Young Georgians Take the Lead

The NHK Trophy, the fourth event in the annual Grand Prix series, was held from November 8 to 9 at the Yoyogi 1st National Gymnasium in Tokyo. Established in 1995, the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series consists of six international senior-level competitions, where participants earn points to qualify for the prestigious ISU Grand Prix Final. This year, Japanese figure skating fans had plenty to celebrate as their athletes dominated the podium in both the women’s and men’s events. In the pair skating category, the Georgians took the lead, followed by the Japanese ISU World Champions 2023 finishing second.

The pairs event ended with a surprising twist as crowd favorites Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara finished in second place after the free skate. They were overtaken by the young Georgian duo Anastasiia Metelkina and Luka Berulava, who had already showcased their talent on the first day of competition, scoring 70.28 points and becoming second with their short program. Skating to an energetic aerobic-theme set to “Why,” they not only brought the audience to life with their upbeat performance but also executed technical elements such as a triple twist, a triple Salchow, and a triple throw Flip with brilliance. While they lost some points on elements like the death spiral and step sequences, they stayed within striking distance of the leading Japanese team.

With their free skate to “A Necessary End,” Metelkina / Berulava surged ahead, surpassing Miura and Kihara with a total score of 213.05 points. They opened with a dazzling triple twist and infused their emotionally charged performance with a 3S+2A+2A combination, earning top marks for all their lifts as well as the death spiral. The 2024 ISU European silver medalists shattered their personal best by 11 points, achieving 142.77 points for the free skate and a score of 213.05 overall.

“We feel absolutely incredible after this performance,” Berulava said with a satisfied smile following their free skate. “I’m so grateful for all the applause here in Tokyo. I love Japan. Our performance was really strong, and we’re very happy with it. (...) We've been working not only physically on the elements, but we have worked mentally a lot, because we feel in competition only 30% is the physical preparation. It all depends on your head.”
“The most important thing for us was the support from the audience, which we felt even during our short program. It gave us so much strength,” Metelkina added.

Expectations were sky-high for Team RikuRyu (Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara), the pair who popularized pairs skating in Japan with their string of successes, including a recent victory at Skate America. On the first day of competition, they took the lead with their short program set to “Paint It Black,” earning 71.90 points. Opening their program with electrifying energy and a rapid tempo, they received a wave of applause for their flawless triple twist. However, going further into the program, Miura’s landing on the triple toe Loop incurred a deduction as it was downgraded. The program continued with challenging lifts, a throw triple Lutz, and intricate footwork, culminating in a suspenseful death spiral.

Although Team RikuRyu delivered a breathtaking free skate to “Adiós,” it wasn’t enough to clinch gold, as they finished second with a total score of 209.45 points. Their program began with dynamic elements, including a triple twist, a 3T+1A+2A combination, and powerful lifts. Unfortunately, they lost points on a wobbly pair combination spin, which was graded only at Level 1. This misstep proved costly, denying them the first place on the podium.
“Our most critical error was the pair combination spin, but we managed to recover well afterward,” Kihara reflected. Miura added that such a mistake had never happened to them before. “At first, I was worried, but then I saw Kihara smiling at me after the spin, and that helped calm me down.”

The American team of Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea secured third place on the podium on the first day of competition with a score of 69.15 points. Their emotional performance to “Rain, In Your Black Eyes” began with captivating choreographic elements, earning them huge applause for their triple twist and triple Salchow. Overall, the young pair skaters avoided major errors but lost points due to low level ratings on some elements.

Their passionate free skate to “Stand by Me” also left an impression, despite Kam being unable to land either of her throw jumps cleanly. They complemented the romantic lyrics with interesting choreography and rounded out their program with a well-executed triple twist, outstanding lifts, a strong spin, and a Level 3 death spiral.

“We’re very happy with the overall improvements in our program and feel so blessed to be on the podium with such amazing competitors and to skate in front of an incredible crowd again. Seeing the stands full with some American flags—that was really amazing. We truly appreciate all the support,” Kam said with heartfelt gratitude.

(Written by Mitsuoka Maria-Laura, photographer: SkatingChina)