Miyahara Out with Stress Fracture in Hip

The Japanese star will miss Four Continents and Asian Winter Games, but also claims she should recover in time for Worlds.

Next week the Four Continents Championships is the last major senior skating competition before the World Championships. The week after that is the Asian Winter Games, which will also include skating events. But both competitions are now down one of the biggest names who had planned to compete. Satoko Miyahara withdrew from both on Tuesday, citing a stress fracture in her left hip. She hopes to make the World Championships in late March.

Japan’s top ladies skater has had a handful of ups and downs this season. Underrotated jumps plagued her on the Grand Prix circuit, but she won silver at the Finale, second only to the dominant Evgenia Medvedeva. She won her third straight Japanese title over Christmas. That seems even more impressive now that we know she skated both those competitions with pain in her hip. Of course, whether that was a good idea is another matter, but it sounds like things didn’t get to really be too bad until last month.

The way the Japanese skating federation describes the stress fracture, it doesn’t sound nearly as bad as it could’ve been. They’re saying she technically could’ve skated Four Continents and the Asian Winter Games. So at the very least, she isn’t going to be off the ice all together. Obviously she wouldn’t be up to full competitive strength, though. They also claim a four-week recovery time. That’s surprisingly short for such an injury — if they are, in fact, being honest about it.

Of course, it’s also all too possible they aren’t being, but that the situation is more serious than anyone is admitting. If Miyahara’s up to speed in four weeks, making it to Worlds shouldn’t be a problem. But perhaps we shouldn’t absolutely assume she will.

All the other Japanese ladies had better hope she does, though. If she does, their chances of preserving Japan’s three spots for the Olympics are pretty good. But while Wakaba Highuchi, Mai Mihara, and Rika Hongo can each get a good placement at Worlds, good enough combined to earn the three berths is a little bit dicier.

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Meanwhile, Hongo will get at least one ISU Championship appearance this year at Four Continents. She was already going to the Asian Winter Games, where she will now instead by joined by Kaori Sakamoto. Sakamoto’s mostly skated on the junior level internationally, so this will be a very significant event for her.