Figure Skating

Kagiyama Just Edges Sato for 3-peat at NHK Trophy

AP
Japan’s Yuma Kagiyama performs his free skate program at the ISU Grand Prix NHK Trophy in Osaka on Saturday.

The Japan News

19:56 JST, November 8, 2025

Yuma Kagiyama fell on a quad loop, but had enough in his arsenal to overcome compatriot Shun Sato and capture his third straight men’s title at the NHK Trophy on Saturday in Osaka.

Kagiyama, the 2022 Beijing Olympics silver medalist skating in his first competition in this season’s ISU Grand Prix series, scored 188.66 points in an otherwise dazzling free skate to finish with a season-best 287.24 points.

That gave Kagiyama, who finished on top in the short program on Friday, a victory by just over 1½ points over Sato, who turned in a flawless performance to place second with 285.71 for a runaway Japanese 1-2 finish.

Sato, winner of last month’s Cup of China, nailed all of his jumps to outdo Kagiyama in the free skate with a personal-best 189.04 points.

Switzerland’s Lukas Britschgi, who was fifth in the short program, finished third with 246.94 points.

In the pairs, Olympic champions Wenjing Sui and Cong Han of China, the leaders after posting a season-best score in the short program, had to settle for third place after dropping to fourth best in the free skate.

In a close competition, Italians Sara Conti and Niccolo Macii edged the Hungarian pair of Maria Pavlova and Alexei Sviatchenko by just 1.30 points for the gold.

Conti and Macii scored 134.89 in the free skate to finish with 208.58 points overall, while Pavlova and Sviatchenko scored 134.24 to end up second with 207.28. The Chinese duo was third with 203.79.

Britain’s world bronze medalists Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson cruised to the title in the ice dance with 205.88 points as the final standings mirrored those after the short program.

Italy’s Charlene Guignard and Marco Fabbri were second with 198.67 points, followed by Americans Caroline Green and Michael Parsons in third at 187.90.

American stars Alex and Maia Shibutani, making a comeback after a seven-year absence, finished sixth with 180.50 points.

The women’s free skate was to be held later Saturday. Japan’s three-time former world champion Kaori Sakamoto, who said she will retire after next year’s Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, took a large lead in the short program on Friday when she scored a season-best 77.05 points.