Three-time world champion Kaori Sakamoto showcased a stellar performance in the short program on Friday, positioning herself favorably to defend her title at what she has announced to be her final NHK Trophy appearance. Having declared her retirement from competitive skating after the upcoming Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, Sakamoto delivered a mesmerizing routine to “Time to Say Goodbye,” executing a triple lutz, a double axel, and a triple flip-triple toe loop combination with precision. Her outstanding performance earned her a season-best score of 77.05, establishing a significant lead of almost 10 points over Sofia Samodelkina of Kazakhstan, who secured the second spot with a score of 67.75. Following closely behind, South Korea’s You Young claimed the third position with a score of 67.66.
Despite clinching three consecutive world championships until 2024, Sakamoto settled for second place at this year’s worlds in Boston during March. The 25-year-old athlete also attained the women’s singles bronze medal at the 2022 Beijing Winter Games. After finishing as the runner-up to 17-year-old compatriot Ami Nakai at the Grand Prix de France last month, Sakamoto aimed to reestablish her dominance at her home Grand Prix event.
Expressing her emotions post-performance, Sakamoto stated, “I was a little nervous upon arriving here, but I managed to overcome that and deliver a solid program.” She expressed satisfaction in successfully landing all her jumps and conveyed her determination to carry forward this momentum into the free skate scheduled for the following day.
Looking ahead to the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, where she is Japan’s leading contender for a medal, Sakamoto faces strong competition from Russian figure skater Adeliia Petrosian. The 17-year-old Russian has secured two consecutive national titles and remains unbeaten over the past two seasons, triumphing in eight consecutive domestic events. Petrosian secured her Olympic qualification by claiming the gold medal at the ISU Skate to Milano Figure Skating qualifier held in Beijing in September.
Additionally, the 2024 European Champion Loena Hendrickx made a return to the Grand Prix series following a season-long hiatus due to injury. Hendrickx displayed a commendable performance, landing her initial two jumps successfully before encountering a stumble on her third, a triple flip, concluding her performance in fourth place with a score of 62.45. Similarly, Hendrickx secured her Olympic qualification by finishing third at the ISU Skate to Milano Figure Skating qualifier.
In the men’s category, local favorite Yuma Kagiyama emerged as the leader after the short program. The 2022 Olympic silver medalist impressed with a quad lutz at the commencement of his routine, followed by a quad toe loop-triple toe loop combination, and concluded with a triple axel, accumulating a total of 98.58 points. Reflecting on his performance, Kagiyama expressed contentment with his jumps but lamented errors in his spins and steps. Kagiyama’s compatriot Shun Sato secured the second position with 96.67 points, while South Korea’s Cha Jun-hwan followed closely in third place with 91.60 points.