Yuma Kagiyama is trending now primarily due to his recent performance at the 2026 Winter Olympics, where he achieved first place in the Olympic figure skating team event. This significant accomplishment has garnered heightened interest among fans and viewers, driving more than 20,000 searches related to him.
The visibility of Kagiyama’s victory was further amplified by coverage from various reputable news outlets, such as KTVZ, which reported on his success in the context of the Olympics. This coverage has likely prompted many individuals to look up more information about his performance, record, and overall standing in the competition.
Additionally, the release of photographs from the men’s figure skating event by USA Today may have contributed to increased visibility and curiosity surrounding Kagiyama. As viewers engage with these visual updates of the event, they may be motivated to search for his name to learn more about his achievements and performance details.
Watch the Moment
Internet Reacts
J
I think Kaori has gotten all 5s for her double axel but I could be misremembering.
P
Pretty sure she has and it’s deserved. The ice coverage, transitions in and out of the jump, and the speed is phenomenal.
J
I knew I was watching something special when watching yuma skate, but I didn’t think it would be *that* special! he was the skater I was most excited to watch coming into the olympics (and kaori ofc) so it was a joy to watch him go out and have that much fun with this short program. is he doing the free skate as well? I can’t remember if they were planning on subbing someone else in or not.
O
No Shun is doing the FS. I love Yumadot but I think Yuma has more than deserved a little rest before the individual event
W
also, the facts of the season say Shun will score similarly to Yuma in the free (whereas the facts of my imagination say Yuma will skate like its 2022 again with better artistry)
F
Yuma gave such a marvelous complete skate so happy for him !
A
Nope, someone asked about this type of thing a few days ago: https://www.reddit.com/r/FigureSkating/s/uPcK21pXHg
M
OMG!!!!!!! it was for his StSq, not the spin, but it was SPECTACULAR. long live Yuma king
Z
100% deserved, that stsq ate up the arena
O
Sorry I’ll see if I can still fix it
M
it’s ok we are all still in shock with this performance
L
No. Its been done before but its extremely extremely rare. Especially after the switch from +3 to +5 goe. I think Jason has a spin, Nathan has a choreo. Yuzuru might have 3A but i cant remember if it was all 5 or the droped one was +4. Kaori has a 2A or 2. Might be the first at the Olympics tho. I know Nathan’s choreo was rocket man, i dont know if it was the Olympic one tho An unbelievably incredible feet tho. Any athletes should be proud of an all +5 element. And at the Olympics no less.
L
According to skating scores. Yuma is the first and only skater to achieve +5 goe on a step sequence from all 9 judges in international comp. Crazy to do that at the Olympics. Edit: and if i am correct, according to skating scores, it is the only element ever to receive +5 goe from all 9 judges at the Olympics under the +5 system. And the 4th ever including the +3 era. Its not like the biggest record breaking thing. He could do the same skate in the individual and get no +5 cause judging is weird and fake. But its nice to see Yuma put in a little history breaking in. Cant let Ilia have all the spotlight.
O
I don’t think Yuzu had an all 5 GOE element in his career, correct me if I’m wrong. It’s sad considering he is the king of quality and his 3A is the best.
I
He has an all +3 ChSq before the change (gpf 15/16) but I’m not sure after with +5
L
Youre right i think. He has a 8/9 +5 goe 3A. I couldn’t remember it it was 8 or 9 cause it still got max goe points.
O
feat not feet 😜
D
Omg I’m a casual figure skating fan but was blown away with his performance! His energy and choreo was so fun and he executed it so cleanly! Might have to follow him and figure skating more closely tbh!!
O
You 100% should. On top of being a beautiful skater, he is a cutie patootie
D
I’ll def try to figure out a way to keep up to date with competitions! And he really is!! Can’t wait to see more of him in these Games and onwards! 🥳🙌
L
join us here on the subreddit for worlds and junior worlds after the olympics!
D
Yes, for sure!! I was looking at the calendar and that seems to be the biggest events coming up! Any others I should keep my eye out for between now and then? What about National Championships I should watch? I assume Japan and USA for sure! Sorry for all the questions!
L
we’re close to the end of the normal figure skating season (skaters usually tour/train/get new programs in the summer offseason), but the grand prix series in october is the kickoff of the big competitions with top competitors, and nationals is usually in december or january, and the continental championships (europeans and four continents) are normally in january or february.
D
I see! Thank you for all the info!
