2025 NHK Trophy

  1. Home
  2. Wiki

2025 NHK Trophy
Logo of the NHK Trophy
Type:Grand Prix
Date:November 7 – 9
Season:2024–25
Location:Osaka, Japan
Host:Japan Skating Federation
Venue:Towa Pharmaceutical Ractab Dome
Champions
Men's singles:
Japan Yuma Kagiyama
Women's singles:
Japan Kaori Sakamoto
Pairs:
Italy Sara Conti
and Niccolò Macii
Ice dance:
United Kingdom Lilah Fear
and Lewis Gibson
Navigation
Previous:
2024 NHK Trophy
Next:
2026 NHK Trophy
Previous Grand Prix:
2025 Skate Canada International
Next Grand Prix:
2025 Skate America

The 2025 NHK Trophy is a figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union (ISU). Organized and hosted by the Japan Skating Federation, it was the fourth event of the 2025–26 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating: a senior-level international invitational competition series. It was held from November 7 to 9 at the Towa Pharmaceutical Ractab Dome in Osaka, Japan.[1] Medals were awarded in men's singles, women's singles, pair skating, and ice dance. Skaters earned points based on their results, and the top skaters or teams in each discipline at the end of the season will be invited to then compete at the 2025 Grand Prix Final in Nagoya, Japan. Yuma Kagiyama and Kaori Sakamoto, both of Japan, won the men's and women's event, respectively. Sara Conti and Niccolò Macii of Italy won the pairs event, and Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson of Great Britain won the ice dance event.

Background

[edit]

The ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating is a series of seven events sanctioned by the International Skating Union (ISU) and held during the autumn: six qualifying events and the Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final. This allows skaters to perfect their programs earlier in the season, as well as compete against the skaters whom they would later encounter at the World Championships. Skaters earn points based on their results in their respective competitions and the top skaters or teams in each discipline are invited to compete at the Grand Prix Final.[2] The NHK Trophy debuted in 1979,[3] and when the ISU launched the Grand Prix series in 1995, the NHK Trophy was one of the five qualifying events.[4] It has been a Grand Prix event every year since.

Changes to preliminary assignments

[edit]

The International Skating Union published the initial list of entrants on June 6, 2025.[5]

Discipline Withdrew Added Notes Ref.
Date Skater(s) Date Skater(s)
Ice dance July 11
  • Japan
 July 29 Retirement (Tanaka) [6][7]
Men — September 14 Host picks [8]
Women September 15 [9]
Pairs
Women October 14 October 15 Injury (Repond) [10][11][12]
October 16 October 21 Injury (Pinzarrone) [13][14][15]

Required performance elements

[edit]

Single skating

[edit]

Men and women competing in single skating performed their short programs on Friday, November 7.[1] Lasting no more than 2 minutes 40 seconds,[16] the short program had to include the following elements:

For men: one double or triple Axel; one triple or quadruple jump; one jump combination consisting of a double jump and a triple jump, two triple jumps, or a quadruple jump and a double jump or triple jump; one flying spin; one camel spin or sit spin with a change of foot; one spin combination with a change of foot; and a step sequence using the full ice surface.[17]

For women: one double or triple Axel; one triple jump; one jump combination consisting of a double jump and a triple jump, or two triple jumps; one flying spin; one layback spin, sideways leaning spin, camel spin, or sit spin without a change of foot; one spin combination with a change of foot; and one step sequence using the full ice surface.[17]

Men and women performed their free skates on Saturday, November 8.[1] The free skate performance for both men and women could last no more than 4 minutes,[16] and had to include the following: seven jump elements, of which one had to be an Axel-type jump; three spins, of which one had to be a spin combination, one had to be a flying spin, and one had to be a spin with only one position; a step sequence; and a choreographic sequence.[18]

Pairs

[edit]

Couples competing in pair skating performed their short programs on Friday, November 7.[1] Lasting no more than 2 minutes 40 seconds,[16] the short program had to include the following elements: one pair lift, one double or triple twist lift, one double or triple throw jump, one double or triple solo jump, one solo spin combination with a change of foot, one death spiral, and a step sequence using the full ice surface.[19]

