Hanyu finishes 4th to secure GP Final spot
Print Edition
JAPANESE skater Yuzuru Hanyu finished fourth at the NHK Trophy in Osaka yesterday, a result that allowed the Olympic champion to qualify for next month’s Grand Prix Final by a slim margin.
Hanyu, who was fifth after the short program, doubled his opening quad salchow and fell on the quad toeloop but finished with 229.80 points. Compatriot Daisuke Murakami won with 246.07 points followed by Sergei Voronov of Russia with 236.65. Takahito Mura of Japan, who was first after the short program, placed third with 234.44 points. It was Murakami’s first GP title.
Tatsuki Machida of Japan, Maxim Kovtun of Russia and Javier Fernandez of Spain had already qualified for the GP Final in Barcelona and will be joined by Hanyu, Voronov and Mura.
Hanyu finished just fifteen-hundredths of a point ahead of Jeremy Abbott of the United States, who was fifth with 229.65. His nine points for finishing fourth were enough to put him in the GP Final combined with the 13 points he earned at the Cup of China three weeks ago where he was injured in a scary collision with Yan Han in warm-ups, but competed to place second.
Hanyu, who was diagnosed with bruising to his head and chin after the collision in Shanghai, wasn’t sure if he could take part in the NHK until Wednesday but decided to go ahead as he felt better in practice and needed the points to reach the final.
“I feel I made the right decision to compete,” Hanyu said. “I wasn’t in the best shape physically or mentally, but am proud that I was able to take part in the two events after all that happened.”
Gracie Gold of the US won the women’s free skate to finish first overall and wrap up a place at the GP Final.
Gold, first after the short program, finished the free skate with 191.16 points, ahead of Alena Leonova of Russia, who received 186.40 points. Satoko Miyahara of Japan was third with 179.02.
The US champion won her first senior GP title and will join compatriot Ashley Wagner and Russians Elena Radionova, Elizaveta Tuktamysheva, Anna Pogorilaya and Julia Lipnitskaia in Barcelona.
In pairs, Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford of Canada finished first with 127.08 points ahead of world junior champions Yu Xiaoyu and Jin Yang of China on 121.85 — a result that allowed them to qualify for the GP Final. Yuko Kavaguti and Alexander Smirnov of Russia were third with 199 points.
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