Shizuka Arakawa, World Championships -04 (Free Skate)

[kourobou]

How speedy she skates! I love her skating skill more than jumping skill. She can get top speed only to have 2,3 crosses. Skating skill is what skater is. Even though she retired ,she keeps her skating skill(she also keeps jumping skill, I admire that) and I want to see her because of her skating skills.

[clare0809]

2004＞＞＞＞＞＞＞＞＞＞＞2009

すごいとしかいいようがない。。

特に最初の３ルッツ-３トウループー２ループは完璧！

イナバウアーはいうにおよばず、イーグルも綺麗だし、スケーティ­ングもソフトで、

何よりこの曲の世界観を素晴らしく表現してる。

「だれもが納得する」世界女王の演技。

[ja3399]

Shizuka came back, after a disappointing year, to Torino. There, in practice, she was doing effortless triple-triples. But in the long program she held back, likely because her federation wanted her to get any kind of medal for Japan. Other top girls here made mistakes. Shizuka skated well with no major mistakes, and she won the gold medal anyway. She was skating so well through all the practices, but her federation did not trust her abilities. A memorable, deserving Olympic champion.

[keikomoon17]

Mao maybe considered better than her due to Mao having much more championship medals than her but I love watching her more than Mao. Her movements are so fluid and graceful while Mao is too technical. Mao does every move right but Shizuka does every move with feminine softness and grace.

[AudaciousSicilian]

Simply gorgeous. Anyone insulting her (very slim!) size is probably jealous that they could never be even half as graceful as she is no matter what their size.

[mossgreen2006]

Speechless. Wonderful performance.

SO powerful and overwhelming.

Every time I watch this, I'm deeply moved.

[octopussy1234]

I agree with erikamaki91. I cant think of a free skate at the world championships I like better than this one. The music is very passionate and hard to do justice, but she interpreted it perfectly!

[monamonao]

I like this performence than Olynmpic

[erikamaki91]

this is seriously the most amazing performance i've ever seen. the music, her jumps, lines, grace...not to mention no mistakes at all. i haven't seen any performances after this that have impressed me this much

[jasonrocb]

her jumping skill was much better than yuna or mao. i never thought she's that good. awesome skater.

[uwoeric]

She's always been extremely talented, but I think it was with Tarasova that she really developped the "look of a champion". Incredible performance here, heart felt.

The only thing I didn't like about this program was that she did 6/7 triples within the first minute and a half. Talk about front-end loading. However, she made up for it with some wonderful moves in the field.

[kinakosuomiazuki]

what a speed!

and what a beautiful skating!

[buchananbji]

Wow!! This was way better than her Olympic performance. Just got done watching the 2009 Worlds short programs. The Asian women are very dominant and strong and artistic. The US field which use to be dominant is struggling after Michelle and Sasha but I'm loving what I'm seeing w/ current ice queens, Mao Adada & Kim Yu Na!

Oh I remember the days of Midori Ito too. Yeah..I'm old(er). LOL but Midori is still the best of the best and everyone loved her no matter what country you were from.

[sidthesquid74]

And the height of her jumps - UNBELIEVABLE!!

I always used to (and still do) watch figure skating - Queen Yuna (beautiful to watch) & Mao Asada are just brilliant and hope they're OK for the Olys :)

[mccarrjc]

this may still be the best performance ever by a women in figure skating....even better than her win at the Olympics in 2006

[SecondPlaceYuya]

Shizuka trained at the rink I skate at in the 02-05 seasons with Richard Callaghan, right before she changed to Tatiana Tarosiva. I was suprised she was so much shorter in person than she looks on the ice. She is really nice though, I practiced Japanese with her once.

I love her choreography, her skating oozes, and really I think sensual is a good way to put it.

[biokalendari]

Every time I look at this video..it leaves me speechless, it's just wonderful performance and skating.

[waddleduckie1]

I don't like it when people spam this forum, and ruining everything that this forum stands for. I want to come in here without reading stupid porn garbage in this forum.

[gcucolo11]

maybe he/she isnt old enough to move out yet. i can stand this country, i'm going to college in europe when i graduate high school

[jioz324]

um.......why people here speak about americans and how shizuka and midori look......i don like americans but this video is about shizuka and her performing so this have nothing to do with how amricans are fat and ugly and stupid.....