Couples performed their free skates on Saturday, November 8.[1] The free skate performance could last no more than 4 minutes,[16] and had to include the following: three pair lifts, of which one has to be a twist lift; two different throw jumps; one solo jump; one jump combination or sequence; one pair spin combination; one death spiral; and a choreographic sequence.[20]

Ice dance

[edit]
See also: Competition elements in ice dance

Couples competing in ice dance performed their rhythm dances on Friday, November 7.[1] Lasting no more than 2 minutes 50 seconds,[16] the theme of the rhythm dance this season was "music, dance styles, and feeling of the 1990s". Examples of applicable dance styles and music included, but were not limited to: pop, Latin, house, techno, hip-hop, and grunge.[21] The rhythm dance had to include the following elements: one pattern dance step sequence, one choreographic rhythm sequence, one dance lift, one set of sequential twizzles, and one step sequence.[21]

Couples then performed their free dances on Saturday, November 8.[1] The free dance performance could last no longer than 4 minutes,[16] and had to include the following: three dance lifts, one dance spin, one set of synchronized twizzles, one step sequence in hold, one step sequence while on one skate and not touching, and three choreographic elements.[21]

Judging

[edit]
See also: ISU Judging System

For the 2025–26 season, all of the technical elements in any figure skating performance – such as jumps and spins – were assigned a predetermined base point value and were then scored by a panel of seven or nine judges on a scale from -5 to 5 based on their quality of execution.[22] The judging panel's Grade of Execution (GOE) was determined by calculating the trimmed mean (that is, an average after deleting the highest and lowest scores), and this GOE was added to the base value to come up with the final score for each element. The panel's scores for all elements were added together to generate a total element score.[23] At the same time, judges evaluated each performance based on three program components – skating skills, presentation, and composition – and assigned a score from .25 to 10 in .25 point increments.[24] The judging panel's final score for each program component was also determined by calculating the trimmed mean. Those scores were then multiplied by the factor shown on the following chart; the results were added together to generate a total program component score.[25]

Program component factoring[26]
Discipline Short progam
or Rhythm dance 		Free skate
or Free dance
Men 1.67 3.33
Women 1.33 2.67
Pairs 1.33 2.67
Ice dance 1.33 2.00

Deductions were applied for certain violations like time infractions, stops and restarts, or falls.[27] The total element score and total program component score were added together, minus any deductions, to generate a final performance score for each skater or team.[28]

Medal summary

[edit]
Yuma Kagiyama at the 2024 World Championships
Kaori Sakamoto at the 2024 World Championships
Sara Conti and Niccolò Macii at the 2024 World Championships
Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson at the 2024 World Championships
The 2025 NHK Trophy champions: Yuma Kagiyama of Japan (men's singles); Kaori Sakamoto of Japan (women's singles); Sara Conti and Niccolò Macii of Italy (pair skating); and Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson of Great Britain (ice dance)
Medalists[29]
Discipline Gold Silver Bronze
Men Japan Yuma Kagiyama Japan Shun Sato Switzerland Lukas Britschgi
Women Japan Kaori Sakamoto Kazakhstan Sofia Samodelkina Belgium Loena Hendrickx
Pairs
Ice dance

Results

[edit]

Men's singles

[edit]

Yuma Kagiyama of Japan won his third consecutive title at the NHK Trophy, narrowly defeating Shun Sato, also of Japan, by a margin of less than two points. Kagiyama had been in the lead after the short program, but placed second in the free skate after falling on his quadruple toe loop; nevertheless, he finished the competition in first place. "I fell on the quad toe, but managed to regroup and finish the skate properly," Kagiyama stated. “What I’ve come to realize through the two skates is that I don’t have enough confidence. I need to practice harder... so I can have that confidence when the chips are down."[30] Sato guaranteed his spot at the 2025 Grand Prix Final with his second-place finish here and her previous win at the 2025 Cup of China. Kagiyama will still have to earn a spot at the Grand Prix Final by competing at the 2025 Finlandia Trophy. Lukas Britschgi of Switzerland finished in third place.[30]

