Three-time world champion Kaori Sakamoto showcased her prowess in the short program on Friday, positioning herself favorably to defend her title at what she has stated will be her final NHK Trophy appearance. Having announced her retirement from competitive figure skating after the upcoming Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics in June, Sakamoto delivered a standout performance set to “Time to Say Goodbye.” She executed a triple lutz, a double axel, and a triple flip-triple toe loop combination, amassing a season-best score of 77.05. This impressive score placed her nearly 10 points ahead of the second-place skater, Sofia Samodelkina of Kazakhstan, who scored 67.75. Following closely behind was South Korea’s You Young in third place with 67.66 points.
Despite clinching three consecutive world championships leading up to 2024, Sakamoto secured a second-place finish at this year’s worlds in Boston in March. The 25-year-old also claimed the women’s singles bronze medal at the 2022 Beijing Winter Games. After a runner-up position at the season-opening Grand Prix de France last month, Sakamoto returned to her home Grand Prix with a determination to reaffirm her dominance. Reflecting on her performance, Sakamoto expressed satisfaction, stating, “I was a little nervous since arriving here but was able to put that behind me and skate a solid program. I completed all my jumps successfully and will look to continue that in the free skate tomorrow.”
With Japan pinning its hopes on her for an Olympic medal, Sakamoto faces tough competition from Russian figure skater Adeliia Petrosian at the upcoming Winter Games in Italy. The 17-year-old Petrosian, having clinched two consecutive national titles and remained unbeaten over the past two seasons with eight consecutive domestic event wins, poses a formidable challenge. Petrosian secured her Olympic qualification by claiming the gold medal at the ISU Skate to Milano Figure Skating qualifier in Beijing in September.
Meanwhile, the return of the 2024 European Champion Loena Hendrickx to the Grand Prix series was notable after she had to sit out the previous season due to injury. Despite landing her first two jumps successfully, Hendrickx stumbled on her third, a triple flip, and concluded the short program in fourth place with 62.45 points. She also qualified for the Olympics by finishing third at the ISU Skate to Milano Figure Skating qualifier.
In the men’s short program, local favorite Yuma Kagiyama emerged as the frontrunner. The 2022 Olympic silver medalist kicked off his routine with a quad lutz, followed by a quad toe loop-triple toe loop combination, and closed with a triple axel, earning a total of 98.58 points. While expressing contentment with his jumps, Kagiyama lamented the mistakes made on spins and steps. Shun Sato, another Japanese skater, secured the second spot with 96.67 points, trailed by South Korea’s Cha Jun-hwan in third with 91.60 points.
In ice dance, world bronze medalists Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson of Great Britain led the rhythm dance with a season-best score of 81.57 points, followed by Charlene Guignard and Marco Fabbri of Italy. The pairs competition saw 2022 Olympic champions Wenjing Sui and Cong Han of China taking the top spot after the short program. Sui and Han impressed with a strong performance to “Habanera,” achieving a new season’s best score of 74.63.
The ISU Grand Prix Series comprises six international events with a cumulative point-scoring format. Athletes or teams can earn points in up to two of the six scheduled events, with the top six point-earners in each discipline qualifying for the Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final scheduled for Dec. 4-7 in Nagoya, Japan.