[chman4ever]

i have seen all, but shizuka is no doubt the best of all, a combination of sensuality,technique, and experience. a sort of diva of the ice

[jon3m2007]

Perhaps I dont understand the utube concept yet - but aint it about watching what you want, if u dont like it u have millions of other channels to look at - I know nothing about skating but I thought that was ace

[koreanbiatches]

SHIZUKA ARAKAWA IS SO not FAT! PEOPLE! GET some GLASSES!

[tcrafty66]

whats the song called at 02:40? i know it from somwhere but i cant put my finger on it.

[funenotama]

Perfect,Perfect,Perfect

[itoroi]

this was simply spectacular! and how fast is she skating? her speed and agility are incredible! not to mention her out-of-this-world jumping ability. wow.

[biokalendari]

This is so beautiful, I can watch it over and over again. For me, this is the best free program that I've ever seen. At the Olympics she was also way better than the rest of the skaters but this was even better than her skate at the Olympic games.

[iceflake242]

has she won 2 gold medal @ the olypics?

[lucybirkin]

no, just one

[vispork]

3-3-2 3-3

wow crazy...

[amexred]

One of the top 10 ladies free program ever imo. It has everything: Technical difficulty, choreography, musicality, and excellent presentation.

[jolazzzang]

i feel so sorry for dick. what a f***ing bastard.

[7pillarofwisdom]

Arakawa is The latebloomer.She was behind other famous skater so long........I am sorry she was not appriciated... ......

This program has all about Woman's figure skating. Technique and aristry.. jump, spin, powerful movement, flexibe position, so on....

[7pillarofwisdom]

Arakawa is The latebloomer.She was behind other famous skater so long........I am sorry she was not appriciated and ... ......

This program has all about Woman's figure skating.

[Tessaira]

what can i say? it's wunderful....

[her0esfan]

Is that Dick Button talking? In the short program he was so critical of her, but here he's so complimentary! Is it a different commentator, or did he just change his mind?

[suraaldy]

I went and watched the short to hear what you were talking about. You're right, he was critical, even by Dick Button standards. Even in the long, he sneaks in a (in my opinion unfair) criticism of her layback spin.

[towright]

This was an amazing long program. Love the music.

[joan05250]

breathtakingly beautiful! Magnificent!

[skaterprincess182]

she is a great skater! everytime i watch her...i get goosebumps! she is just the best honestly i love her

[Renfejrsncfdb]

Shizuka THE BEST!

[idolfan9495]

Such a beautiful program. This is better than her Olympic performance, not just in her jumps but also in her choreograpy. Maybe it was Tarasova. But overall, a stunning performance.

[2010OlympicChampion]

that was beutifulll

[luv2005]

i am soooooo proud of her.

[OAMARQUINA]

PERFECTION!!!THE ONLY WHO SUCKS HERE IS liriub, I BET AN UGLY FAT COW!

[6435239]

She deserve the world title!liriub and isakdinesen sucks! She is NOT heavy. Her body type is just build. It maybe makes her skating unattractive,but the contents she display here is amazing! She has great jumps,good spins,and good spirals.However, I prefer Olympic one because the costume is much better than this. Shizuka rocks! She is defenitely a good skater!

[cruice45]

Shizuka -- Tarandot -- Ina BAUER -- it is time to die and go to Heaven. There might be a better skater somewhere, perhaps Mao Asada, but there is no better ice artist. The ultimate Ice Queen.

[kandidasama]

The skate of her life!!!

[liriub]

What an undeserved title! Oh my God! I have to disagree here with the commentators and the comments on this site. Shizuka's only accomplishments are her triple-triples ahd her Ina Bauer. But the rest is "whatever". I only agree with isakdinesen, Shizuka is so heavy on the ice, so inelegant, she skates like a monolith. (Look at my comment on her short).

[indicatoto101]

She has what you would call...deep edges.

[waddleduckie1]

llriub. You are not about to compare Arakawa to Emily Hughes. You are one disgusting punk. So you are not going to be posting anymore even, in Sasha's forum because you do not have intelligence at all. So get lost iiruib. And the other thing. I don't like you, IIriub so you stay out of Arakawa and Sasha's forum.