Men's results[31]
Rank Skater Nation Total points SP FS
1st place, gold medalist(s) Yuma Kagiyama  Japan 287.24 1 98.58 2 188.66
2nd place, silver medalist(s) Shun Sato  Japan 285.71 2 96.67 1 189.04
3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Lukas Britschgi  Switzerland 246.94 5 83.45 3 163.49
4 Jin Boyang  China 239.05 4 83.92 5 155.13
5 Cha Jun-hwan  South Korea 230.26 3 91.60 10 138.66
6 Adam Hagara  Slovakia 230.00 9 72.52 4 157.48
7 Matteo Rizzo  Italy 229.60 7 76.11 6 153.49
8 François Pitot  France 229.47 6 78.24 7 151.23
9 Andrew Torgashev  United States 212.01 8 75.75 11 136.26
10 Jimmy Ma  United States 208.56 10 69.44 9 139.12
11 Gabriele Frangipani  Italy 204.64 11 64.78 8 139.86
12 Haru Kakiuchi  Japan 186.40 12 61.59 12 124.81

Women's singles

[edit]

Kaori Sakamoto of Japan "delivered a masterclass", earning 150.13 points in the free skate and winning the women's event. This was a season's best score. "I wasn't aware that this was the highest score so far this season globally," Sakamoto said. "I'm very happy that I was able to validate myself here."[32] Sakamoto had announced in June her intent to retire after the 2026 Winter Olympics. "I know that there are very few competitions left, so I really wanted to do my best and make sure that I give the best performance possible," Sakamoto said.[32] Sofia Samodelkina of Kazakhstan finished in second place, while Loena Hendrickx of Belgium finished in third.[32] Hendrickx has also hinted that the Winter Olympics would also mark the end of her competitive career. After praising Sakamoto for her consistency and positive contributions to the sport of figure skating, Hendrickx also acknowledged how difficult the sport has become as she has grown older. "I feel her and figure skating is very hard for the body and physically, but also mentally for me, especially. I don't know about her, but mentally, it's very hard as well to perform every time," Hendrickx stated prior to the 2025 NHK Trophy.[33]

Women's results[34]
Rank Skater Nation Total points SP FS
1st place, gold medalist(s) Kaori Sakamoto  Japan 227.18 1 77.05 1 150.13
2nd place, silver medalist(s) Sofia Samodelkina  Kazakhstan 200.00 2 67.75 3 132.25
3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Loena Hendrickx  Belgium 198.97 4 62.45 2 136.52
4 You Young  South Korea 198.82 3 67.66 4 131.16
5 Sarah Everhardt  United States 186.69 6 61.41 6 125.28
6 Yuna Aoki  Japan 183.31 9 56.72 5 126.59
7 Yun Ah-sun  South Korea 180.23 5 61.51 7 118.72
8 Anna Pezzetta  Italy 173.75 7 61.35 9 112.40
9 Wakaba Higuchi  Japan 168.27 10 53.15 8 115.12
10 Elyce Lin-Gracey  United States 162.41 8 60.62 10 101.79
11 Katherine Medland Spence  Canada 146.63 11 48.42 11 98.21
12 Livia Kaiser  Switzerland 134.21 12 47.95 12 86.26

Pairs

[edit]

Sara Conti and Niccolò Macii of Italy defeated Olympic champions Sui Wenjing and Han Cong of China and won the pairs event. Sui and Han had been in the lead after the short program, but finished in third place after they placed fourth in the free skate. "Maybe we need more time to prepare for the next competition,” Han offered, acknowledging that he had issues with their lifts. “We have time to fix the programs and more time to practice."[35] Sui and Han were the pairs champions at the 2022 Winter Olympics. Sui made the decision to return to competitive skating when she determined that China was having difficulty qualifying skaters for the 2026 Winter Olympics. "At present, Chinese figure skating is facing severe tests in qualifying for the Milano Winter Olympics, so as a senior athlete, I wanted to play a role in mentoring and helping others," Sui stated. "I hope to able to lead the younger generation to a brighter future, especially in pairs skating."[36] Conti and Macii officially qualified for the 2025 Grand Prix Final with their win. "We have one full month to work on [the programs]," Conti stated, with Macii adding: "We’re going to focus more on the lifts, and I’m really happy about some of the elements. We know we need to get more speed and energy to the end."[35] Maria Pavlova and Alexei Sviatchenko of Hungary finished in second place.[32]

