Just like Rostelecom Cup, Cup of China, and Skate America before them, NHK Trophy this week is going to be a mini-Nationals of sorts, but it will also be missing a few huge names. But this is Japan, so you’re not going to be at a loss for talent here, and there will plenty of great skating to be had in Osaka. This will be the last Grand Prix event before Nationals season begins, and there’s a lot to look forward to, including the debut of Daisuke Takahashi - as an ice dancer.
NHK Trophy predictions
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Top 5 Ladies predictions
GOLD Wakaba Higuchi
SILVER Young You
BRONZE Mai Mihara
4. Kaori Sakamoto
5. Mako Yamashita
The two major names missing in the ladies’ field are Satoko Miyahara, who has been training in her new home base in Canada, and Rika Kihira, who has been training in Switzerland. But we know that the Japanese women have a lot of depth, and the late entry of Young You, the only non-Japanese skater in this entire event, will make this event the most intriguing of the three disciplines.
After her World silver medal in 2018, Wakaba Higuchi has been working to regain her form after injury - and perfect that triple axel. We’ve seen her confidence grow in that jump during this off-season and early season, and she’s got the opportunity to write herself into the history books this week. Speaking of triple axels, You, the 11th woman to land that jump in international competition, should be right up there. But of all the skaters in the event, she’s the one who has not appeared in competition yet this season.
This competition will also mark the return of Mai Mihara, who missed all of last season due to health reasons. She’s looked strong in domestic events this season, and will be vying for the podium. Perhaps the biggest x-factor here might be Kaori Sakamoto, who very much has the potential to win the entire event but has been dealing with inconsistency over the past two seasons.
Top 5 Men predictions
GOLD Yuma Kagiyama
SILVER Shun Sato
BRONZE Kazuki Tomono
4. Sota Yamamoto
5. Keiji Tanaka
Without the two biggest names in Japanese men’s skating in the field - Shoma Uno is in Switzerland and Yuzuru Hanyu opted out of the Grand Prix earlier in the season - it is looking to be an event that will anointing one of the new-generation skaters. Most promising of that group is Yuma Kagiyama, last year’s Japanese bronze medalist. But he had a rough go at it during Sectionals, losing to friend and budding rival Shun Sato. It may very well be the battle between those two this week.
There are a few other names of note here who has shown great skating in the past and will figure into the medal hunt here. Kazuki Tomono was 5th at Worlds three seasons ago, and has been building up his consistency over the past couple of seasons. Sota Yamamoto has shown signs of brilliance in his comeback from almost career-ending injury a few years ago. And Keiji Tanaka, the two-time Japanese silver medalist, has had great success in the past but is recovering from injury this season.
Dance predictions
GOLD ??
SILVER ??
BRONZE ??
So how exactly is one to make predictions about an event when one of the members of the teams has yet to ever compete as an ice dancer? Well you don’t, really. It would be disingenuous of me to pretend like I know how Kana Muramoto/Daisuke Takahashi would debut based on a couple of minutes of practice footage on a news show. So we will leave it at that.
Muramoto/Takahashi are going to be up against Japanese champs Misato Komatsubara/Tim Koleto, who had a rough season last year with Komatsubara’s concussions that kept them out of competition until last year’s Japan Nationals. Koleto recently received his Japanese citizenship, so there’s certainly some to celebrate.