#LOCO

Uno implied that he may be nursing an injury, but said he did not want to comment until after Monday’s free skate. He did not perform any jumps during the six-minute warmup.

“I did what I wanted to do today in my present condition. My speed wasn’t good enough,” Uno stated. “I don’t want to make any excuses. I battled through mentally.”

Uno was the first skater in the fourth group this night, which means he came on immediately after the warmup had finished.

“It was good that I was in that position today, because I did not have to wait to skate,” Uno noted.

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“I made some small mistakes, but this was my best performance of the season,” Takahashi remarked. “My goal was to make the final six at nationals and that is what I was thinking about before I skated.”

The Vancouver Olympic bronze medalist said he was buoyed by the raucous reception he received from the crowd.

“I was happy with the support tonight and the atmosphere made it very comfortable for me,” Takahashi added.

The Okayama native admitted that his burden was far less than Uno’s.

“Shoma had pressure on him because he needs to win before the world championships,” Takahashi said. “It was a different feeling for me as I was really skating for myself.”

Asked about Takahashi, Uno said he had respect for the 2010 world champion and his comeback.