NEWSWORTHY
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 ...
Rino Kasakake earns bronze in debut at Poland JGP
Rino Kasakake kept Japan's streak of earning at least one medal at every Junior Grand Prix this season alive by claiming the bronze at the JGP in Gdansk, Poland, on Friday. It was an impressive start for the debutante on the JGP circuit. Kasakake, a ...
Mako Yamashita shows consistency with silver medal
Mako Yamashita continued her fine run in the Junior Grand Prix over the past two seasons with a second-place finish at the Croatia JGP in Zagreb on Saturday. The result put her on the podium for the fourth time in her four career JGPs. The ...
Inspired Sakamoto takes lead over Honda at Japan Junior Championships
Kaori Sakamoto grabbed the lead ahead of reigning world junior champion Marin Honda on the first day of the Japan Junior Championships at Tsukisamu Gymnasium on Saturday night with a sublime short program. Sakamoto gave a polished performance to "The Artist" and earned a score ...
Talented field set to compete for top spots at Japan Junior Championships
Bragging rights will be on the line when a group of highly successful skaters take the ice on Saturday at the Japan Junior Championships at Tsukisamu Gymnasium. Reigning world junior champion Marin Honda, Rika Kihira, Kaori Sakamoto, Yuna Shiraiwa and Mako Yamashita will all be ...
Sakamoto leads strong showing by juniors in France
Japanese skaters began the Junior Grand Prix season with encouraging results at the opening event last weekend in St. Gervais, France. Japan took home half of the six singles medals on offer, with Russia claiming the other three. Kaori Sakamoto, who has really blossomed from ...