[waddleduckie1]

You don't make sense so GET OUT, liriub. You bicker like a selfish ignorant bigot who have no particular reason but stick with insults of your own. GET REAL or find someone else to insult because you have a complete lack of respect for figure skaters. I am talking intelligence because I don't compare Arakawa to Hughes, so watch what you say in the future.

[waddleduckie1]

isakdinesan, you look like a cross between a blockhead and a nitwit.

[chrrytree]

You don't like her...because she doesn't resemble Barbie? So I assume you would also mitigate the achievements of people like Midori Ito or even Tonya Harding and Emily Hughes.

Or, on another thought, put on a mini skirt and see how your thighs look. Surely you don't have "thunder thighs" too?

[waddleduckie1]

You don't have any idea that physical profiles don't matter much when it comes to perfect skating. PRACTICE is what makes a figure skater perform well. If you don't practice, you don't get results!

[waddleduckie1]

You don't call Arakawa fat do you? READ MY comments before you respond.  I NEVER called Arakawa' fat! Due to ridiculous and unflattering comments made of Emily Hughes, Arakawa can NOT be compared to Emily Hughes. SO REREAD the comments before responding!

[chrrytree]

Dude, calm down. At least, calm down if this was directed at me.

My post is for liriub. Hopefully my comment about "thunder thighs" was indicative enough to distinguish this.

[isakdinesen]

Yeah, Chrrytree, I don't like Midori Ito or Tonya Harding either. Midori is FUGLY and if the likes of Midori or Shizuka dominated the figure skating world - whew, thank God they don't - I'd turn the channel whenever figure skating came on. Shizuka's big flat butt and thunder thighs that move like a robot gets in the way of WHATEVER she does out there. So please don't tell me to see any aesthetics in it. It's like trying to convince me any average girl out there can become a ballerina.

[isakdinesen]

Yeah, Chrrytree, I don't like Midori Ito or Tonya Harding either. Midori is FUGLY and if the likes of Midori or Shizuka dominated the figure skating world - whew, thank God they don't - I'd turn the channel whenever figure skating came on. Shizuka's big flat butt and thunder thighs that move like a robot gets in the way of WHATEVER she does out there.  So please don't tell me to see any aesthetics in it. It's like trying to convince me any average girl out there can become a ballerina.

[chrrytree]

...but Shizuka and Midori DID dominate the skating world during their skating careers. They have the medals, the scores to prove it.

And how would you describe Kwan, who has thighs that are now much larger than when she was in her teens? Thunder thighs too huh? Yet she has DEFINITELY dominated the skating world for almost a decade.

[chia1123]

I like Mao and Yuna, but sometimes they appear fragile and vulnerable because they are skinny. While their fragility may make them look elgant to you, Shizuka has a different quality-i.e., maturity of an adult woman. Although Shizuka's thighs may be heavier than Mao's or Yuna's, her landing doesn't crash the ice. In fact, she lands very softly. Probably that's what Dick meant. Anyway, this performance deserves compliements. Technically superior.

[rutenntube]

The most favorite performance in having seen performance of many figure skatings is performance of Arakawa at this time. I think that it is the wonderful work of art with which the forcibleness as an athlete and dramatic music were united.

[miraan786]

damn she really is better than sasha..

[kandidasama]

This is the performance of her life.Better than her free skate in Torino!

Really powerful.

I am a fan of Cohen,but really agree that she deserves gold that night!

[VictorJ]

Quite! Puccini doesn't 'demand' anything. It's an interpretation. And a damn good one at that. Want quiet elegance? Watch the Torino LP. Artistically superb. Arakawa is one of those skaters that makes one understand that figure skating is a combination of 'sports' and 'artistic expression'. If her Ina Bauer is a 'circus act', I am in favour of introducing many more circus acts in figure skating.

[Chinamerican]

She is a very strong and elegant jumper but her non-jumping elements are very aesthetically unappealing. I don't know if that is the fault of her choreographer/coach but the biellman position spiral, the "alabesque" (a la seconde+arabesque) position spiral, and her "extreme" Ina Bauer make her look more like a circus act (not that there is anything wrong with circus acts) than the sort of quiet elegance this LP demands.

[daphnis]

Quiet elegance? For Puccini? Eh?

[waddleduckie1]

sorry, now I must see you a return trip back to China. Eh, is that how you like showing your proof of ignorance, Chinamerican? Her spirals are incredible and nobody can do an ina bauer as well as she does. Maybe you should perform in a circus yourself, chinamerican freak.

