Kao MIURA (JPN)

“Thank you for asking, I am happy!”
“Today was amazing. Keegan put out a great program right in front of me. I was able to keep that momentum.
Keegan gave me great energy. I am very happy with how I skated today. I had the right speed at the right moment, I was happy with my components today!”
About competing with Shun:
“Ever since we we came here we were ready to go on the podium together. It was a great atmosphere through out this entire competiton. Today at lunch Shun told me that exactly a year ago today he was undergoing surgery. This amazing free skats will give him a lot of motivation for the future and I am really happy for him.
It’s great to have such a great friend and rival at this competiton.”
Regarding the altitude: “the SP was tough for me, the FP today wasn’t different from the usual. Maybe because I had such a good pase and didn’t do any mistakes it was easier today.
At the SP I had such a dry throat and it was hard to breath.”
On if he surprised himself: “To begin with, I forgot my costume today. Thanks for everyone helping me to get my costume in time. This already gave me energy.
Just the overall energy of this event was great and helped me through!”
On being the youngst competitor in the field with Keegan being the oldest:
Keegan and I are 14 years apart. I watched him as a little boy. Isn’t this sport amazing that we now can be in it together?
On if he is the Beauty or the Beast: “The Beauty showed today in my choreosequence, but I don’t have any beauty quality in me so of course I am the beast.”

“Today I was very nervous,” admitted Miura. “All season long, I skated a senior program and the junior requirements is different so I was nervous. Somehow I managed.”

He also remembered well his Short Program at Junior Worlds a year ago that did not go well at all.

“Last year I was injured for sure, but already in the short program I came 20th so I was really behind in my game. That was a bad image that I had, but I was able to put that aside this year and funnel that frustration into a good performance today,” Miura explained.

“Today I was able to get a good performance. I would give myself 70 per cent,“ Miura said. “Especially in the second half, I was able to land the quad-triple (toe) combination and I believe it was more beautiful than the triple-triple in my short program.”

“It is difficult to compare the medals, they are all precious to me,” he said. “Last year I was third at Four Continents and came in aiming to win, so it is a satisfying result.

“As for this World Junior gold medal - last year I was injured and I was not satisfied with the result. This time I came here to redeem myself, to get revenge. It is a different kind of satisfaction but satisfying all the same,” he explained.