Pairs results[37]
Rank Team Nation Total points SP FS
1st place, gold medalist(s)  Italy 208.58 2 73.69 1 134.89
2nd place, silver medalist(s)  Hungary 207.28 3 73.04 2 134.24
3rd place, bronze medalist(s)  China 203.79 1 74.63 4 129.16
4  Japan 202.11 4 71.52 3 130.59
5  United States 193.00 5 69.21 5 123.79
6  United States 187.40 6 63.82 6 123.58
7  Netherlands 155.20 7 56.74 7 98.46

Ice dance

[edit]

Alex and Maia Shibutani of the United States made their first competitive appearance at the 2025 NHK Trophy since winning two bronze medals at the 2018 Winter Olympics (one in the ice dance event and one in the team event).[38] "Returning after seven years is certainly ambitious... and so for that to be our first time out there, I feel very proud of the way that we performed," Maia Shibutani stated after finishing sixth in the rhythm dance. "We've spent a lot of time in Japan over the course of the past seven years and so that deepened our relationship to our heritage and our identity," Alex Shibutani added. "So it was a way for us to express who we are now seven years after leaving competitive skating for a break."[39] The Shibutanis ended up finishing in sixth place, admitting that their scores were not up to their usual standards. "We're disappointed with the scores for sure," Alex stated. "We've been in the sport for a long time and so we have to look at the protocols and get some feedback, but we know that we did what we came here to do and so we'll take the next steps forward."[40] The Shibutanis return at the NHK Trophy took place one month after a video was leaked online that showed Alex berating and yelling at Maia for eleven minutes, including calling her an "idiot" and a "jackass".[41] The siblings addressed the video after the rhythm dance. "Unfortunately, I lost my temper in training and it shouldn’t have happened," Alex said. "I apologized to Maia right after our practice... but it was wrong and I am committed to being a better teammate."[42] Maia also defended Alex, adding: "When you are working toward being your best there are going to be intense moments, but for us we understand each other and the process and we work through it together like siblings do. We continued practicing that day and we choose each other every time."[42]

Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson of Great Britain secured a spot at the 2025 Grand Prix Final with their win and a second-place finish at the 2025 Grand Prix de France.[40] Fear and Gibson's free dance set to a Scottish medley earned top scores for their twizzles, dance spins, and lifts. "Our goal was to have fun and do what we train. We love coming to Japan... but also, we had a job to do out there and I think that combination was really powerful and came together for us today," Fear said.[43] Gibson spoke about the importance of their Scottish free dance: "I have so much pride in my country and getting to skate to Scottish music is such a dream come true."[43]

Charlène Guignard and Marco Fabbri of Italy finished in second place, bringing their total number of Grand Prix medals won to thirteen. Caroline Green and Michael Parsons of the United States, who had withdrawn from the 2025 Skate Canada International the previous weekend due to injury, finished in third place.[43]

Ice dance results[44]
Rank Team Nation Total points RD FD
1st place, gold medalist(s)  Great Britain 205.88 1 81.57 1 124.31
2nd place, silver medalist(s)  Italy 198.67 2 76.36 2 122.31
3rd place, bronze medalist(s)  United States 187.90 3 75.14 3 112.76
4  Czech Republic 183.33 4 74.70 6 108.63
5  United States 182.85 5 72.12 4 110.73
6  United States 180.50 6 71.74 5 108.76
7  Germany 177.54 7 69.73 7 107.81
8  Finland 175.52 10 67.93 8 107.59
9  Canada 174.71 9 68.53 9 106.18
10  Japan 155.28 8 69.61 10 85.67

