At the figure skating Chubu Championships on the 25th, the second half of the women's single free skating was held, and Rika Kihira, who made her comeback from injury in this tournament, finished 6th despite making a mistake when she fell on a jump. I entered and won the right to participate in the All Japan Championship held in December.
Kihira, who missed all the competitions last season due to an injury to his right ankle, returned to the actual competition for the first time in about a year and a half at the Chubu Championships held in Nagoya from the 23rd.
After finishing the first half of the short program, Kihira entered the second half of the free skate on the 25th in 6th place.
In the free program, I performed a program to the tune of the movie "Titanic", and in the first half of the performance, I decided to perform consecutive jumps from a triple salchow and consecutive jumps from a double axel.
After that, I made a mistake in jumping and fell, but I steadily performed spins and steps, and skated to the end in my first free performance in an actual competition.
As a result, Kihira's free score was 97.80 and the total with the short program was 154.49, placing him in 6th place and qualifying for the All Japan Championships to be held in December.
1st place was 17-year-old Masano Matsu, 2nd place was Aina Kawabe, a representative of the Beijing Olympics, and 3rd place was Yuhana Yokoi.
Rika Kihira "I want to do my best in all Japan so that I can participate in the world championships"
Rika Kihira, who finished 6th in her return from injury and qualified for the All Japan Championships, said, "It was a very regrettable free skate in terms of performance, but the most important thing was to get the right to participate in the All Japan Championships. , I was very happy to be able to pass through," he said, looking relieved.
Regarding this tournament, which has been a long time in the making, he said, "I was worried about when the pain in my right leg would come on, but I'm relieved that I managed to overcome it and grab a ticket to the All Japan Championships. I was able to do it, so I had a good experience," he said.
Regarding the future, he said, "I want to participate in the All Japan Championships in perfect condition, stand on the podium with a perfect performance, and do my best so that I can participate in the World Championships and the Four Continents Championships. I think my goals are higher. , I want to aim higher when I can practice a lot."