F
And such a sweet kind hearted young man!
F
Oh the Yuma effect got you too! That was me four years ago. Didn’t follow figure skating but happened upon the men’s olympic skate while channel surfing and was captivated by Yuma’s energy and vibes. I was impressed by Shoma, Junhwan and Yuzuru, too, but Yuma was the biggest spark for me. And here I am, four years later, watching every competition I can and fangirling over Yuma and his skating 😄
D
Yes! Similar to you I was watching anything live in the Olympics and was looking forward to seeing Malinin for the first time ever but then Yuma just wowed me!!
S
Aaagh I know I will get downvoted for this but I would have never thought that I would never not enjoy Ilia’s program, and unfortunately tonight it just wasn’t it – something was just off. I don’t know (and I love this program). Yuma was just exceptional all round and deservedly won by a mile. I think there is just too much pressure on Ilia – well there is – from an entire nation. Are the tides turning? I don’t feel too convinced that he will get the individual gold anymore.
A
I think a lot of us feel this way today. Frankly I am ok with him getting this not great skate out of the way early
F
yea I think he was going for a 4A but wobbled and went for 3A. Has he ever gotten a negative goe for his jump before this?
S
He would not have been going for the 4A there because the 3A is a required element for Men’s SP. If he went for the 4A, it would have been in place of the 4F or 4Lz
L
He has to do the 3A. That was the spot for the 3A. It was a genuine timing mistake.
F
Wait why tho? Did he say he will do 4a for the free skate instead?
S
No never. And if you heard him say to Roman “too much” as he approached him away from the rink. I personally think he is under too much pressure, as the media keeps on going about him etc etc. I don’t know – but something was just off tonight.
F
I think he said “too much” bc he over-rotated his 3A
F
Is he also doing the free skate? idk how the media will take it if he were to get 2nd again.
S
This I don’t know. Ilia said he performed at 50% today and he’s happy with his performance. (source – articles have just come out with his post-performance interview). I completely understand he can’t use all his energy at once, as he needs to really be at his peak for the start of the individual events on Tuesday. I can’t believe how many major news outlets (CBS, NBC) have already reported tonight’s skate as ‘shaky’ and an unexpected second placing. I mean Ilia is only 21 years old and it’s his first Olympics. I hate the media, seriously!! As if a second placing is just not good enough for a 21 year old. I hope Ilia will not read any of this.
F
So apparently he is doing free skate. Hopefully it goes well tom
S
I think he’ll still win gold because he can rack up a ton of points with 6-7 quads in the free, which no one else can come close to. But Yuma definitely made it clear today that Ilia can’t coast to an OGM, he needs to be at his best. Which I think makes the competition a lot more exciting!
P
Btw it was a fabulous skate from start to finish
F
yes his jumps were so satisfying to watch with how fast and high he does them. Also he is quite good at delivering a performance.
D
I loved his music for the short! that jazzy cover of Stevie Wonder really fired up both him and the audience. 🙂
M
Satoko got one in the past for her layback iirc.. but Yuma was on fire tonight and if any step sequence deserves it all, it’s his
T
So happy for Yuma, I liked him breaking character to hype the crowd up! His skating is brilliant and he has improved so much since 2022 in terms of performance quality. I don’t see him matching Ilia in the individual event without Ilia making errors, but would love to see him go clean and bridge the gap a bit. The turandot program is stunning!
A
It’s always good to see Yuma getting rewarded for his amazing skills and artistry omg
O
I think for the StSq specifically in the +5 era yeah, every other time there was max GOE at least one judge gave it a +4, it’s the first time there are 5s across the board
M
History or not, it was a pleasure to watch.
I
He didn’t, multiple skaters have had perfect step sequences under the +5 GOE era (and the +3 GOE before that). I made a post about it a year ago: [https://www.reddit.com/r/FigureSkating/comments/1hc3y13/perfect\_step\_sequences\_figure\_skating\_stats/](https://www.reddit.com/r/FigureSkating/comments/1hc3y13/perfect_step_sequences_figure_skating_stats/)
D
Didn’t those scores have a single judge give a +4, it just didn’t count?
O
Thanks some other people commented this also. I plan to keep the post up though since it seems everyone’s voicing their shock for the upset that just happened here
Additional Sources:
KTVZ – Kagiyama takes 1st in Olympic figure skating team event
USA Today – See photos of the men’s figure skating event at 2026 Winter Olympics
