2018 NHK Trophy Ladies Preview
Grand Prix Champions Satoko Miyahara and Elizaveta Tuktamysheva face off, Rika Kihira hopes to upset
The 2018 NHK Trophy, which is the fourth Grand Prix event of the series this year, will be held from November 9th to 11th in Hiroshima, Japan. The ladies' event is setting up to be a very interesting face-off with two winners of their respective first Grand Prixes, Satoko Miyahara of Japan and Elizaveta Tuktamysheva of Russia, as well as a potential wildcard, Japanese teenager Rika Kihira.
Satoko Miyahara is the 2015 World silver medalist and the reigning World bronze medalist. The four-time Japanese national champion is also the holder of the highest score in this event, 219.71 points, which she posted on her way to winning Skate America earlier this season.
Elizaveta Tuktamysheva is the 2015 World champion and the winner of the Grand Prix in Canada earlier this season. Tuktamysheva is coming back strong despite struggling the last three seasons and failing to make the World or Olympic team. She plans a triple axel in both of her short program and her free skate.
Speaking of triple axels, Rika Kihira of Japan is slated to attempt three of them in competition this weekend. She most recently landed all three at the Ondrej Nepela Trophy in Bratislava, and she is the holder of the second-highest combined total score in this event behind Miyahara at 218.16. The 16-year-old was the first skater to land a clean triple axel-triple toe loop combination, and for a split second she was the holder of the free skating world record under the new scoring system until the record was broken by Alina Zagitova of Russia at the 2018 Nebelhorn Trophy. This will be Kihira's first senior season as well as her first Grand Prix event.
Also challenging at this event are Mai Mihara of Japan, the 2017 Four Continents champion, Eunsoo Lim of South Korea, who won two Challenger medals earlier this year, Alena Leonova of Russia, the 2012 World silver medalist, Maria Sotskova, the 2017 Grand Prix Final silver medalist, Kailani Crane of Australia, Maé-Bérénice Méité of France, Mariah Bell of the United States, Courtney Hicks of the United States, and Angela Wang of the United States.
Satoko Miyahara is the 2015 World silver medalist and the reigning World bronze medalist. The four-time Japanese national champion is also the holder of the highest score in this event, 219.71 points, which she posted on her way to winning Skate America earlier this season.
Elizaveta Tuktamysheva is the 2015 World champion and the winner of the Grand Prix in Canada earlier this season. Tuktamysheva is coming back strong despite struggling the last three seasons and failing to make the World or Olympic team. She plans a triple axel in both of her short program and her free skate.
Speaking of triple axels, Rika Kihira of Japan is slated to attempt three of them in competition this weekend. She most recently landed all three at the Ondrej Nepela Trophy in Bratislava, and she is the holder of the second-highest combined total score in this event behind Miyahara at 218.16. The 16-year-old was the first skater to land a clean triple axel-triple toe loop combination, and for a split second she was the holder of the free skating world record under the new scoring system until the record was broken by Alina Zagitova of Russia at the 2018 Nebelhorn Trophy. This will be Kihira's first senior season as well as her first Grand Prix event.
Also challenging at this event are Mai Mihara of Japan, the 2017 Four Continents champion, Eunsoo Lim of South Korea, who won two Challenger medals earlier this year, Alena Leonova of Russia, the 2012 World silver medalist, Maria Sotskova, the 2017 Grand Prix Final silver medalist, Kailani Crane of Australia, Maé-Bérénice Méité of France, Mariah Bell of the United States, Courtney Hicks of the United States, and Angela Wang of the United States.
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