u/sofastsomaybe

Hannah's post:

Hi everyone,

I wanted to announce that Ye and I have decided to end our partnership. This decision was made after careful consideration and taking into account our shared goals and aspirations for the sport.

I just wanted to take the time to thank every single person who supported and inspired us to not only be beautiful athletes but humans as well. We could not have accomplished all that we did without our amazing team.

And to our fans, thank you so much for coming along this special journey with us. You all hold a special place in our hearts 🤍

And finally to Ye, thank you for making all the early mornings bearable. Thank you for listening when I needed someone there. Thank you for all the laughs and amazingly fun times. Thank you for believing in my vision always. You were my first ever ice dance partner and I will remember that forever.

Moving forward, I will be looking for a new partner and new opportunities that come my way.

Hannah Lim

Ye's post:

After seven incredible years together and representing Korea at the 2026 Olympics, Hannah and I have decided to end our partnership.

All that time on the ice teaches you a lot. Hannah showed me how to laugh through the tough practices, and helped me stand back up when the whole world was watching. I’m proud of what we built — from juniors, to seniors, to standing in that Olympic rink together. What you saw from us was always real.

We chased a big dream and we caught it. I don’t regret a single day. Training beside her was a privilege, and I’m endlessly grateful for everything achieved as a team.

Thank you to our coaches at IAM, to KSU, to Brion, and to Team Triple K for your support and making all of this possible. Thank you to all the fans who welcomed us and followed us through everything.

This isn’t goodbye to skating — just to this chapter. I am now focused on 2030. I’ll be evaluating partnerships for the 2030 cycle, and I’m ready to get back to work.

Hannah — thank you for 7 unforgettable years. I’ll always be cheering you on. — Ye

Link to the interview!

[Note: I used machine translation for the bulk of the text, but I've read through it and corrected parts that are wrong]

Rio Nakata, a rising star poised to lead the future of Japanese men's figure skating, is about to make his senior debut. At the 2025-26 World Junior Championships, he set a world record for the highest score in the short program, becoming the first Japanese man to win consecutive titles. He also won a silver medal at 2024 Japan Nationals, already having experience on the podium. We spoke to this shining new star about his aspirations for his senior debut. (Interview date: April 9, 2026)

—Despite suffering an injury this season (a stress fracture in your left foot), you were able to conclude your junior career with the best possible result: winning the World Junior Championships for the second consecutive year. How do you reflect on that season?

The stress fracture occurred during a period when there were no competitions, so I was able to do physical training. Injuries are not good, but because of it, I was able to learn a lot.

—What in particular did you learn?

These are efficient jumps that other skaters perform. I trained by comparing myself to others and identifying what I was lacking. I practiced jumps with the intention of making them efficient and compact. Before my injury, I couldn't do the (quadruple) flip or Lutz, but I improved after consciously training for them.

--You said before that you weren't good at the Lutz.

I've always struggled with the Lutz jump. But lately I've been practicing a lot, and now I can even do the quadruple jump. I really think that training is paying off.

—Were there any skaters you used as inspiration for your Lutz jump technique?

Yuzuru Hanyu doesn't use pre-rotation (rotation before jumping), so he was the most helpful to me. My previous challenge was that the axis of my jumps was too wide. I've been practicing to make it as narrow as possible and jump more efficiently.

—You mentioned that you had a clear image in mind when you landed your first quadruple jump. Is it easy to recreate that image with your body?

For me, jumps are something I can only do once I can visualize them. When I can't visualize it, I really can't land them. I could visualize the (quadruple) Salchow, toe loop, and loop, but I couldn't really visualize myself landing the flip or Lutz, so those were difficult.

My way of visualizing things is quite unusual... I imagine myself jumping on the ice rink, and then I see myself watching from the sidelines. The quadruple loop was difficult at first, but when I had a stress fracture in my lower back during my first year as a junior, in my second year of middle school, I was actually visualizing the loop.

—So you're making good use of the time when you can't practice jumping due to injury.

Yes. I can't waste any time. My left foot injury is completely fine now.

—Are you currently practicing the quadruple Axel?

Yes, I practice every day. I landed the quadruple Lutz in March, but I had been practicing the quadruple Axel a little before that. I don't use any harnesses or other equipment; I just practice them normally. I haven't landed it yet, but I think I'll be able to this year. I'm already starting to get good at creating a stable axis, so I feel like I'm "almost there." Right now I'm just practicing quadruple jumps normally, so to do a quadruple Axel, I'll need to tighten my core a bit more, but I think I'll be able to land it once I get used to that.

