Three-time world champion Kaori Sakamoto delivered a flawless free skate to secure her title at the NHK Trophy, which she stated would be her final appearance at the event. Sakamoto, who announced her retirement plans after the upcoming Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, aimed to dazzle her fans at the Grand Prix in Osaka, Japan. Performing to music by Edith Piaf, Sakamoto executed seven triple jumps, earning a top score of 227.18 among all competitors.
Expressing her joy at performing in her hometown, Sakamoto stated, “This was an international competition close to my local fans, and I feel great that I was able to deliver such a strong performance.” With her silver medal at the Grand Prix de France, Sakamoto secured a place in the Grand Prix Final in Nagoya, Japan.
Teenager Sofia Samodelkina of Kazakhstan, making her Grand Prix debut, clinched the second spot with 200 points, followed by Loena Hendrickx of Belgium. Ottawa’s Katherine Medland Spence, the only Canadian participant, finished 11th in her Grand Prix debut with 146.63 points.
In the men’s singles event, Yuma Kagiyama, the 2022 Olympic silver medalist, overcame an early mistake to claim his third consecutive NHK Trophy title. Despite falling on a quadruple toe loop, Kagiyama landed all other jumps, achieving an overall score of 287.24. His compatriot Shun Sato, who won the Cup of China last month, secured a personal best of 189.04 in the free skate, totaling 285.71 points.
Additionally, British ice dance duo Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson took the gold medal with a total score of 205.88, qualifying for the Grand Prix Final. Sara Conti and Niccolo Macii of Italy outshone the 2022 Olympic champions Sui Wenjing and Han Cong of China to claim the pairs title. Maria Pavlova and Alexei Sviatchenko of Hungary earned the silver medal, while Sui and Han settled for bronze after leading in the short program.