Japan’s Rika Kihira delivered her trademark triple Axel to lead the women’s short programme at Skate Canada Friday ahead of South Korean You Young and Russian Alexandra Trusova.
Kihira, who won all three of her starts in the International Skating Union Grand Prix series last year but settled for fourth at the World Championships in Japan last March, finished with a total of 81.35 points to take a 3.13-point lead over You.
“The quality of my triple Axel and my triple loop was good, like in practice, said Kihira, who also had a triple flip-triple toe combination, a triple loop.
“But in some parts of the programme I was nervous and I didn’t do my spins so well. Tomorrow in practice I want to focus on my jumps and spins.”
You, a three-time South Korean national champion and still just 15 years old, also completed a triple Axel as she built a personal-best total of 78.22 points with Trusova, another 15-year-old third on 74.40.
“I have been working on the triple Axel for three years,” she said. “Now I feel good and have more confidence.”
Trusova, the reigning Russian national champion who landed four quadruple jumps in her most recent free skate in competition, didn’t attempt a quad in her short programme.
Bradie Tennell, who took silver at Skate America behind Anna Shcherbakova last weekend ws in fourth ahead of 2018 Olympic silver medallist and two-time world champion Yevgenia Medvedeva, who fell on her closing triple Lutz after fluffing the landing of a double Axel.
Skate Canada, being held this year in Kelowna in Western Canada, is the second of this season’s ISU Grand Prix events.
Japan’s Yuzuru Hanyu was due to open his Grand Prix season later Friday in the men’s short programme.
Ice dance opened with two-time world medallists Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue of the United States topping the rhythm dance with 83.21 points — 1.76 less than their rhythm dance score last week at Skate America.
They relegated Canadian home hopes Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier to second by just 63-hundredths of a point going into Saturday’s free dance.
“The two of us are both very proud of what we did today,” Gilles said. “We’ve trained really hard on the Short Dance (Rhythm Dance) to make a statement.
“Our first program on the Grand Prix series is usually a tough one, so it was nice to have the home crowd behind us. We’re excited for tomorrow.”
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