Rika Kihira won the women's free skate on Saturday to capture the Four Continents title for the second consecutive year. The 17-year-old Kihira, who was in first place after the short program, landed a triple axel as part of a combination jump and received 151.16 ...
Defending champion Rika Kihira leads at Four Continents after short program
Defending champion Rika Kihira produced a strong short program to lead the opening day of the Four Continents on Thursday at Mokdong Ice Rink. Skating to "Breakfast in Baghdad," the recent national championship-winning Kihira opened with a flawless triple axel and added a triple flip/triple ...
Shoma Uno, juniors steal show at Japan Championships
Last week's Japan Championships provided a mixed bag for skating fans. There was some very good skating and some not so good. It was great to see Japan's three male Olympic medalists (Yuzuru Hanyu, Shoma Uno, Daisuke Takahashi) all together in the same competition, but ...
Rika Kihira displays confidence, elegance en route to first senior national title
Rika Kihira captured her first senior national title at the Japan Championships on Saturday night with an enthralling performance in her free skate. The 17-year-old bounced back from her fourth-place finish at the Grand Prix Final earlier this month to top the podium with a ...
Kihira sets pace at Japan nationals
Rika Kihira took the lead after the women's short program at the Japan Championships on Thursday night at Yoyogi Gymnasium. Kihira, who was the runner-up behind Kaori Sakamoto at the nationals last year, earned a score of 73.98 points. Four-time national champion Satoko Miyahara is ...
Yuzuru Hanyu's return, Daisuke Takahashi's farewell headline nationals
Yuzuru Hanyu returns to the Japan Championships this week for the first time in four years. After winning the title four straight times (2012-15), Hanyu has missed the last three installments due to illness and injury. Coming off a disappointing second-place finish at the Grand ...
Yuzuru Hanyu must find formula to defeat ascending Nathan Chen
Yuzuru Hanyu incurred his largest defeat in more than 10 years at the Grand Prix Final on Saturday to American Nathan Chen. Despite a super effort in his free skate to "Origin," Hanyu lost by nearly 44 points to the two-time defending world champion on ...
Stunning Nathan Chen beats Yuzuru Hanyu, Alena Kostornaia wins women's gold at ISU Grand Prix Final
American figure skating sensation Nathan Chen set new world record scores on his way to a third consecutive men's gold at the ISU Grand Prix Final on Saturday, as teenager Alena Kostornaia also hit new marks to lead a Russian podium sweep of the ...
Yuzuru Hanyu targets record fifth ISU Grand Prix Final gold as Russians threaten Rika Kihira's crown
Olympic champion Yuzuru Hanyu will bid to become the first figure skater to win gold five times at the International Skating Union (ISU) Grand Prix Final in Turin, Italy, starting on Thursday, with compatriot Rika Kihira's women's crown under threat from four Russian rivals. Hanyu ...
Yuzuru Hanyu dazzles en route to fourth NHK Trophy title; Alena Kostornaia wins women's event
Yuzuru Hanyu won the NHK Trophy in decisive fashion on Saturday night, claiming the title by a whopping 55 points before a packed house at Makomanai Ice Arena. The superstar, who qualified for next month's Grand Prix Final with the victory, landed four quads in ...
Yuzuru Hanyu takes dominant lead in NHK Trophy short program
Yuzuru Hanyu took a commanding lead after the short program at the NHK Trophy on Friday night at Makomanai Ice Arena. The two-time Olympic champion gave the capacity crowd the show they were looking for with an exquisite performance to "Otonal" that saw him earn ...
Yuzuru Hanyu looks sharp in NHK Trophy practice
Yuzuru Hanyu came through his first NHK Trophy practice session in two years with flying colors on Thursday. The two-time Olympic champion, who injured the lateral ligament in his right ankle in 2017 at an NHK Trophy practice in Osaka, looked sharp this day, tearing ...
