Japanese figure skater Yuma Kagiyama secured his third straight men's title at the NHK Trophy in Osaka, edging compatriot Shun Sato by just over 1.5 points. Three-time world champion Kaori Sakamoto won the women's event with the season's best score worldwide, marking a double victory for Japan. The event serves as key preparation for the February Milan-Cortina Olympics.
The NHK Trophy, the sixth stop of the ISU Grand Prix figure skating series, took place in Osaka on November 8. In men's singles, 2022 Beijing Olympics silver medalist Yuma Kagiyama (22) fell on a quad loop in the free skate but scored 188.66 points to total 287.24 for the win. Shun Sato (21) delivered a flawless performance with a personal-best 189.04 in the free, finishing second at 285.71. Switzerland's Lukas Britschgi placed third with 246.94. Kagiyama said, 'This was my first Grand Prix of the season and there is still a lot of room to improve. I had some mistakes but recovered in the second half and never gave up.' Sato, who qualified for the Grand Prix Final, stated, 'My goal isn't just to compete in the Olympics but to win a medal there. I want to work hard from now on.'
In women's singles, three-time world champion Kaori Sakamoto led the short program with a season-best 77.05 and added 227.18 in the free for a commanding victory. She finished ahead of Kazakhstan's Sofia Samodelkina (200.00) and Belgium's Loena Hendrickx (198.97). Sakamoto, who will retire after next year's Milan-Cortina Olympics, said, 'I didn't give a good account of myself in France and that was frustrating so I'm really happy to get revenge here and set a new highest score.'
The pairs event saw Italy's Sara Conti and Niccolo Macii win with 208.58 points, edging Hungary's Maria Pavlova and Alexei Sviatchenko (207.28) and China's Olympic champions Wenjing Sui and Cong Han (203.79). In ice dance, Britain's Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson took gold with 205.88, followed by Italy's Charlene Guignard and Marco Fabbri (198.67) and the U.S.'s Caroline Green and Michael Parsons (187.90). American siblings Alex and Maia Shibutani, returning after seven years, placed sixth with 180.50. Several pairs and dancers secured spots in the Grand Prix Final in Nagoya.