22-year-old athlete demonstrates prowess not just on the ice but in gaming as well.

Japan’s love for figure skating is well-known, and two-time reigning Olympic champion Yuzuru Hanyu and 2018 Olympic silver medalist Shoma Uno are household names in the country. While Yuzuru is often lauded by his fans as the greatest skater of all time, Shoma’s list of accomplishments and records in the sport, such as being the first skater to land a verified quadruple flip in an international competition, is nothing to balk at either.

▼ The back-bending cantilever is considered to be Shoma’s signature move.

But apparently skating’s not the only thing that Shoma’s good at, as evidenced by his participation in the recent online Super Smash Bros. Ultimate “Omayowa Cup” tournament on July 26. Not only did he hold his own, but he passed with flying colors, defeating pro gamer Shogun (considered to be the best Snake player in Japan) in the process.

In this matchup, both of players’ characters were randomly selected. In the first round, Shoma (Simon) beat Shogun (Richter) in a close contest–their characters happened to be a clone pair. In the second round, Shogun (Meta Knight) beat Shoma (Luigi) in Sudden Death after a long battle. In the third and final round, Shoma (Ike) once again beat Shogun (Jigglypuff), clinching the overall victory.

“Shogun is a special player. I didn’t know what I’d do if I couldn’t pull off my usual moves, but the second round was long enough for me to loosen up,” Shoma said afterwards. He also said that he enjoyed the experience with a big smile.

Net users reacted to Shoma’s defeat of a pro gamer with admiration and surprise:

“It’s even more impressive that he won with randomly selected characters.”
“Not that he needs to prove himself with skating anymore, but this could be a good backup career.”
“How could he have time to get this skilled at Smash Bros.?!”
“Esports vs. sports: a matchup for the ages.”
“Shoma pulled through like a champ!”

With the 2020 World Figure Skating Championships being tragically canceled at the last minute in March due to COVID-19 and Shoma unable to participate, we think we’ve figured out where he’s placed much of his time and energy over the past few months (though maybe some of Uno’s past comments should have been a clue). Now we can only wait to see whether he’ll rejoin the competition when the competitive skating season picks back up in the fall or whether he’ll be permanently focused on perfecting his Smash game from here on out.

Source: Livedoor News via My Game News Flash
Top image: YouTube/keptときどき同居人
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