Medalist (メダリスト)

I've got to land this.

I've got to land this.

I've got to land this!

I refuse to accept that I just can't do it!

I won't give up. I'm going to land this!

LAKE SUWA

Feeling good? No aches or pains?

No, I'm perfect.

Then shall we go?

Yes!

- Ouch. - Coach…

I'm okay.

It's not my injury.

It's just because it's a bit cramped in the car.

I guess that's because your legs are about five meters long, right?

Do you think I'm some kind of monster?

Wow.

The morning sunshine is so sparkly.

We made our leap to Niigata Prefecture!

We made it!

HOT PASSION

ICE ARENA

One of the letters has fallen off.

You don't see many ice skating rinks that feel this old, huh?

Maybe it was some kind of old facility, and then they added an ice skating rink.

Good morning.

Coach Uobuchi!

Thank you for saying you'd help us today!

Thank you for making the trip from so far away.

I'm going to reel you in today!

He gives off such reassuring vibes.

We should be thanking him for coming all this way from another world.

A private booking? All for me?

Yes. It's way cheaper than in Nagoya, so…

Wow!

It's the first time I've ever had the whole rink to myself!

Are you ready?

All right then, turn around.

Yes. Thanks.

Inori?

You came with Tsukasa by car today, right? Was it a lot of fun?

Yes, it was so fun!

I see. And did you get enough sleep?

Yes! You can put the back seats down completely, so it was like a bed.

But Coach is kind of big, so I think he was a bit uncomfortable.

Instead of getting her to jump straightaway,

Coach Uobuchi's chatting with her to help her relax.

Having a harness on kinda feels like wearing a seat belt.

First, let's start with your best one, the Salchow.

Whenever you're ready. I'm watching you.

Yes!

Salchows are my specialty. My favorite jump.

Breathe out and stay calm.

I only meant a single Salchow.

Oh, really?

I want to show off how amazing she is

- in a great kid competition! - Great!

Okay, next we need to work on your problem jump, the Lutz.

Okay!

The Lutz…

We came all the way to Niigata

just so she could land a triple on this jump again.

Yep, Coach Tsukasa. Your turn.

What?

When I watched the video you sent me, I could see the problem.

But if you want her to be ready for the championship,

using the harness consistently is a must.

I'll teach you how to use the harness while I coach Inori,

so it's your turn to reel her in, please.

Got it.

I'll go and get ready.

Coach.

Coach Uobuchi,

Coach Tsukasa cracked a bone from using the harness.

It might still be hurting.

I know.

But there's no formal training for using the harness.

You just have to take the risk and get used to it by trial and error.

It's unfortunate he had an accident, but cracking a rib happens quite often.

Quite often…

Even if it hurts, we really need him to give it a go.

Besides, even if I hadn't asked him,

I'm pretty sure he'd want to try again anyway.

Thanks for waiting.

Let's go, Miss Inori!

Coach Tsukasa understands the risks. He can handle it.

Okay.

Jumps that cover a lot of distance are difficult with the harness,

since the horizontal force makes it difficult

to form your axis.

Accidents happen when you try to control it with too much force.

On the other hand,

high jumps that launch straight upward make it easier to form an axis

and produce stable rotation.

Coach Tsukasa, whenever you feel a pull,

you need to adjust to the skater's movements straight away.

Inori, aim to make your jumps as high as possible.

- Miss Inori. - Yes?

You might not trust me,

but lifting people up is my specialty because I used to do ice dance.

So when you jump, I want you to go for it without hesitation.

Okay!

If I fall again now, it'll startle her.

There's no way I'm gonna fall now. Absolutely no way!

I can't let Coach Tsukasa fall down!

I'll jump high, jump perfectly, jump high. Up and up.

- Coach, I'm going! - Go for it!

Your double Lutz was amazing.

The two of you are perfectly in sync.

Now that I'm watching again,

it looks like the reason you can't land the triple Lutz

is because you stop tightening your body.

Tightening my body?

The important things for performing jumps are…

Keeping your body tight when you push off for a jump.

And then opening your body to stop the rotation so you can land.

Tightening your body helps establish a rotational axis in midair,

but you seem to be loosening up right before you take off.

This causes the jump to veer off course and prevents proper rotation.

I wonder if you're holding back because you're afraid of hurting yourself.

I'll help her jump one more time, so watch closely, please.

Okay.

Whenever you're ready.

Okay, I'm going for it!

A triple Lutz!

I had to lift you a lot just then.

It will probably take some time to nail the triple without a harness.

Try to remember the position that I guided you into with the harness.

By aiming for that spot, you should naturally be able

to feel whether you're tightening your body too early or late.

I want to give you some lifting tips as well.

When you get back to Nagoya,

I want you to keep using the harness to practice jumps with the correct form.

Okay.

Whatever caused you to stop being able to jump,

what's important now is technique.

The way to correct a bad habit is through repetition.

Coach Tsukasa, if you use the harness correctly,

and Inori, if you keep being mindful of the issue,

you should be able to fix this properly.

Let's get it ready in time for All-Japans.

Thank you!

Brilliant.

I was only aiming to fix her double Lutz,

but landing the triple would be a big scoring advantage,

additional points included.

I'm so glad we came all this way.

Coach, can I suggest a slightly different approach to jumping?

A different approach? I suppose it's no problem.

Thank you.

Inori, will you copy me?

Oh, okay.

Just before you jump, you bring your arm up like this, right?

Yes.

I'm going to adjust the position of this arm slightly.

Instead of here, bring it higher, up here.

If I do that, won't I swing about too much?

This is the type of jump that benefits from a lot of swinging.

Let's try the Salchow, since that's your area of expertise.

That's different to the way I taught her to jump.

I'm curious how it will turn out.

When you swing your arm up, make sure your body doesn't lean forward.

- Okay! - Okay, go for it.

Okay!