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

In her 14th event on the senior GP circuit, Higuchi won at Skate America despite not attempting a triple/triple combination in her free skate routine.

Published

16 hours ago

October 22, 2024

Jack Gallagher

Wakaba Higuchi (right) and Rinka Watanabe celebrate their first- and second-place finishes in the women's competition at Skate America in Allen, Texas, on October 19, 2024. (Tony Gutierrez/AP)

Read the full story on SportsLook - [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.

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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.