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d e f g "NHK Trophy – Announcement" (PDF). International Skating Union. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 28, 2025. Retrieved October 27, 2025.
  2. ^ Hines, James R. (2006). Figure Skating: A History. University of Illinois Press. pp. 246–247, 332–335. ISBN 978-0-252-07286-4.
  3. ^ "79 NHK Trophy". The Arts Room. Archived from the original on July 16, 2011.
  4. ^ "Lucrative Grand Prix gets green light" (PDF). Skating. Vol. 72, no. 8. August 1995. p. 8. ISSN 0037-6132. Archived (PDF) from the original on April 25, 2025. Retrieved April 20, 2025.
  5. ^ "ISU announces 2025-2026 Grand Prix assignments". Figure Skaters Online. June 6, 2025. Archived from the original on June 15, 2025. Retrieved October 25, 2025.
  6. ^ "あずしん、カップル解散を発表 田中梓沙は引退、西山真瑚は競技続行 アイスダンスの冬季アジア大会銅メダリスト" [Azushin announces breakup of their partnership; Azusa Tanaka retires, Shingo Nishiyama continues competing. They are bronze medalists in ice dance at the Winter Asian Games.]. Kyodo News (in Japanese). Archived from the original on August 30, 2025. Retrieved July 11, 2025.
  7. ^ @AnythingGOE (July 29, 2025). "🇩🇪 Jennifer Janse van Rensburg/Benjamin Steffan have been assigned to NHK Trophy" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  8. ^ @skatejapanews (September 14, 2025). "Update: Haru Kakiuchi has been assigned to the host spot for the 2025 NHK Trophy" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  9. ^ @AnythingGOE (September 15, 2025). "🇺🇸 Liam Kapeikis, Audrey Shin/Balazs Nagy, and Oona Brown/Gage Brown ➡️ Skate America 🇯🇵 Haru Kakiuchi, Yuna Aoki, and Yuna Nagaoka/Sumitada Moriguchi ➡️ NHK Trophy 🇨🇦 Uliana Shiryaeva and Marie-Jade Lauriault/Romain le Gac ➡️ Skate Canada" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  10. ^ @AnythingGOE (October 14, 2025). "🇨🇭 Kimmy Repond has withdrawn from Cup of China and NHK Trophy 🇺🇸 Tomoki Hiwatashi has been assigned to Cup of China" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  11. ^ @AnythingGOE (October 15, 2025). "🇮🇹 Anna Pezzetta has been assigned to Cup of China 🇨🇭 Livia Kaiser has been assigned to NHK Trophy 🇨🇦 Stephen Gogolev has been assigned to Finlandia Trophy" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  12. ^ Repond, Kimmy [@kimmy_repond]; (October 16, 2025). "Dear skating fans, Unfortunately I have to withdraw from both of my GP events, due to a foot injury that keeps bothering me since January" – via Instagram.
  13. ^ @AnythingGOE (October 16, 2025). "🇧🇪 Nina Pinzarrone has withdrawn from Skate Canada and NHK Trophy" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  14. ^ Pinzarrone, Nina [@pinzarrone_nina]; (October 17, 2025). "With my team, we've decided not to compete in the Grand Prix series this season to give my body the time it truly needs to recover from injuries and prepare for what's ahead, especially the Olympics" – via Instagram.
  15. ^ @AnythingGOE (October 21, 2025). "🇨🇳 Xiangyi An has withdrawn from Cup of China 🇰🇷 Ahsun Yun has been assigned to NHK Trophy" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  16. ^ a b c d e f International Skating Union 2024, p. 82.
  17. ^ a b International Skating Union 2024, p. 106.
  18. ^ International Skating Union 2024, pp. 110–111.
  19. ^ International Skating Union 2024, p. 119.
  20. ^ International Skating Union 2024, p. 122.
  21. ^ a b c "Communication No. 2704: Ice Dance Requirements for Technical Rules, Season 2025/26" (PDF). U.S. Figure Skating. International Skating Union. August 8, 2025. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 20, 2025. Retrieved August 31, 2025.
