NEWSWORTHY
Shoma Uno builds sizable lead at nationals; Daisuke Takahashi second in short program
Shoma Uno took a commanding lead at the Japan championships on Saturday night with an effective short program. The Olympic and world silver medalist skated to "Stairway to Heaven" and earned a total score of 102.06 points. Uno opened with a nice quad flip, before ...
Rika Kihira now the favorite for world title
Rika Kihira's super season continued over the weekend with a decisive victory at the Grand Prix Final in Vancouver, British Columbia. The young star dethroned Olympic champion Alina Zagitova of Russia to take the crown. The 16-year-old Kihira has won all four of her events ...
Nathan Chen made some mistakes at the Grand Prix Final, yet was good enough to win the gold medal. Chen, the first American men's world champion since 2009, overcame a fall on his quad lutz in Friday's free skate, but still took the top spot ...
Rika Kihira in lead at Grand Prix Final; Shoma Uno in second place
Sixteen-year-old starlet Rika Kihira blew away the competition with a stellar short program Thursday at the Grand Prix Final, posting the highest women's score in the world since the judging system was revised ahead of the season. Kihira continued her exceptional Grand Prix debut campaign ...
Moved by Hanyu: A fan's story of love for the skating legend
Two-time Olympic champion Yuzuru Hanyu's impact on the Japanese public during his career has been profound. This is irrefutable. One fact many Japanese skating fans may not realize, however, is just how much the magnitude of his greatness stretches beyond these shores. Ice Time recently came ...
Yuhana Yokoi, Tatsuya Tsuboi take golds at Japan Junior Championships
Yuhana Yokoi retained her lead after the short program to win the Japan Junior Championships on Sunday night with an impressive free skate. The 18-year-old from Nagoya took to the ice as the final skater and put on a smooth performance to "The Phantom of ...
Koshiro Shimada, Yuhana Yokoi lead after short programs at Japan Junior Championships
Koshiro Shimada grabbed the lead in the men's competition after the short program at the Japan Junior Championships on Saturday with a fine performance. Shimada, who is Japan's lone qualifier for next month's Junior Grand Prix Final, looked sharp while landing a triple axel, triple ...
Cheerful personality helps Kaori Sakamoto shine on ice
Kaori Sakamoto took the skating world by storm last season in her first year as a senior competitor. The 18-year-old finished second at Skate America last November, then took second again at the Japan championships in December to earn one of the two spots for ...
Daisuke Takahashi shows heart of champion in return to competitive skating
The jumps need to be a little higher and the spins a bit faster, but the return to competition after a four-year absence of 2010 world champion Daisuke Takahashi over the holiday weekend has to be labeled a success. Takahashi finished third with a total ...
Mai Mihara impresses as runner-up while unveiling new short program at Nebelhorn Trophy
Mai Mihara earned the silver medal in her season debut at the Nebelhorn Trophy on Saturday with two solid performances. The 19-year-old was runner-up to Olympic champion Alina Zagitova at the Challenger Series event in Oberstdorf, Germany. Zagitova won with a total of 238.43 points, ...
Koshiro Shimada, Shiika Yoshioka shine at Austria JGP
Koshiro Shimada and Shiika Yoshioka combined to make last week a successful one for Japan on the Junior Grand Prix circuit with podium finishes in Linz, Austria. Shimada claimed the silver medal in the men's competition won by American Camden Pulkinen, while Yoshioka brought home ...
Rika Kihira, Mako Yamashita, Riko Takino in running for coveted Japan women's junior crown
With Kaori Sakamoto, Marin Honda and Yuna Shiraiwa having moved on to the senior ranks, Japan will crown a new junior women's queen this weekend at the Japan Junior Championships at Gunma Ice Arena. Honda and Shiraiwa's training partner Rika Kihira, one of only eight ...
