Yuma Kagiyama and Kaori Sakamoto Capture Titles at the NHK Trophy

Yuma Kagiyama won the NHK Trophy for the second straight year with a solid but not spectacular performance in Tokyo on Saturday night, November 9. Despite not having his best skate, the young star still dominated the rest of the field and won by more than 35 points.

The 21-year-old Kagiyama's winning total score was 300.09 points. Italy's Daniel Grassl finished second with 264.85, while Tatsuya Tsuboi came in third at 251.52 to claim the first Grand Prix medal of his career.

Kao Miura, who was second after the short program, came undone in his free skate and finished sixth on 240.38.

*NHK Trophy gold medalist Yuma Kagiyama (center), runner-up Daniel Grassl (left) and third-place finisher Tatsuya Tsuboi display their medals after the competition. (Hiro Komae/AP)*

Three-time world champion Kaori Sakamoto led a Japan sweep of the podium in the women's event. The 24-year-old rang up 231.88 points in the triumph, besting Mone Chiba by more than 19 points. Chiba took second with 212.54, while Yuna Aoki earned her first GP medal in third on 195.07.

American Alysa Liu finished fourth with 190.75.

Kagiyama Recovers from Rough Start

Skating in his first Grand Prix of the season, Kagiyama's free skate to "Ameksa" and "Romanza from Concertino for Guitar and Orchestra" got off to a rough start when he fell on his opening quadruple flip. He recovered to land three clean quads and six triples, but earned just one level four on his spins on the way to victory.

"It's very frustrating," Kagiyama stated. "I was able to finish the short program without a mistake, but today I fell on the first flip. But after that, I was able to go cleanly with the other quads, plus the triple flip and the triple loop, so I thought it was good."

Added Kagiyama, "Even after I fell, I think I was able to recover my feelings with other jumps. I think it's proof that I have a big heart."

Saturday's Surprise at the NHK Trophy

Grassl, who was fifth after the short program, was the surprise of the evening, hitting three quads and five triples in an inspired effort to "Electricity" and several other songs.

The 21-year-old Tsuboi put out a strong performance to hold on to third place. He competed to a quartet of songs from the opera "I Pagliacci," landing three quads and six clean triples in an outing that earned him a standing ovation from the full house at Yoyogi National Stadium.

"I really didn't think I would be able to make it to the podium," Tsuboi commented. "It still doesn't feel real, but I'm glad I was able to give my all in the short program and free skate."

Added Tsuboi, "I have had a lot of really hard practice, and it's because of that practice that I was able to approach each jump with confidence."

A Dynamic NHK Trophy Performance by Sakamoto

Sakamoto competed to "All That Jazz" and gave an energetic performance that saw her land six triples and pick up level fours on all of her spins. The lone blemish on her scoresheet came near the end of her program when she under-rotated a triple flip.

"I didn't expect to be able to do this just two weeks after [Skate] Canada," Sakamoto remarked. "It was surprising. I'm the happiest right now."

Added Sakamoto, "I did my best with the desire to make the viewers and judges enjoy it. I'm very happy because it was connected to the result."

Chiba Energizes the Crowd During Her Free Skate

The 19-year-old Chiba skated to "Ariana Concerto No 1" and for the second night in a row brought the crowd to their feet with her skating. She hit four triples and registered level fours on all of her spins, but did have some jump issues. Chiba was judged one quarter rotation short on a couple of jumps, and under-rotated a triple lutz.

"I enjoyed the short program more than I thought I would, and the free skate was pressured," Chiba stated. "The audience was filled to the ceiling seats, and the sound of the cheers was not as good as the short."

Added Chiba, "I want to do my best to be able to achieve even more complete performing in both the short and free."

The 22-year-old Aoki managed to retain third place despite under-rotating four jumps in her performance to "Popsical." Her spins and step sequence all received level fours, which helped her get the bronze.

Metelkina, Berulava Earn Upset Victory in Pairs

Earlier Saturday, Georgia's Anastasiia Metelkina and Luka Berulava upset 2023 world champions Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara to win the pairs. Metelkina and Berulava tallied 213.05 to get the gold, while Miura and Kihara scored 209.45 for the silver.

Ellie Kam and Danny O'Shea of the United States picked up the bronze with 197.44.

World champions Madison Chock and Evan Bates of the US easily won ice dance with 215.95. Fellow Americans Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko were second at 198.97, while Lithuania's Allison Reed and Saulius Ambrulevicius took third on 195.92.

The NHK Trophy will conclude on Sunday with the Exhibition Gala.

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.