[ICE TIME] Wakaba Higuchi Triumphs at Skate America for Her 1st Grand Prix Title

Wakaba Higuchi scored a surprising victory at the season-opening Skate America in Allen, Texas, on Saturday, October 19. The 2018 world silver medalist vaulted from fourth place after the short program to top the podium with a solid free skate.

Higuchi's win was noteworthy, as it was her first on the senior GP circuit and came in her 14th event. The 22-year-old Higuchi came out on top with a total score of 196.93 points, just ahead of compatriot Rinka Watanabe, who was second at 195.22.

American Isabeau Levito, the 2023-24 season's world silver medalist, came in third on 194.83.

World champion Ilia Malinin of the United States collected his third straight Skate America crown in the men's competition on Sunday, October 20. The jumping wizard topped the podium with 290.12, in front of France's Kevin Aymoz in second at 282.88. Kao Miura took third on 278.67.

Higuchi's Significant Achievement at Skate America

Higuchi skated to "Nature Boy" and "Running Up That Hill" in her free skate, landing five clean triple jumps and earning level fours on all of her spins and step sequence. She won despite not attempting a triple/triple combination.

Higuchi, who took the 2022-23 campaign off to refresh herself, admitted her triumph was unexpected.

"I think I felt the strongest in my first season on the Grand Prix circuit and I was aiming for the gold in that season," Higuchi said. "So I'm really surprised to get my first win at this competition. I really wasn't expecting it and I did make some mistakes today, but I think that the score was much higher than I had anticipated."

Watanabe Medals Without Triple Axel

The 22-year-old Watanabe, who was third after the short program, competed to "Maria de Buenos Aires." She hit five triples but managed only level threes on all of her spins and step sequence and had two under-rotations on her jumps.

"I was aiming for the podium at this competition so I'm very happy that I was able to achieve that," commented Watanabe.

However, she did not attempt a triple axel.

"This past summer in competitions, I have skated with three triple axels in one event," Watanabe noted. "So I came into this event thinking maybe I will include one. But including many triple axels requires a lot of stamina, and I need to get much more consistent before I can think about that. 

"I have still one month to go until the Grand Prix of China (November 22-24), and all my other jumps are getting more and more consistent, so I might be thinking about the triple axel at some point this season."

Yuna Aoki, Japan's third competitor in the women's event, came in ninth at 183.04.

'Quad God' Pushed by Aymoz But Prevails

Malinin landed three clean quads and had another on the quarter (an under-rotation) in his performance to "I'm Not a Vampire." The 19-year-old added four triples and notched level fours on two of his spins and his step sequence.

"Just preparing for the competition, watching all the skaters compete, I was really motivated by Kevin's skate," Malinin said. "It really excited me and I was so happy for him and pushed me to really just get going to try to skate that program, and of course, it wasn't what I wanted today."

Bronze Keeps Miura in Grand Prix Final Contention

After an outstanding short program put him just behind Malinin in second place, 19-year-old Kao Miura slid to third after his free skate to "Umbrellas of Cherbourg" and "Les Parapluies de Cherbourg." Miura hit two quads, was a quarter short on another, and added five triples. He struggled with just a level two on his step sequence and level threes on two of his spins.

"Today my skate was really all about staying strong in my head, and I think that I was skating with very little room to fail," Miura remarked. "Next time, I would really like to be able to skate with a little bit more room to breathe and have a clean skate. That will be my motto."

He added, "I still think that the Grand Prix Final is a possibility, but coming third today it's really sort of like the borderline of what I can allow myself."

Koshiro Shimada finished sixth with 219.68, while Nozomu Yoshioka wound up eighth on 215.92.

Miura, Kihara Open Season with Decisive Victory in Pairs

Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara captured the pairs title in Texas on October 19. After missing the 2023-24 season's GP series due to Kihara's injury, the 2023 world champions got their campaign off to a strong start with an easy win.

Miura and Kihara were victorious with 214.23, ahead of Americans Ellie Kam and Danny O'Shea in second with 201.73. Alisa Efimova and Misha Mitrofanov of the US took third at 191.51.

"We're back to the Grand Prix series after two years and it's great to be back," Kihara commented. "It's been a while since we won a competition so we are happy about that as well."

Miura and Kihara's free skate to "Adios" was choreographed by Marie France-Dubreuil in Montreal, and Miura said working with the Canadian was beneficial.

"We spent two weeks in Montreal training at the Ice Academy of Montreal, and it was our first experience to do choreography off the ice in front of the mirror," Miura stated. "That really opened up our eyes to a whole new sort of level, a whole new world of experiences."

Skate Canada Next Up on GP Schedule

The GP circuit moves to Halifax, Nova Scotia, the weekend of October 25-27 for Skate Canada, the second stop of the season. Three-time world champion Kaori Sakamoto will headline the event and be joined by teammates Hana Yoshida and Rino Matsuike.

Two-time US champion Alysa Liu will make her return to the GP series in Halifax after a three-year absence. Liu won the Budapest Trophy earlier this month in Hungary in her comeback event.

Shun Sato and Sota Yamamoto will represent the Hinomaru in the men's competition, where Malinin is also slated to take part.

Kanazawa Racks up 3rd Straight National Novice Title

Twelve-year-old Sumika Kanazawa won a Japan Novice title for the third straight year with her victory in the Novice A competition in Amagasaki, Hyogo Prefecture, on October 19. The young sensation from Hokkaido was the Novice B titlist in 2022 and won her first Novice A crown in 2023.

Kanazawa, who trains at the Kinoshita Academy in Kyoto, landed six clean triples in her free skate to win with 104.80. There is no short program contest for Novice skaters at nationals.

RELATED: 

• [ICE TIME] Ami Nakai, Rio Nakata Clinch Berths in Junior Grand Prix Final with Wins in China
• [ICE TIME] Mei Okada Collects 2nd Junior Grand Prix Medal in Slovenia

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.