  22. ^ International Skating Union 2024, pp. 83–84.
  23. ^ International Skating Union 2024, pp. 15–16.
  24. ^ International Skating Union 2024, pp. 84–85.
  25. ^ International Skating Union 2024, pp. 16–17.
  26. ^ International Skating Union 2024, p. 17.
  27. ^ International Skating Union 2024, pp. 18–19.
  28. ^ International Skating Union 2024, p. 20.
  29. ^ "2025 GP NHK Trophy". Skating Scores. Archived from the original on November 8, 2025. Retrieved November 8, 2025.
  30. ^ a b Kano, Shintaro (November 8, 2025). "NHK Trophy 2025: Kagiyama Yuma three-peats in the face of strong challenge from Sato Shun". Olympics.com. Archived from the original on November 9, 2025. Retrieved November 9, 2025.
  31. ^ "2025 GP NHK Trophy – Mens Final Results". Skating Scores. Archived from the original on November 8, 2025. Retrieved November 8, 2025.
  32. ^ a b c d "Sakamoto shines at NHK Trophy, sets season's highest score". Reuters. November 8, 2025. Archived from the original on November 9, 2025. Retrieved November 9, 2025.
  33. ^ Kano, Shintaro (November 6, 2025). "Loena Hendrickx at NHK Trophy 2025: 'It might be the last season'". Olympics.com. Archived from the original on November 9, 2025. Retrieved November 9, 2025.
  34. ^ "2025 GP NHK Trophy – Womens Final Results". Skating Scores. Archived from the original on November 8, 2025. Retrieved November 8, 2025.
  35. ^ a b Kano, Shintaro (November 8, 2025). "NHK Trophy 2025: Italy's Conti/Macii swoop in to wrest pairs title; Sui/Han third again". Olympics.com. Archived from the original on November 9, 2025. Retrieved November 9, 2025.
  36. ^ Goh, ZK; Zhiwen, Shen (February 17, 2025). "Olympic pairs champion Sui Wenjing on comeback and next steps: "I love to tell stories"". Olympics.com. Archived from the original on April 16, 2025. Retrieved November 9, 2025.
  37. ^ "2025 GP NHK Trophy – Pairs Final Results". Skating Scores. Archived from the original on November 8, 2025. Retrieved November 8, 2025.
  38. ^ "Shibutani siblings sixth in ice dancing return at NHK Trophy". ESPN. Associated Press. November 8, 2025. Retrieved November 9, 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  39. ^ Kano, Shintaro (November 7, 2025). "NHK Trophy 2025: Maia/Alex Shibutani sixth in competitive return after seven-year absence". Olympics.com. Archived from the original on November 9, 2025. Retrieved November 9, 2025.
  40. ^ a b Kano, Shintaro (November 8, 2025). "NHK Trophy 2025: Maia/Alex Shibutani finish sixth after free dance; Fear/Gibson top podium". Olympics.com. Archived from the original on November 9, 2025. Retrieved November 9, 2025.
  41. ^ Stenzel, Wesley (November 7, 2025). "U.S. Olympic ice dancers break silence after leaked video shows Alex Shibutani berating sister Maia". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on November 9, 2025. Retrieved November 9, 2025.
  42. ^ a b Armstrong, Jim (November 7, 2025). "Shibutani sibling ice dancers address leaked video of Alex berating Maia". Associated Press. Archived from the original on November 8, 2025. Retrieved November 9, 2025.
  43. ^ a b c Barrington, Talia (November 7, 2025). "Fear and Gibson capture NHK Trophy ice dance gold; Shibutanis return to form with top-6 finish". NBC Olympics. Archived from the original on November 10, 2025. Retrieved November 9, 2025.
  44. ^ "2025 GP NHK Trophy – Ice Dance Final Results". Skating Scores. Archived from the original on November 8, 2025. Retrieved November 8, 2025.

Works cited

[edit]
[edit]