Yuma Kagiyama Leads NHK Trophy to Start Olympic Season
Japan’s Yuma Kagiyama took the lead after the NHK Trophy short programme on Friday as he prepares for the Winter Olympics with his first Grand Prix appearance of the season.
Men's Competition Highlights
The 22-year-old Kagiyama, silver medalist at the 2022 Beijing Games, is considered the main rival to double world champion Ilia Malinin for gold at the Milan-Cortina Olympics in February. Performing in front of his home crowd in Osaka, he scored 98.58 points.
“I made mistakes on things I couldn't believe,” Kagiyama said. “I think that's the first time I've ever made a mistake on a spin in competition. It's frustrating to make a mistake on something you can usually do as a matter of course. I'll put this behind me and look to tomorrow.”
Other Leading Skaters
- Second place was his fellow Japanese skater Shun Sato with 96.67 points.
- South Korea’s Cha Jun-hwan took third place with 91.60 points.
Sato, winner of last month’s Cup of China, aims to secure his spot at next month’s Grand Prix Final in Nagoya.
Women's Competition Update
Japan’s three-time world champion Kaori Sakamoto led the women's short programme, continuing Japan's strong presence in the competition.
Author’s summary: Yuma Kagiyama took top spot at the NHK Trophy short programme despite some mistakes, as he readies for a fierce showdown at the upcoming Winter Olympics.
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