FIGURE SKATING
Riku Miura/Ryuichi Kihara (JPN) clinch narrow lead at ISU Grand Prix NHK Trophy
08 Nov 2024
Reigning ISU World silver medalists Riku Miura/Ryuichi Kihara (JPN) clinched a narrow lead as the ISU Grand Prix NHK Trophy continued Friday in Tokyo (JPN) with a Pairs Short Program that saw some close scoring.
Riku Miura/Ryuichi Kihara capture Pairs Short Program
The 2023 ISU World Champions Riku Miura/ Ryuichi Kihara of Japan took first place in the Pairs Short Program, edging Georgia’s Anastasiia Metelkina/ Luka Berulava and Ellie Kam/Danny O’Shea (USA). With less than three points between the top three teams, a lot can happen in the Free Skating on Saturday.
Skating to “Paint It Black”, Miura/Kihara completed a triple twist, throw triple Lutz and difficult lift and footwork. However, Miura landed forward on the triple toe which was downgraded. The 2024 ISU World silver medalists scored 71.90 points.
Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara (JPN) in the Pairs Short Program in the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating NHK Trophy in Tokyo, Japan © ISU
“There was a mistake we were able to recover from that and that was very good for us,” Miura said.
“Our choreographer has changed and we thought we needed to create something new,” Kihara said.
“The choreographer proposed this new kind of music for us. It was a challenge at first, but we trained hard to try to create this performance. We were able to train with dancers to learn about expression and we really focused on enhancing our expression.”
Metelkina/Berulava entertained the crowd in the Yoyogi National Stadium with their fun Aerobic program to “Why” by Bronski Beat, completing a triple twist, triple Salchow and throw triple flip. The 2024 ISU World Junior Champions posted a season’s best of 70.28 points.
Anastasiia Metelkina and Luka Berulava (GEO) in the Pairs Short Program at the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating NHK Trophy in Tokyo, Japan © ISU
“Compared to Skate America we improved our elements, the death spiral, spin, speed, the overall performance of the program. We’ve worked on our mistakes and it bore fruit,” Berulava said.
The couple looked shaky in the morning practice, but didn’t let that affect their performance.
“As for the morning practice, this happens, and actually these (poor) trainings are a good motivation to do better in the competition. It is better to skate well in the competition than in practice,” Berulava said.
Kam/O’Shea’s performance to “Rain, In Your Black Eyes” was highlighted by s triple Salchow, triple twist and throw triple loop, but the side by side spin was wobbly. The 2024 Skate America silver medalists earned 69.15 points.
Ellie Kam and Danny O'Shea (USA) in the Pairs Short at the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating NHK Trophy at in Tokyo, Japan © ISU
“We feel good about today. We had little shakes here and there, but overall it felt pretty good. The crowd was really amazing, it is always a blessing to skate in these rink and find these crowds,” Kam said.
Annika Hocke/Robert Kunkel (GER) are not far behind in fourth place with a season’s best performance on 67.37 points, followed by Yuna Nagaoka/Sumitada Moriguchi (JPN) at 60.32 points.
For full entries, schedules & results, see the ISU Grand Prix Event Page & ISU Grand Prix NHK Trophy Event Page & Official NHK Trophy Website.
Check out the ISU Grand Prix Standings to find out who is on their way to qualify for the Final:
Men Women Pair Skating Ice Dance
What & When
The schedule of the NHK Trophy is as follows
Friday, Nov 8: Rhythm Dance, Pairs, Men’s & Women’s Short Programs
Saturday, Nov 9: Free Dance, Pairs, Men’s & Women’s Free Skating
Sunday, Nov 10: Exhibition Gala
Follow the ISU Grand Prix events:
The schedules of each ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating event are available below:
- 18 - 20 Oct 2024 Skate America in Allen, TX (USA)
- 25 - 27 Oct 2024 Skate Canada International in Halifax (CAN)
- 01 - 03 Nov 2024 Grand Prix de France in Angers (FRA)
- 08 - 10 Nov 2024 NHK Trophy in Tokyo (JPN)
- 15- 17 Nov 2024 Finlandia Trophy in Helsinki (FIN)
- 22 - 24 Nov 2024 Cup of China in Chongqing (CHN)
The ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final:
- 05 - 08 Dec 2024 Grenoble (FRA)
About ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating
The ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series started in 1995 (previously known a s the ISU Champions Series) and consists of six invitational international senior events and the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final. The top six of the past World Championships are seeded. Competitors collect points in their events towards the qualification for the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final. Only the top six Skaters / Couples in each discipline can qualify for the Final.
