With the audience keenly aware that this would be the lask NHK trophy for Japanese skates Wakaba Higuchi and GOAT Kaori Sakamoto, smiles and tears were already well anticipated going into fourth round of the ISU figure skating Grand Prix, and Osaka certainly did not disappoint.

As we saw more skaters qualify for the Grand Prix Final following second assignments for many, fans and casual viewers alike were given a closer indication of what they can look forward to come December, and how the run up to the Olympics in Milano Cortina might be one of the most exciting run-ins we’ve ever seen.

Men’s

Conversation was abuzz for the return of Japanese favourite Yuma Kagiyama, who finally made his GP appearance following an injury sustained to his left angle. After a delightful short program and second place in the free, he managed to take gold with a score of 287.24. Second was his countryman Shun Sato, who recently won gold in the Cup of China and managed to beat Kagiyama’s free skate score by just over a point. However, that wasn’t enough for Sato to snatch gold, though his silver 285.71 means we should be seeing him in the Grand Prix Final.

Switzerland’s Lukas Britschgi brought up the rear with bronze (246.94) following mildly troubled free skates from South Korean’s Cha Jun-hwan and China’s Jin Boyang.

Women’s

It was all about Wakaba Higuchi and Kaori Sakamoto’s final NHK Trophy of their careers, and both pulled off emotional skates that left many in tears. Whilst Higuchi has unfortunately been suffering from injuries that meant she was not able to perform as strong a skate as fans are used to from the artistically wonderful skater, fans were on their feet as she did her final bow on the ice.

Sakamoto managed two flawless skates to take gold (227.18), and her gold medal being handed to her by Japanese figure skating legend Midori Ito was but the icing on the cake. We’ll see her again at the Grand Prix Final.

Kazakhstan’s Sofia Samodelkina came second (200.00) after two fantastic skates, and much beloved Loena Hendrickx (Belgium) earned 198.97 and a bronze, a more than welcome return to the podium for her after a heartbreaking injury before World’s last season.

Pairs

Sara Conti & Niccolò Macii from Italy simply seem to go from strength to strength, taking gold with 208.58 points. Whilst they trailed the Olympic champions Sui Wenjing & Han Cong after the short program, errors from the latter in their free skate and a truly fabulous outing from Conti / Macii meant that Sui / Han dropped down to third (203.79).

The definition of quiet consistency, Hungary’s Maria Pavlova & Alexei Sviatchenko took silver (207.28) with a brilliant free skate that was only 0.65 points behind Conti / Macii. We should be seeing Conti / Macii, as well as Pavlova / Sviatchenko again in the Grand Prix Final, with Sui / Han also a possibility depending on where the other pairs land in the final two rounds of the series.

Ice Dance

Brits Lilah Fear & Lewis Gibson brought even more joy and energy to Osaka as they took gold (205.88), with veterans Charlène Guignard & Marco Fabbri (Italy) pulling off a much stronger showing than in Angers that earned them the second spot with 198.67. Whilst this all but confirms that we’ll be seeing Fear / Gibson again in the Grand Prix Final, it seems almost bizzarre to say that we might not be seeing Guignard / Fabbri in the GPF this year given how strong the field truly is.

Coming in third was American pair Caroline Green & Michael Parsons with two enchanting skates leaving them with 187.90 and the bronze. Despite the return of the Shibsibs, with an embarrassment of riches for US ice dance, surely this puts Green / Parsons is a solid position as they skate their claim for an Olympic Spot. Hopefully we’ll see them build on this great performance throughout the rest of the season.

Overall

The fun of the back end of the Grand Prix series is the anticipation that builds as we get closer and closer to the Grand Prix Final: seeing who’s done enough to make it and the shocks as fate of favourites’ teeter in the balance. Despite this, the NHK trophy felt like a true celebration of figure skating in Japan, both for the skaters that soon to say goodbye to the sport, as well as the audiences that love seeing these fantastic skaters from around the world with such enthusiasm and generosity of spirit.

Will Kagiyama make it to the final? Is Sato the dark horse pushing for the podium this Olympic Cycle? Will Sui / Han and Guignard / Fabbri scrape into the GPF? All this and more as we hop over to Skate America in New York next week.