interesting note, that with the mention of Midori Ito a couple of times in this video, the last segment of Yuka's skate is to the same piece of music that was in the last part of Midori's LP at the 1988 Olympics & World Championships

[barkingtree88]

Timeless performance!!

[zngm2htkag]

she has greatest skating skills

[fjn219]

Her English was very good, surprisingly~

[3Axel1996]

@fjn219 That came from being coached in Canada for 4 years. She obviously felt the need to master the English language, whereas most other skaters just learn enough to get by living and training in a foreign country.

[EmmaTav]

Her win here was such a no-brainer. I can't believe anyone, even Surya, was surprised/outraged.

[metsdudenj]

@EmmaTav Exactly, Surya didnt even deserve to be on the podium, she should have been fourth

[serenakicksass]

@metsdudenj Agree. Szewcenko should have won the silver, and Kiellmann the bronze. Bonalys program was crap, she didnt even land many of her jumps cleanly, and the overall program was a slow and weakened version of her 93 performance, and with her usual choppiness and non existent skating technique.

[jhecht424]

I love her speed, it gives so much energy to her jumps. She seems to fly across the ice.

[hotviolin83]

I love Yuka. Such speed, edges and flow! A pure skater, and what a great moment from her