Japan's Shoma Uno got his figure skates on the ice for the first time at the Beijing Games on Thursday, training at the Capital Indoor Stadium on the same day his coach revealed he has tested positive for the coronavirus.
Focusing heavily on tuning up his jumps, the 2018 Olympic Games men's silver medalist ran through his short program choreography and landed four quads -- the flip, loop, salchow and toe loop.
"My success rate of landing the jumps was not great," the 24-year-old told media after his on-ice session.
"I want to tune up what I have been practicing quickly so I can put it to use in competition."
Uno's games preparation has been thrown into chaos by the news his Swiss coach, Stephane Lambiel, tested positive for the coronavirus.
Lambiel said on Instagram he is asymptomatic, fully vaccinated, boosted and has since tested negative. He plans to wait "a few more days" before traveling to Beijing.
One of Japan's other podium-challenging men's skaters, Yuma Kagiyama, joined Uno in training on Thursday.
After snapping a photo of the rink on his phone, the 18-year-old got down to business, laying down a quad salchow and toe loop.
"I was able to lock in my concentration and move my body. I can't wait to perform my short program and free," said Kagiyama, who made clear that he is planning to include a quad loop in his free routine.
Gold medal favorite Nathan Chen of the United States also made an appearance at the stadium in which he hopes to dethrone Japan's two-time reigning Olympic gold medalist Yuzuru Hanyu.
With all the talk about whether Hanyu will have a quad axel in Beijing, a jump that nobody has yet landed cleanly in competition, Chen was asked about his own experience with the jump.
"I've tried it a few times," the three-time world champion said. "My axel technique is pretty crazy, so I don't think that is in my wheelhouse right now."
He does have a range of other quads in his repertoire, though, and they could be enough to deliver gold.
"If I wake up on the right side of the bed they are effortless, and if not, they are not so effortless," he said when asked about how easy he made the quads look in practice.
"I try my best, sometimes they are good, sometimes they are bad. As with anything, you learn any time you make a mistake, and you try to make it better the next time."
