Ami Nakai and Shunsuke Nakamura claimed silver medals in women's and men's singles respectively, for Japan at the Junior Grand Prix in Ankara, Turkey, over the weekend of September 20-22. Also, compatriots Sae Shimizu and Lucas Tsuyoshi Honda brought home a surprising bronze in pairs.
Nakai and Nakamura, both veterans on the JGP circuit, used their significant experience to make the podium with inspired free skates.
The 16-year-old Nakai, the world junior bronze medalist in 2023, led after the short program, but was overtaken in the free skate by South Korea's Yuseong Kim, who won the competition with a total score of 198.63 on Friday, September 20. Nakai's tally in second was 191.61, while France's Stefania Gladki took third at 182.32.
Men's Medalists at the Junior Grand Prix Meet
Nakamura, now 19, was second after the short program and held that spot despite finishing third in the free skate on Saturday, September 21. American Jacob Sanchez was victorious by a wide margin, racking up a mark of 220.25 to outdistance Nakamura (205.49) by nearly 15 points. Estonia's Arlet Leandi came in third on 196.08.
Nakai on Track for 3rd Straight Trip to JGP Final
Nakai, who is coached by rising star Kensuke Nakaniwa, made the JGP Final the past two seasons, and has a good shot at qualifying again. She skated to the soundtrack from "Cinderella" in her free skate and fell on her opening triple axel, but was strong the rest of the way. Nakai landed six triple jumps while earning level fours on two of her three spins.
She looked very polished and confident on the ice, something ISU commentator Mark Hanretty observed in his analysis of her free skate.
"Ami Nakai's maturity is really evident and you can see that layering on her development as an athlete just 16 years of age," Hanretty stated. "The work done with (choreographers) Kenji Miyamoto and David Wilson to story tell and exude emotion is really showcasing the improvement."
Nakai will try to lock up a berth in the JGP Final in her second assignment of the season in Wuxi, China, next month (October 9-12).
Japan's other entrant in the women's event in Ankara was 13-year-old Riria Kono, who finished 12th in her international debut with 142.18.
Nakamura Earns Plaudits for Approach
Nakamura, who came in fourth at last season's world junior championships, competed to "Lamentations of the Heart" and "lo Ci Saro" in his free skate and fell on his opening quad toe loop. He recovered to hit five clean triples and notch level fours on two of his spins.
Hanretty praised Nakamura and detailed how he tries to improve his skating.
"The finished position in itself is testament to his experience," Hanretty noted. "He is so well-seasoned. It was amazing. I read that this is an athlete who is obviously very conscientious and he watches different skaters for different techniques."
Added Hanretty, "He watches Ilia Malinin for quad toe. Kao Miura for quad sal. Shun Sato for quad lutz. He's conscientiously considering what he needs to do for the different quad jumps. This is an athlete that obviously wants to make the stage up to seniors."
Additional Insights on Nakamura's Skating
ISU announcer Ted Barton concurred with Hanretty and said he admired Nakamura's approach.
"That is very, very smart," Barton commented. "The videos are all there. Watch the best technique on the best skaters and you can copy that. That's not a problem. Don't copy choreography and all that, but the stuff you can that is just smart."
Nakamura, who was third in Riga at his first Junior Grand Prix assignment this season, will have to wait and see if his two podium finishes (totaling 24 points) will be good enough to get him a ticket to the JGP Final in December in Grenoble, France.
Pairs Shimizu, Honda Making Progress in 2nd Season
Shimizu and Honda, who are in the second season of their partnership, moved up from fourth place after the short program to grab their first JGP medal as a team on Friday, September 20.
Canada's Jazmine Desrochers and Keiran Thrasher took the gold with 159.77, while Olivia Flores and Luke Wang of the United States were second at 147.80.
Shimizu and Honda registered 140.19 on the way to the bronze.
The 19-year-old Shimizu, and Honda, 22, are both Osaka natives who started their careers as singles skaters. Honda was the Japan junior champion in 2020, while Shimizu placed 11th in the Japan Junior Championships in 2022.
JGP Travels to Poland Next
The fifth stop on the Junior Grand Prix circuit will take place this week in Gdansk, Poland (September 25-28). Two-time world champion Mao Shimada and Kaoruko Wada will feature in the women's field, while Sena Takahashi will be the Hinomaru's lone entrant in the men's battle.
Shimada, Wada and Takahashi have all won their first assignments of the season and will be looking to lock up trips to the JGP Final in Gdansk. Shimada and Wada will face formidable competition from South Korea's Yujae Kim, a three-time JGP medalist, while Takahashi will go up against defending world junior champion Minkyu Seo.
Yamamoto Wins Nebelhorn Trophy by Decisive Margin
Sota Yamamoto skated to victory at the Challenger Series Nebelhorn Trophy in Oberstdorf, Germany, on September 20. The 24-year-old Yamamoto was third after the short program, but moved up to top the podium with 262.72. Italy's Gabriele Frangipani was second at 246.11, while Latvia's Deniss Vasiljevs took third on 235.72.
Yamamoto landed three quads and six triples in his free skate to "Melting" and "Sogno di Volare" and recorded level fours on two of his spins in the third stop on the Challenger Series tour.
Hana Yoshida came in third in the women's event in Oberstdorf, while teammate Mone Chiba was fourth. Americans Elyce Lin-Gracey (213.33) and Isabeau Levito (198.13) finished 1-2. Yoshida scored 196.47, while Chiba had 193.37.
Sitting in seventh place after the short program, Yoshida moved up with five triples and level fours on two of her spins in her free skate to "Shakuhachi" and "La Terre Vue Du Ciel."
In other results in Oberstdorf, Utana Yoshida and Masaya Morita were fifth in ice dance in the competition won Britain's Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson. The British duo prevailed with 207.01, while Yoshida and Morita tallied 171.59.
Uno Aiming to Go Head Over Heels
Two-time world champion Shoma Uno, who retired from competition in May, spoke at an event in Tokyo recently and said he plans to add a backflip to his shows as a pro skater, according to a story by Yahoo Japan that was translated into English and posted on fs-gossips.com.
"It's a bit scary, but since people are doing it, I also want to try it," Uno was quoted as saying. "The jump is dynamic and exciting, and I would like to add it when I do up-tempo programs. I want to do something different from my active competitive days."
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Author: Jack Gallagher
The author is a veteran sports journalist and one of the world's foremost figure skating experts. Find articles and podcasts by Jack on his author page, and find him on X (formerly Twitter) @sportsjapan.
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