Three-time world champion Kaori Sakamoto showcased an impressive performance in the short program on Friday, positioning herself favorably to defend her title at what she has announced as her final NHK Trophy appearance. Sakamoto, who disclosed her intention to retire after the upcoming Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics in June, skated to “Time to Say Goodbye” flawlessly, executing a triple lutz, a double axel, and a triple flip-triple toe loop combination. Her stellar performance earned her a season-best score of 77.05, giving her a significant lead of nearly 10 points over Sofia Samodelkina of Kazakhstan, who secured the second spot with 67.75 points. You Young of South Korea claimed the third position with 67.66 points.
Despite her recent second-place finish at the worlds in Boston earlier this year, following three consecutive world championships, the 25-year-old Sakamoto clinched the women’s singles bronze medal at the 2022 Beijing Winter Games. After finishing as the runner-up to her compatriot Ami Nakai at the Grand Prix de France last month, Sakamoto aimed to regain her dominance at the NHK Trophy. Expressing her satisfaction with her performance, Sakamoto shared, “I was a little nervous since arriving here but was able to put that behind me and skate a solid program. I completed all my jumps successfully and will look to continue that in the free skate tomorrow.”
In preparation for the Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina, Sakamoto, Japan’s top contender for a medal, will face stiff competition from Russian figure skater Adeliia Petrosian, who has been on a winning streak, securing two consecutive national titles and remaining unbeaten over the past two seasons with eight straight domestic victories. Petrosian earned her Olympic qualification by claiming the gold medal at the ISU Skate to Milano Figure Skating qualifier in Beijing in September.
Additionally, the 2024 European Champion Loena Hendrickx made a comeback to the Grand Prix series after sitting out the previous season due to injury. Despite landing her first two jumps successfully, Hendrickx stumbled on her third, a triple flip, and concluded the short program in fourth place with 62.45 points. Hendrickx secured her Olympic berth by finishing third at the ISU Skate to Milano Figure Skating qualifier.
Local favorite Yuma Kagiyama took the lead after the men’s short program, with the 2022 Olympic silver medalist delivering a strong performance. Kagiyama executed a quad lutz, a quad toe loop-triple toe loop combination, and finished with a triple axel, accumulating 98.58 points. Reflecting on his performance, Kagiyama stated, “I was pleased with all of my jumps, putting everything into them I was able to complete them successfully. But the mistakes on the spins and step are very regrettable.” Kagiyama’s compatriot Shun Sato claimed the second spot with 96.67 points, followed by South Korea’s Cha Jun-hwan with 91.60 points.