Satoko Miyahara Wins Skate America, Kaori Sakamoto Places 2nd

From November 24 – 26, this year’s edition of Skate America took place in Lake Placid, New York. This was the sixth event in the International Skating Union’s 2017 – 2018 Grand Prix Series. Satoko Miyahara won the women’s portion of the event, with Kaori Sakamoto following in second.

Satoko won with a total score of 214.03. Her short program received a score of 70.72, putting her in first place. “My body condition and feeling of skating is getting better and better day by day,” Satoko said. “I have a lot of things to do for Nationals, but I think now I’m skating consistently.” Satoko’s free skate was the top one of the event, with a score of 143.31. She cleanly landed all seven of her jumps, including five types of triple jumps. “I didn’t expect to win,” she said afterwards. “This is a surprising result and I’m really happy. It makes overcoming difficult times worth it.”

Kaori came in second with a total score of 210.59. Her short program was ranked second, with a score of 69.40. Kaori’s free skate was also ranked second, with a score of 141.19. All three scores are new personal bests for her.

Takahito Mura finished in seventh place with a total score of 212.77. After the event, he said, “In a word — it’s frustrating. It made me realize once again that this is my current ability.”

Kana Muramoto & Chris Reed also finished in seventh place, with a total score of 155.80.

The Grand Prix Final will take place December 7 – 10 in Nagoya. Shoma Uno is the second ranked man entering the competition, while Wakaba Higuchi is the sixth ranked woman. Satoko Miyahara and Kaori Sakamoto are the first and second alternates, respectively.

Satoko Miyahara

Short program