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[ICE TIME] Ami Nakai, Rio Nakata Clinch Berths in Junior Grand Prix Final with Wins in China

Nakai is returning to the Junior Grand Prix Final for the third consecutive year. Nakata won the men's event in his debut in the final in 2023.

Published

14 hours ago

October 15, 2024

Jack Gallagher

Ami Nakai competes in the women's short program in the Junior Grand Prix meet in Wuxi, China, on October 11, 2024. (©ISU)

Read the full story on SportsLook - [ICE TIME] Ami Nakai, Rio Nakata Clinch Berths in Junior Grand Prix Final with Wins in China

It was a bonanza finish for Japan at the last Junior Grand Prix of the season on October 10-12. Ami Nakai and Rio Nakata both emerged victorious in Wuxi, China. They also secured spots in the JGP Final in Grenoble, France, in December.

The 16-year-old Nakai scored a comfortable win in the women's competition on Saturday, October 12, totaling 204.88 points in the triumph. South Korea's Yuseong Kim was second with 192.23, while China's Yihan Wang came in third on 192.11.

Yo Takagi entered the event with a shot at qualifying for the JGP Final, but after being in second place in the short program on Friday, she came undone in her free skate and finished fifth with 185.45. The performance proved costly for the 17-year-old Takagi as she missed out on making the JGP Final.

Nakata, who turned 16 in September, dominated the men's field in Wuxi. He won both the short program on Thursday and Friday's free skate to run up a score of 233.53. Nakata bested second-place finisher Tonghe Tian (207.95) of China by more than 25 points. New Zealand's Yanhao Li (206.45) filled out the podium in third.

Nakai Sparkles Under Pressure in Free Skate

The world junior bronze medalist in 2023, Nakai performed to the soundtrack from "Cinderella" in her free skate and opened with two triple axels. Though they were both judged one-quarter rotation short, the height and rotational velocity she displayed were impressive.

The only real blemish in her skate was an under-rotation on a triple salchow. She did earn level fours on all of her spins after struggling in the six-minute warmup.

"I was worried for her because it was a really tough warmup," ISU announcer Ted Barton stated. "But the long wait gave her time to regroup and boy did she ever."

ISU commentator Mark Hanretty praised Nakai's fortitude in really going for it with her elements in the free skate.

"Instead of playing it safe and instead of being perhaps tactical and holding back, she didn't just put one triple axel in, she put two triple axels in," Hanretty noted. "That is very much the heart and spirit of a champion in leveling up and making it more difficult for yourself."

Barton seconded Hanretty's assessment of Nakai.

"That makes the difference in being a champion by taking the risk and pushing yourself," Barton remarked. "Sometimes it doesn't always work. On this day it did. Maybe on another day it won't."

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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.