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 ...
Yuma Kagiyama, Mana Kawabe leave rivals in dust to win at Japan Junior Championships
Yuma Kagiyama continued his surge toward the elite of the skating world with a dominating victory at the Japan Junior Championships on Sunday night. The 16-year-old from Yokohama put on an amazing show of power and grace in his free skate to win the title ...
Yuma Kagiyama, Mana Kawabe win short programs at Japan Junior Championships
Heavy favorite Yuma Kagiyama took the lead after the short program at the Japan Junior Championships at Shin-Yokohama Skate Center on Saturday night. The 16-year-old from Yokohama racked up a total score of 79.92 points to hold a comfortable advantage over Yuto Kishina (74.29) and ...
Top young skaters back in the spotlight at Japan Junior Championships
Yuma Kagiyama and Shun Sato will be in the spotlight this weekend at the Japan Junior Championships at Shin-Yokohama Skate Center. Both skaters have qualified for next month's prestigious Junior Grand Prix Final in Italy. Kagiyama, a 16-year-old from Yokohama, finished first and second in ...
Satoko Miyahara's move to Toronto the right decision at this stage of her career
Coming off a disappointing season, Satoko Miyahara is looking to get back on the right track. The four-time national champion got off to a good start on Saturday by winning her first event of the season at the U.S. International Figure Skating Classic in Salt ...
Yuma Kagiyama dazzles in France JGP win
Yuma Kagiyama opened the Junior Grand Prix season with a bang. The 16-year-old put on a dominant performance in winning the JGP in Courchevel, France, on Saturday by a huge margin. The victory was Kagiyama's first on the JGP circuit, but what resonated was the manner ...
Nana Araki looks for leap in crucial season
Now is the time for accomplished junior Nana Araki to shine. The 17-year-old from Higashiura, Aichi Prefecture, will begin her third season on the Junior Grand Prix circuit on Thursday at the season-opening event in Courchevel, France. Araki, a senior in high school, has finished in ...
Top junior Tomoe Kawabata poised for a breakout season
With Japan junior champion Yuhana Yokoi having moved on to the senior ranks, 17-year-old Tomoe Kawabata may represent the Hinomaru's best chance for a medal at the world junior championships this coming season. Kawabata was the bronze medalist at the Japan Junior Championships in Fukuoka ...
Mai Mihara mesmerizing in victory at Winter Universiade
It was a mixed bag of results for Japanese skating over the weekend. The good news arrived from Krasnoyarsk, Russia, where Mai Mihara won the Winter Universiade in decisive fashion. The bad news emanated from Zagreb, where Japanese skaters struggled at the world junior championships and ...
Rising choreographer Benoit Richaud says Kaori Sakamoto in good form ahead of worlds
Following a disappointing fourth-place finish at last month's Four Continents Championships in California, Japan champion Kaori Sakamoto didn't dwell on her result, but rather went right back to work to prepare for this month's world championships in Saitama. Benoit Richaud, Sakamoto's choreographer, whose stock is ...
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 ...
