It was another banner weekend for Japan on the Grand Prix circuit as the Hinomaru scooped up five of the six singles medals on offer at the NHK Trophy in Tokyo. An appreciative crowd dished out several standing ovations for their favorite skaters during the course of the competition.
Beijing Olympic silver medalist Yuma Kagiyama and Tatsuya Tsuboi took gold and bronze, respectively, in the men's event on Saturday, November 9. Three-time world champion Kaori Sakamoto led a Japan sweep of the women's competition with Mone Chiba and Yuna Aoki on the same night.
Adding to the take was the pairs team of Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara, who picked up the silver in their discipline to qualify for the GP Final in December in Grenoble, France.
Insights from Kagiyama and Tsuboi After the NHK Trophy
Kagiyama will skate this week in the Finlandia Trophy, where a top-two result will send him to the GP Final. Despite his incredible success at just 21, he still sees himself as a work in progress.
"I think this is a testament to what kind of growth I've been going through," Kagiyama stated after his victory at Yoyogi National Stadium. "The short program was wonderful. For the free skate, I have a lot of takeaways and I want to learn from them so that I could do better in Finland. I know what challenges I must address from now on."
Tsuboi, who earned his first senior GP medal, was pleasantly surprised by his performance in Tokyo.
"I didn't even think that I would end up third," Tsuboi commented. "It was necessary to do everything I could and put my best out there and give it my all. The work I put in, day in, day out paid off. This is my first podium in the senior Grand Prix series, so it's been a great confidence booster."
For Sakamoto, a Berth in the GP Final
Sakamoto clinched a spot in the GP Final with her second victory of the season on November 9. Chiba is well-positioned to join her after taking second place with one more assignment to come at the Cup of China.
Sakamoto scored a season-high 231.88 points in the win, where her maturity on the ice and effervescent personality shone through.
"I wanted the audience and judges to have a smile on their faces and I wanted to enjoy skating myself," Sakamoto noted. "The ending pose was a bit shaky, but I was so happy with my performance that my joy burst out."
Sakamoto also received praise from Russian pairs skater Alena Kostornaia this week in an interview with Russian media.
"I am generally a fan of this skater," Kostornaia was quoted as saying, "[and] I like following her, her styles, her programs from season to season."
She added, "I am happy to see almost any performance by Kaori Sakamoto on the ice. In any case, she has a great energy."
A Banner Achievement for Chiba at the NHK Trophy
The 19-year-old Chiba, who has the makings of becoming a real star, relished getting her first senior GP medal.
"I was able to create a good performance tonight and I am so happy to get the silver medal at the NHK Trophy, my first time on the (Grand Prix) podium," Chiba said. "My goal was to do at least better than the last time and I was able to achieve that."
Getting the bronze was truly a watershed moment for the 22-year-old Aoki.
"I am just delighted," Aoki said. "As a junior, I competed in the Junior Grand Prix, but I never stood on the podium. To be now at this age on the podium I am so grateful and glad I was able to keep going."
Helsinki is the Next Stop on the GP Circuit
Finland will host the fifth stop on the GP tour with the Finlandia Trophy this week (Friday through Sunday, November 15-17) in Helsinki. Kagiyama will be joined by Kazuki Tomono and Sota Yamamoto in the men's field, while Rino Matsuike, Hana Yoshida and Mai Mihara will take part in the women's contest.
Matsuike will be watched closely in Finland by skating fans after an enchanting performance in the free skate at Skate Canada in October helped her finish second. That put her in the running for a spot in the GP Final.
Pairs Yuna Nagaoka and Sumitada Moriguchi, who came in seventh at the NHK Trophy, will also take the ice in Helsinki.
Japan is not sending an ice dance team to the Finlandia Trophy.
Shimada Going for History at the Japan Junior Championships in Hiroshima
The Japan Junior Championships will be held in Hiroshima this week (November 15-17), where the top contenders will vie for honors and, with a top-six result, get a chance to skate in the Japan Championships in Osaka in December.
World junior champion Mao Shimada will be seeking a historic fourth consecutive win in the event. That has never been accomplished by a singles skater in the 41 years of the competition.
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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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