Skate America Thrills: Higuchi Claims First Grand Prix Victory
In a thrilling night of figure skating, Wakaba Higuchi of Japan captured her first Grand Prix event title after more than eight years of trying. The 23-year-old from Tokyo delivered an error-free program at the Credit Union of Texas Event Center in Allen, Texas, edging out teammate Rinka Watanabe and American star Isabeau Levito.
A Night to Remember
Higuchi’s winning performance earned her 196.93 points, while Watanabe took the silver medal with 195.22 points. Levito, who led after the short program, made a costly mistake on her triple lutz and finished third with 194.83 points. “I got excited with how well I was getting through the program and I rushed the jump,” Levito explained. “And immediately while I was in the air, I was like, ‘Oh, that’s not a good thing to do.’”
Pairs Event: Japan’s Miura and Kihara Shine
In the pairs event, Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara of Japan kicked off the medal haul for their country with a dazzling short program and a winning free skate. They scored 214.33 points, outdistancing American champions Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea, who took the silver medal with 201.73 points. “It’s great to be back,” Kihara said. “It’s been a while since we won a competition, so we are happy about that as well.”
Ice Dance: Fear and Gibson Take the Lead
The ice dance competition began with the rhythm dance, and a mistake by two-time defending world champions Madison Chock and Evan Bates left the Americans trailing Britain’s Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson. Fear and Gibson scored 83.56 points, while Chock and Bates had 77.88 points. “We wanted to go out there and just kind of improve on what we had done in our previous two competitions, and I think we did that,” Gibson said.
Men’s Event: Malinin Takes the Lead
In the men’s event, world champion Ilia Malinin of the US took another step towards the 2026 Winter Olympics by opening a slim lead over Japanese rival Kao Miura. The 19-year-old Malinin scored 99.59 points, 0.15 points ahead of Miura. The competition will continue with the free skate on Sunday.
A Promising Start
As the competition heats up, fans can expect more thrilling performances from these talented athletes. With the Grand Prix Final just around the corner, every point counts, and the pressure is on to deliver. Who will emerge victorious in the end? Only time will tell.
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