Rika Kihira nails quad to seize second straight national title
The 18-year-old opened with the quad salchow and cruised past her only real setback, an under-rotated triple axel that followed, to overcome a powerful challenge from Kaori Sakamoto.
Rika Kihira to train under Brian Orser, joining Yuzuru Hanyu
Figure skater Rika Kihira said Saturday she will augment her coaching team with Canadian Brian Orser, who has coached her compatriot Yuzuru Hanyu to consecutive Olympic men's championships. "I decided this because I was certain I can absolutely grow (by working with Orser) ahead of ...
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 ...
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 ...
Masakazu Kagiyama helping his son pursue an Olympic dream
A new star was born on Sunday night and his name is Yuma Kagiyama. The 16-year-old won the Japan junior title in Yokohama by a more than 37-point margin with a stellar performance in the free skate. Kagiyama exhibited poise and power in a thoroughly ...
With full power restored, Yuzuru Hanyu looks unbeatable
Two-time Olympic champion Yuzuru Hanyu opened his Grand Prix campaign in dominating fashion with a huge victory at Skate Canada on Saturday. More important than winning, however, was his return to what appears to be complete health. Hanyu's winning total of 322.59 points was nearly ...
