NHK Trophy 2024: Kagiyama Yuma drowns out competition for men's singles title
The Beijing 2022 Olympic silver medallist puts almost 40 points on Italy's Daniel Grassl to retain the crown. Japan's Tsuboi Tatsuya was third. Madison Chock and Evan Bates win the ice dance competition.
Figure Skating
Scary to think what Kagiyama Yuma can do if he is perfect.
Kagiyama fell on his opening jump in the NHK Trophy free skate on Saturday (9 November) but it was still good enough for him to win his second successive men’s singles title by a landslide.
Kagiyama scored a two-day total of 300.09 in his Grand Prix season debut, which overwhelmed Daniel Grassl of Italy on 264.85 with Tsuboi Tatsuya of Japan filling out the podium on 251.52.
Miura Kao, who was second to Kagiyama after the short program, unraveled on this night, falling twice, to end up 11th in the free and sixth overall. The nightmare of a skate all but eliminated the Skate America bronze medallist from next month’s Grand Prix Final.
Kagiyama wasn’t thrilled about falling on the quadruple flip although he was pleased with how he managed to regroup and finish the skate strong to the delight of the crowd at Yoyogi National Stadium.
“I feel great which makes the mistake all the more frustrating but after the mistake, I recovered,” the two-time Beijing 2022 Olympic silver medallist said. “I felt very sure of what I was doing after the fall and I like to think that’s a sign of my growth.
“It’s something I’ve been working on in practice, staying in the skate if I fall or make a mistake. So I want to give myself a pat on the back for that.
“If I’m aiming for the Final then I can’t give up until the end. That’s something I was conscious of. Physically, I felt the same as I do in practise but it’s the atmosphere, the tension that gets to you.”
Kagiyama doesn’t have much time to reflect on the performance for better or worse. He immediately flies off to Helsinki for next week’s Finlandia Trophy.
Another win there will secure his place at the 5-8 December GP Final in Grenoble, France. Kagiyama came in third last season behind Ilia Malinin and the now retired Uno Shoma.
“The competition takes a lot out of you physically and mentally so I have to eat well and rest up at night. I don’t have a lot of time but I hope to be in Finland in the best condition possible.”
Pairs: Miura/Kihara slide to second but clinch GP Final spot
Miura Riku and Kihara Ryuichi slipped up to fall from first to second, surrendering the pairs title to Georgia’s Anastasiia Metelkina/Luka Berulava.
A mistake on their spin cost Miura/Kihara the victory for a 209.45 total after a free skate of 137.55. Metelkina/Berulava, in their first competition in Japan, won on 213.05 (142.77).
The US duo of Ellie Kam/Danny O’Shea finished third.
Sightly of more concern than their botched spin was Kihara’s lower back. Kihara was out for most of last season with lumbar spondylolysis, and he revealed on this day that he experienced some discomfort following their Skate America victory and had shut it down until recently.
Tests upon returning to Japan showed no structural damage to the spine, Kihara said. Saturday’s result qualified them for the Grand Prix Final but it remains to be seen how much the former world champions can ramp up over the next month.
“I had to rest a bit after Skate America and get my body right,” Kihara said. “We had to pull back on the training but we have a bit of time to the Final. Hopefully we can pick it up from here to the Final.
"I obviously need to see how I get on and won't be able to force anything but at least I know now that it's not the spine."
The Japanese pair of Miura Riku and Kihara Ryuichi were off their 'A' game at the NHK Trophy.
Ice dance: Chock/Bates lift first NHK Trophy
Madison Chock and Evan Bates have been there and done that, but it appears there’s still a first even for them.
Chock/Bates won their maiden NHK Trophy, comfortably finishing ahead of fellow Americans Christina Carreira/Anthony Ponomarenko with a 215.95 total after a free skate of 129.63. The Lithuanian duo of Allison Reed/Saulius Ambrulevicius took home bronze.
“Oh, we're so happy,” Chock said. “It's always such an honor to perform in Japan and today was no different. The crowd did not disappoint. They were amazing and yeah just went by quickly from start to finish. It was really fun.”
The world champion couple improved on their second-place finish at Skate America to pick up their first Grand Prix win of the season.
The result booked them a place in the Grand Prix Final, which they won last season in Beijing.
“I thought especially the beginning it felt really, really nice and felt like we set the mood very well,” Bates said. “I think it was definitely a big step up from Skate America and we still feel like there's room to grow which also is exciting. We were really happy with the way it went.”
Added Chock, “We're really looking forward to the Grand Prix Final. I don't know how many we've done so far but as Evan said, it's always an honor to be qualified for that competition.
And I'm just really looking forward to getting home and getting back to training and just diving into these programs and preparing for the Final.”
Ice dancers Madison Chock/Evan Bates and Christina Carreira/Anthony Ponomarenko flew the flag for the United States.