[waddleduckie1]

This is NOT about comparing one figure skater to another. But your vicious comments are not consistent on how she presents her artistry. She may have some good jumps, but I love her artistry BETTER than some of the jumps. If you look at Mirai's and Caroline's ina Bauer, you can see a lot more than what meets the eye.. See how wrong you truly are?

[Chinamerican]

Sorry, you are obviously biased based on your comments in this video. I thought competitions were supposed to be about comparing figure skaters. It doesn't matter anyway with the new system that has homogenised. I don't doubt her abilities as an athlete but artistry is subjective and if you cannot counter without resorting to childish retorts, then you have a long way to go.

[Chinamerican]

*homogenised the choreography.

[waddleduckie1]

Chinamerican. You have a long way to learn before you understand the full concept of figure skating. Arakawa is NOT fat, and she is fluid in her movement and her artistry is absolutely divine. Arakawa has much better technique due to her previous experiences on the ice and has an ability to reinvent herself since her disappointing previous skating trials.

[vispork]

6.0 6.0 6.0 6.0 6.0 6.0 6.0 ...

[hkitty383]

WOW! i cannot say in words how good she is!

[assid707]

during this time there wasnt any point scale at worlds. it was added later. so that is why it was front loaded

[clovera]

im not sure...top skater even in the COP system front load their most difficult jumps (especially combos) first and get it over with (miki, mao, plushenko especially). and stamina wise i dont think its very smart to put your triple-triples and quads late in the program. but you are definitely right that a lot of jumps in the end are usually strategic to get the time bonus (for ladies' skating, a 2nd 3-lutz or 3-2-2/2axel-2-2 is usually put near the end) ^^

[slothyslothsloth]

That was the most exquised Enia Dower I have ever seen.

[visceraltuning]

Cute :)

It's called an Ina Bauer ;)

[slothyslothsloth]

Ohmygosh *embaressment reigns* . . . Lol. How foolish of me. I am an amature skater and am not very advanced at anything, but do to the odd outward angles my feet point, I can do spread eagles really well. I've gotten close to doing an Ina Bauer well before but still nothing nearly as amazing as Arakawa's.

...I can't believe I've been pernouncing it wrong this whole time...

[sebringkidd]

she skated with suck energy a flaweless performance

[khaliunaabold]

every time i see this video i wanna cry, she is just amazing

[gjglrb]

amazing! at the olympics she did well, but this perforance was outstanding

[kokubuik]

go shizuka Cool Beauty!

[jing2008]

admire her sticking to skate for more than a decade and finally she made it!

[mychix21]

WOW~!

[clovera]

if this was performed in the COP system (with a few tweaks in the spins/spirals to fit the system obviously) this would easily surpass 130 points i think :D

[cms8884169]

one other tweak might be to move a couple of the triples to the second half of the program to get bonus points. It was extremely front-loaded in that regard. But that's nitpicking.

[mychix21]

Her left thigh was wrapped there, right?

[clovera]

correct. she stated that it was not bothersome however.

[Mican17]

Wow..this is an amazing performance. I have to agree with virtuoso06 that this was better than her 2006 Olympic performance by quite some degrees. I just don't see how you can really top this. Once again, amazing.

[virtuoso06]

this performance was infinitely better than her Olympic free skate! riveting.

[sayomsskiver]

yaay arakawa!

[meigrian]

unbelievable!

[escaflowne9282]

wow! This is probably my all time favorite ladies Figure skating performance and program. Technically demanding with beautiful presentation,speed and emotional projection. I can watch this performance again and again and still get chills. It's nice to finally have a complete skater like this as Olympic Champion

[coppertop1]

I agree with you. Shizuka has everything, and this time it was a mature adult skater who won (no disrespect the teens who have won). A reflection of this new system

[kawam]

B E A U T I F U L ! !

[dlabiana98]

That was breath taking...love her!!!

[singen]

Perfect

[ajnaqvi86]

Amazing, worthy of that historic and beautiful piece of music

[ksyting]

that was amazing..!

[Ixtullati]

This performance was absolutely amazing!!!

[ThiefAlucard]

SHE IS SO GOOOOD !

[peetoons]

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[barmie]

That was amazing

[jjmaster99]

OMG that was beautiful, congrats to this terrific skater