—In the case of a quadruple Axel, are you afraid of stopping your rotation?

I've done a lot of the five types of quadruple jumps—toe loop, Salchow, loop, flip, and Lutz—so my body remembers them now, and I think it'll be easy once I focus on "just half a rotation." I don't have much fear of the quadruple Axel either. To be honest, I think I'm starting to see success in sight.

—Do you plan to include the quadruple toe loop-triple axel combination, which you successfully landed at the Japan Winter Sport Festival in February, in your future programs?

Yes, I plan to include a a triple Axel as the second jump in a combination starting next season. Lately, I've been able to land the triple Axel with about the same feeling as the double Axel, so I don't find it too difficult.

—The rules will change next season, and the number of jumps in the free program will be reduced from the current seven to six. What kind of program are you planning?

For now, I'm planning on a program that includes a quadruple flip, quadruple loop, quadruple Salchow, quadruple toe loop-triple Axel, quadruple toe loop, triple Axel-Euler-triple flip-triple toeloop (the Euler will be an unlisted jump starting next season).

—So you don't have any intention of putting together a polished performance for your senior debut season?

No. If I do this routine and land the jumps, I'll definitely get a good score. This routine gives me the highest score when I land. I think this is the only way to win.

—Does taking an aggressive approach lead to better results in competitions?

While there are aspects to that, to be honest, I focused on putting a good performance together at this season's World Junior Championships. I was able to put it together well then, and that's why I won. I think that if you're aggressive when you need to be aggressive, you can win, and if you don't defend when you need to defend, you won't win.

—Are you planning to be more aggressive because next season will be your senior debut?

No, it's because I'm going for the win. If I play defensively, I won't be able to get on the podium, so I'm going to attack.

—At this season's World Junior Championships, where you achieved a consecutive victory, you were so anxious before the short program that you cried. Have you ever had an experience like that before a competition?

I'd never been so nervous about a competition that I cried, so the World Junior Championships were truly a first for me. I had made mistakes at the Junior Grand Prix Final, so I was determined not to make the same mistakes again.

—During the finals, weren't you still feeling the effects of your injury?

There was a little bit left over. But we had a month to prepare, which was plenty, so it was a waste.

--You have a good rivalry with Minkyu Seo (South Korea/winner of the Junior Grand Prix Final this season, runner-up at the World Junior Championships).

I've wanted to beat Minkyu ever since my first year (as a junior). His skating, his ability to synchronize with the music, and the precision of his spins are amazing. He's a skater who's just as good as the senior level, and recently he's even started doing quadruple jumps. Up until now, I was able to do quadruple jumps, but my skating wasn't very good, so I think we were quite opposite. But because he earns points with his skating and other skills, it made me want to improve in that area too and beat him.

--At the Senior Grand Prix Final, Ilia Malinin (USA) delivered an overwhelming free skate. Did you watch it?

Yes, I was watching from up there (in the stands). The moment I saw it, I thought, "I can't stay like this as I am" as I compete next season.

--Have you ever spoken to Malinin at an ice show or anything like that?

Many times. I received advice about the quadruple flip that I was "putting too much power into it." He told me something like, "You're putting too much power into it, so relax more."

--I understand you watched the men's short and free programs at the Milan-Cortina Olympics in person. Seeing how Malinin faltered in the free program showed the harsh realities of the Olympics.

It was tough for the spectators to watch, too. My main feeling was, "You never know what's going to happen." For the past two years or so, people have been saying that Malinin would definitely win first place at the Olympics, so I was left with the feeling of, "So this is what can happen."

—What kind of season do you expect your senior debut season to be?

I'm in really good shape right now - so good that I could start the season tomorrow. I want to compete in the Grand Prix series and win, and I also want to go to the Grand Prix Final. My goals for my first year are to win Japan Nationals, compete in and win the Four Continents Championships, and compete in the World Championships and win a medal.

—Japanese men's singles is very competitive, but do you think you can win against them?

I know that if I don't win here, I won't be able to compete on the world stage, so I'll do my best to win here and work hard so that I can beat Ilia in four years.

Part 2 of the interview is scheduled to be published tomorrow.

YouTube channel rec0mmendation for amazing Stars on Ice USA (Orlando) videos: Joy's Journey

Hannah Lim and Ye Quan have ended their partnership.

Ilia Malinin's Backflip+1Eu+4S at the SOI Stargazer in Fort Lauderdale

New Rio Nakata interview: "I'm not very afraid of the quadruple Axel."