Error On The Triple Accele Did Not Interfere With Rica Kijire To Take First Place

Rick kihira captured leadership after a short program at the japan championship in figure skating 2019-2020. Read more in material.

Rick kihira – chief challenger for victory

Japanese figure skater loudly declared itself in 2018, when in the final of the grand prix defeated alina zagitov. Aftert that, the attention of the world media was riveted to a miniature athlete from the country of the rising sun. In the same season she won «gold» championship of four continents (analogue of the european championship, is held in asia, america, africa and australia with oceania), but the home tournament did not conquer her.

About what the current world champion alina zagitova is engaged after the career suspension – in our article.

Ricka was content with japan’s championship only «silver». Interestingly, in 2017 she mined «bronze» of this tournament. By logic, in 2019 she shold get a long-awaited «gold». And judging by the result, everything is moving. After the short program of kijira leads from 73.98 points. Second intermediate place at satoko miyajara (four-fold champion of japan) – 70.11 points, and the third of last year’s triumphs, kaori sakamoto – 69.95.

Interestingly, to seize the leadership among athletes kijire did not even prevent a mistake during the execution of his corona triple achel. During landing, the figure skater touched ice and barely resist not to fall. But soon she took himself in hand and all the subsequent performance did without mistakes.

Experts consider rica one of the main competitors of russian athletes this season. Last year she had a good chance of the world championships, but the excitement did not allow her to show the best version of himself, and she graduated from a fourth tournament. From that moment on, the japanese added to his arsenal, in addition to the triple axel, also four salkhov and tulup.

If, before world cup, she will be able to bring them to sure fulfillment in tournaments and not only in training, it will be able to create serious difficulties for trio tutballidze: pouches, shacherbakova, costorna. As the final of the grand prix showed while it is inferior to them in everything.

Learn more about how the grand prix finals passed, in our material.

Today, men will present their short program, among which are familiar schomo uno and yudzur khani.

Previously, we wrote that yudzuru khan lost in the final of the grand prix of natan cheng, but going to take revenge.